In Pursuit of Excellence

Members Advance Personal Goals in Advance of Decathlon

By Jake Ten Pas

“It shouldn’t have been me.” Not the words one expects to hear from the winner of any event, but then MAC’s Decathlon isn’t just any event.

When three weekends of in-person camaraderie and competition kick off Saturday, May 4, 50 years of records are on the line. As the recollections of members illustrate, however, it isn’t the numbers that are important, but the people who’ve defined club excellence, as well as the efforts they’ve put forward to improve themselves and their fellow decathletes.

The deferential opinion that starts this story belongs to last year’s overall champion, George McCleary, a real estate developer and podcaster who both wants to win and to be outperformed. “There are so many amazing athletes at MAC, and I’m happy to have won, but it should have been one of these people I see in the Fitness Room who are twice the athlete I ever was. I care more about the Decathlon as a tradition than I do about winning the whole thing.”

He pauses. “I do want to win my age group, though. Let me make that clear. I want to be the strongest and fastest 44-year-old dude.”

McCleary invites readers ages 40-45 who think they have a shot at stopping him to give it a go. The event is divided into fiveyear age categories and by gender, so any adult member has a chance at triumphing over their age group, and the top spot can belong to anyone who achieves the highest score in the 10 out of 18 possible events they choose.

There are those like McCleary who might find their moments of Zen shooting free throws, and others who’d prefer to best all comers with fleet feet. Some participants even delight in challenging themselves to show and prove at their least favorite events, whether those are rowing, pull-ups, or jump rope. Personal strengths vary, but the Decathlon’s dedication to testing overall fitness remains unwavering.

“I love this event. I love its tradition and its meaning,” says Lori Webb, who just completed her term as Fitness & Decathlon Committee Chair. “It’s pretty much me against me as I see if I can improve each year, but I also get fired up to inspire others to discover something new. Every one of us wants to age gracefully and be able to continue to do all of the things we love. If you compete in the Decathlon, you’ll discover some cool new ways to test your own personal drive.”

Webb has competed in the event for the past decade, and at age 64, feels confident in saying, “Come on! If I can do it, so can you.”

That’s two challenges issued, and Decathlon cofounder Bill Cordano has his own to issue. “I want at least 50 people to enter in honor of the event’s 50th anniversary,” he says, and that goal shouldn’t be unreasonable given that MAC is more than 20,000 members strong. At the height of its popularity, when it was powered by athletic titans Joe Loprinzi and Bud Lewis, the Decathlon regularly attracted 100-150 entrants. Unfortunately, the pandemic disrupted the community aspect of the storied test of strength, speed, and conditioning, leaving numbers down to just 26 in 2023.

“It’s pretty diverse and very challenging,” Cordano explains. “The first Decathlon was in 1974, and I didn’t win my age group for 15 years. Since then, I’ve won my group 18 times, but before that I always enjoyed the comradeship and competition. Those two things would drive you because you wanted to beat your buddy, but you wanted your buddy to do well also.”

Cordano says that every year after the event wraps, he sits down and looks at his scores, and then try to write down a goal for himself for the next year in each event. “I would try to make them achievable, and it was a self-motivation technique I used for many years. Now, at 81, I just ty to do show up and give it my best!”

Much like Cordano, McCleary, and Webb, USA Track & Field Coach Nate Moreland looks younger than his years, and he isn’t ruling out the possibility that the Decathlon has something to do with it. Moreland first came to MAC as a Scholar Athlete in the late 70s and remembers not feeling entirely welcome at first. Thanks to the love shown him by Lewis and Loprinzi, he persevered to see the beauty inherent in chasing excellence.

“My first visit to MAC, I was a teenager, and it was almost my last visit,” Moreland says after recounting a time when an interaction with a fellow member made him feel unwelcome. “I was on my way out the door when I ran into Bud and Joe, and they stopped me to ask what was wrong.” The pair accompanied the Scholar Athlete back to the locker room to confront the member and make sure Moreland knew he belonged and was supported.

That was a turning point and the beginning of a personal journey for Moreland that would see him taking Loprinzi’s career advice and a cue from his determination to raise overall fitness among members. At the time, Moreland was working as a manager at Fred Meyer, and Loprinzi encouraged him to become a trainer. “He said, ‘Let me tell you something. It’s not about money. If you have a passion for something, you want to do it, and you’re good at it, the money will come,” Moreland recalls, and says it’s turned out to be true as his training business, LIFTS, has proven.

More importantly, Loprinzi taught him the importance of integrity and dedication to relentless self-improvement and, along with Lewis, got him involved in the MAC Decathlon, where such traits are invaluable. As a member of the Fitness & Decathlon Committee for the past two years, Moreland has worked to pass that spirit along to other members.

“The decathlon means going outside of your box and trying to do something you’ve never done before. It’s not about always being the best, but always giving the best. It makes you feel good to compete against a group of people who are all trying to do the same thing.”