Scribbled down on a peach-colored index card is a hand-written list of events. The first three were already checked off.

St. Louisan Harry Kublin heads to the finish line with a fifth-place showing in the 1,500-meter race walk Mark Schiefelbein photo

But because of recent cataract operations on both eyes - the most recent taking place just 11 days ago - Weston could hardly make out that he had 3-on-3 basketball remaining on his list.

Weston had to play on a 70-plus team, the only one in the state, because there were no other basketball players in his age group. Weston’s KC 70+ team also had to play a man down since the third member of their team had to sit out after a recent colon surgery.

In each game they were lent a player from the opposing team, which usually had players nearly 20 years younger than Weston.

"Doctors said that I’m not supposed to be playing very much, don’t push anything," said Weston, a WWII veteran who has been participating in the Senior Games since 1998. "Well I can’t. I said I could play if I wanted to.

"With my eyes the way they are, I can’t shoot. I can’t move. If I move everything goes blurry. It feels like I got blinders on underneath and on the side."

Despite the handicap, Weston managed to score 10 points in his third and final game of the day against Columbia’s D-Sport Hawks. Weston boasted about the time when he scored 29 points in a game at the Senior Games a year ago and when he "outscored everyone in the country, back during the war."

"When I played basketball today my eyes bothered me," said Weston, who also participated in a pair of basketball skills competitions - free throw shooting and around the world - and table tennis yesterday. "When I moved the whole stadium moved. Usually I can see that goal, like a magnet up there. I get electrified to it. Now today it was a foreign object, I just slung it up there. It’s discouraging when you can’t see what you’re doing. There’s gotta be something wrong with me if I can’t shoot a basketball."

Former MU basketball player Gary Filbert, who is the director of the Show Me State Games, was impressed with Weston.

"He’s an amazing guy," said the 72-year-old Filbert, who played alongside Norm Stewart during the early 1950s and coached under him in the 1980s. "I can only hope that when I’m 81 I’m able to do some of the things he’s able to do."

D-Sport and Squad 1 of St. Louis will represent Missouri in the 65-69 age group at next month’s National Senior Games in Baton Rouge, La.

Before yesterday, Weston had never met his teammate, 73-year-old Ralph Bobbitt of Independence. Although KC 70+ lost in the exhibition game against D-Sport, the team can take home some great memories.

"I hear they called Jack ‘Popcorn’ because he just keeps popping up shots that go in," said Bobbitt, a retired psychologist who began playing organized basketball for the first time this year. "What a character. I’ll never forget playing with him."

After the game Weston grabbed his fourth medal of the day, looked at his list again and saw that he has a dozen track and field events today.

There was not a drop of sweat on his beige and blue pinstriped jersey or on his bright blue shorts, perhaps saving that sweat for today’s events at Walton Stadium.

"I don’t see much competition in the 80-84 group," said Weston. "Not very many come out. I guess it’s part of your status. If you’ve made it this far, to come out after 80 years old, you deserve to get medals in every event you take part in.

"Saturday I’ll get a bunch if I participate in all the events," he said. "And I can. I don’t mind doing it, I just mind when I can’t see well enough to do what I’m capable of doing."

● Today marks the heaviest day of action in the Senior Games, which have attracted approximately 700 competitors to Columbia.

Track and field will dominate much of the action.

It begins at 7:30 a.m. with the 5K run at Reactor Park.

The swimming competition also begins.