The oldest participant in a nation-wide competition for Canadians 55-years-old and older is inspiring others, and proves it is really never too late to try something new.
For Florence Storch, age is nothing but a number – the 101-year-old has been throwing the javelin for 16 years.
“So many people said ‘Oh, I’m too old to do this, to do that,” Storch said. “At 101 you’re not too old.”
The Hanna, Alberta native said she picked up the sport when she was 85-years-old, she was volunteering at the provincial seniors games in her hometown and she signed up to compete after she noticed no one else had.
“So when the roster was completed, I went ‘Oh, no one for javelin’,” Storch said. “Then I had to stay with it.”
After her first competition, Storch said she started formal training, working with the athletic director at a local high school – in the years since; she’s brought home a number of medals.
Thursday’s competition is the first one she’s been in where she’s needed to have her walker nearby, and her 70-year-old son, Ed.
“Many people have told me the only reason they are in the games and doing something active is because my mother is an example,” Ed Storch said.
He says his mother has also inspired him, he runs track and believes in the importance of staying active.
“It’s a reason to get out of bed in the morning,” Ed said. “It’s interacting with other people; it’s getting out of the rut a little bit.”
In Thursday’s competition, Storch came in second – Doreen Erskine, 87, won gold.
With files from Nicole Weisberg
