The 76-year-old was competing in a 2-mile lake swim meet in Indianapolis Saturday morning causing ‘Beaver,’ - Blake’s nickname - to miss out on that day’s swimming events at the Missouri State Senior Games.

Immediately following the lake swim meet, he drove eight hours to his home in Bridgeton, slept a few hours, then made the two hour drive to Columbia, arriving at 8 a.m. yesterday just in time to begin a long morning that consisted of six swim events at the Missouri games.

The reigning national champion in his age group in the 200-yard freestyle, Blake was upset at his performances during the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly.

There was no question he was going to win his two freestyle events, which included first-place finishes in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 7:54.73 and a Missouri games record of 1:09.71 in the 100-yard freestyle.

"The breaststroke is not my strong suit," he said as he left the water after that race at Hickman Pool.

But he still managed to beat his two other competitors in the 75-79 age group in what he considers his weakest event.

"Sometimes all you have to do is outlive people in some of these events," he said concerning the lack of competition in his age group. He won each of his six swimming events yesterday.

But Blake is looking ahead to bigger and better things. A veteran of numerous Senior Olympic games, the ex-Naval pilot who swam for Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, has his eye on sweeping the freestyle events at next month’s National Senior Games in Baton Rouge, La.

He’s certainly has had a lot of practice. In recent years he has participated in swimming competitions in Chapel Hill, N.C., Syracuse, N.Y., Chicago, Minneapolis and Seattle. He has also competed against some of the world’s best swimmers at international competitions in Montreal and Sheffield, England.

Blake would be the No. 1-ranked swimmer in his age group worldwide if it weren’t for his nemesis Frank Piem, a 77-year old from San Diego who broke six world records in freestyle events at an international senior swim meet in Munich last year.

He also competes in many of the national events Blake takes part in, but was in California this weekend, also preparing for the nationals.

But Blake does not look like the No. 2 swimmer in his age group. He sports a large belly, which was held in by wearing a black swimsuit.

His friend and competitor Al Fischer, 84, of Springfield pointed at the belly yesterday and said, "Hey Beaver, your belly looks like a pregnant whale!"

Beaver quickly came back with, "Well, whales swim very well."

The two have been competing together since Blake began swimming in senior games in 1989. The two have become close friends.

"I’d have to say the social aspect is the best part of these senior games," said Blake, who swims daily at 6 a.m. "I look at people like Al, and those much older, and say, ‘Gosh, at your age you’re still going.’

"Everyday I swim I feel great. I feel like it’s one more day that I’m alive because of athletics."