When Norman Breidinger and Joseph “Joe” Woody returned from the 14th annual National Veterans Golden Age Games in Topeka, Kan., last month, they had gold medals around their necks.

The two are so proud of their medals, according to Nancy Martino, public affairs officer, that they’ve been wearing them around the W.G. Hefner VA Medical Center ever since.

“I told them, ‘If you keep wearing them, you’re going to be humped over for life,’ ” said Nancy Perry, voluntary services director for the center.

Woody received his medal for winning the ambulatory billiards-nine ballcompetition, and Breidinger got his for coming out on top in ambulatory table tennis. The two also competed in ambulatory shuffleboard, while Breidinger participated in the croquet and ambulatory bowling events.

The last time the games were held in Kansas, both came back winners. Woody won a gold medal at the 11th annual games in Leavenworth, Kan., in 1997, and Breidinger won a silver.

“Kansas has been good to us,” Breidinger said.

The two were accompanied by Jim Murtaugh, a recreational therapist at the center.

Breidinger says Murtaugh overheard one of the athletes he defeated in table tennis calling him a “chump.” If he had heard him, he said, laughing, “I would have told him, ‘I’m a champ, not a chump.’ ”

The three left on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 1, and arrived just in time for a barbecue that night, according to Woody. Sightseeing trips were scheduled throughout the week, and they went along when they didn’t interfere with their competitions.

They even went to a casino, Woody said, but they didn’t gamble with real money.

One of the highlights of the trip, according to Breidinger, was getting to meet Olympic winner Jim Ryun at the awards banquet. Ryun, who won a silver medal in the 1500-meter run in the 1968 games, is the Congressional representative for the Second District of Kansas.

For Woody, one of the best parts of competing was getting to meet new people. “The Games give me an opportunity to meet veterans from all areas of the country,” he said. “I feel that it’s an honor to be chosen to represent the Salisbury VA hospital.”

The cost of the trip was paid for by the national Bowlers Victory League, according to Perry.

Woody has participated in the Golden Age Games two other years and Breidinger three, but they haven’t won. Breidinger competed for the first time in 1995 in Dallas, Texas, and the two of them competed in 1998 in Leesburg, Va., and last year in Geneva, N.Y.

Next year, the games will be held in Duncanville, Texas, and both hope to go. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to compete, Perry said, “as long as their health holds up.”

The Golden Age Games demonstrate the value of providing regular exercise, recreation and friendly competition among participants 55 and older while helping them to deal with disability and aging. Athletes compete within ambulatory and wheelchair divisions in different age groups.

Breidinger, 70, of Vista Drive was in the Air Force for six years, serving active duty in the German Occupation. He is retired from the U.S. Postal Service after 21 years and has six children and eight grandchildren. Breidinger also competes in the Rowan County Senior Games.

“I’ve won numerous medals over there,” he said.

Woody, 77, a combat Navy veteran of World War II, currently receives care at the VA in Salisbury. Originally from Landis, he is retired after working in several different fields, including the automobile industry.

He stays ready for competition by playing the billiards every morning and every evening. “Idon’t have anybody to practice with me,” he said, “so I practice by myself. Won’t nobody play me around here anyway.”

Is is because they don’t like to lose?

Woody answered the question with a smile and walked on.