Meet William Wieand ’53, a Renaissance athlete. He swims. Bikes. Walks. Rows.
Growing up, Wieand played beach volleyball in his native, sunny San Diego and basketball throughout high school. He continued those sports at SCU, flexing his moves in intramural basketball and traveling 30 miles south to serve and spike on the beaches of Santa Cruz.
His passion for movement grew as the years passed. Now 90, Wieand is expected to participate in the 40th annual Northern Virginia Senior Olympics in September, as he has done for the past 15 years.
The games draw hundreds of Northern Virginia residents over the age of 50 to compete in everything from frisbee throwing to cornhole, diving, cycling, yo-yoing, and solving jigsaw puzzles.
“I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been healthy this long, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I’ve been active all my life,” says Wieand. “It was something that was always in my nature. I get restless if I don’t do something after two or three days. I think it’s certainly been helpful to keep me healthy throughout my life.”
Wieand, who says sports help him stay in touch with friends, is excited about the 2022 competition because he’ll be in a new age group: 90-94.
“I’m going to be at the bottom of my age group,” he quips. “I’m going to knock ’em dead.”