Carstensen has been rated the No. 1 masters athlete in the country.
By JOHN SCHWARB
Published June 20, 2004
The camaraderie keeps Pay Carstensen coming back, though he admits the competition in the Sunshine State Games is somewhat less than inspiring.
Go figure.
Florida just does not have many 70-somethings throwing the hammer in the backyard.
Carstensen is almost in a league of his own, as the 72-year-old from Spring Hill was rated the No. 1 masters hammer thrower in the country by a national publication for track and field athletes.
Today's action in Tallahassee (he also is taking part in the shot put) will be merely a tune-up for Carstensen.
He will face a tougher field next weekend at a regional competition in Clermont featuring hammer throwers from around the southeast.
"The competition isn't as much (here) as it is on the national level, especially with the hammer," Carstensen said. "They're not really up to snuff."
Carstensen very much is, with a garage-full of trophies and countless medals from years of meets. The hammer, an 8.8-pound weight at the end of a metal wire that is thrown after rotating the body to achieve maximum torque, is a labor of love enhanced by its uniqueness.
Hernando County does not have hammer-throw fields, so Carstensen drives to Tampa once a week to throw at South Florida. The rest of the time, he practices in a hammer circle he built in the backyard.
His best throw is 143 feet. In the Sunshine State Games, he said he would settle for something around 140.
"I have a little groin problem. When you get older, you get these minor aches and pains," Carstensen said. "Everybody's in the same boat. You smell a lot of Bengay around there."
As Carstensen said, that's just part of the camaraderie. The competition part, he should have well in hand.
