Sports
PA Athlete, 67, Wins Gold Medal In Basketball At National Senior Games
The Pittsburgh resident is honored as a Humana Game Changer for inspiring others with her passion for staying active.
The National Senior Games, presented by Humana, is the largest multi-sport event in the world for people aged 50+. Ever since the first Games in 1987 in St. Louis, the National Senior Games has sought to motivate adults to lead active, healthy lifestyles.
The 2023 National Senior Games, held in Pittsburgh, included nearly 12,000 athletes from across the country competing in 21 unique sports.
Since 2013, Humana has recognized outstanding athletes – those who exemplify active aging and provide encouragement, motivation, and inspiration for people of all ages to pursue lifelong health – as Humana Game Changers.
Today, Patch is shining a spotlight on Paula Franetti, 67, from Pittsburgh, who won a gold medal in women’s basketball at the National Senior Games. Not only does she love competing in basketball, but she is also passionate about inspiring and motivating others to be active no matter their age.
Below, Paula talks about competing in the 2023 National Senior Games and shares advice for other seniors looking to stay active.
Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
How long have you been participating in basketball and how did you get started?
I started playing basketball in 10th grade when I transferred to Immaculate Conception High School, Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1972. I was excited that they had a women's basketball team and decided to try out. I had to learn how to play the game, but eventually became a starter in my junior and senior years and was elected captain in my senior year. After graduation, I went to Penn State University and was fortunate to make the basketball team. I played two years on both JV and varsity, then decided to pursue other things in my junior and senior years, which was a hard decision to make.
Can you describe any challenges, health or otherwise, that you had to overcome in order to compete in the National Senior Games?
In April 2016, I turned 60 years old and qualified for the 2017 Senior Games. Five months later, on Sept. 13, 2016, a speeding driver ran a red light at the intersection one block from my office and brutally T-boned my driver’s side door, nearly folding my car in half. About five days later in the ICU, when I was removed from a ventilator, I learned that the twisting of my body upon impact snapped my pelvis in seven places. I also sustained four lumbar and one cervical fracture, internal bleeding in the lower pelvis, a punctured bladder, a ruptured diaphragm, a partially collapsed left lung, and a mild traumatic brain injury. Three months later when I was able to stand up and bear weight, I learned my left knee had a Medial Collateral Ligament tear (MCL), posterior meniscal tear, and micro fractures to my fibula.
My medical team told me that most 60-year-old women would never have survived this type of impact and projected a two-year recovery due to the extent of all my injuries. No one was willing to say how much function I would regain, which concerned me. They rightfully left the amount and the level of functional recovery up to me.
The most challenging aspect of my recovery was the length of recovery and the uncertainty of what level of function I could recover. By nature, I have always had a glass-half-full perspective on life. Yet, this recovery pushed my positive outlook to the limits. Over the course of 2017 and early 2018, I encountered over 80 setbacks trying to identify my starting point to progressively build a new lifestyle. Fortunately, I had an exercise physiology and rehab background which not only enabled me to understand how to build a slow progression, but also knowing "what" to do is vastly different from knowing "how" to manage the setbacks.
I attribute my remarkable recovery to a deep desire to be well again, coupled with a strong positive mental perspective, and the knowledge of how to set up a progressive exercise program. Yet, in spite of everything I had going for me, nearly 11 months after my accident, I re-ruptured my diaphragm while swimming which required a surgical repair. I had elective cardiothoracic surgery in 2017 and was able to recover and play in the April 2018 qualifying tournament for the 2019 National Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tears welled up in my eyes when I stepped onto the Albuquerque basketball court for the start of our 60s+ pool play. That's when I knew I made it all the way back! I am convinced that when people combine their trusted medical interventions with an undying desire to be well that remarkable outcomes are possible. I'm living proof of this along with other Humana Game Changers who have overcome great odds.
You were one of 28 athletes selected from the thousands competing at the 2023 National Senior Games for the national honor of being named a Humana Game Changer. Can you tell us more about this honor and what it means to you?
When I received the call saying I was chosen to be one of the 2023 Humana Game Changers, I started to cry. I consider being a Humana Game Changer an exceptional privilege and a responsibility. It humbles me to know that Humana recognizes that my recovery story is important for others to hear, especially if it inspires them to believe that they too can get well.
But I also see my role as a Humana Game Changer as a responsibility to walk the talk. Going through the most catastrophic health challenge I ever faced gave me undeniable confidence that I have the power within me to always find a way to be well regardless of what may change or deteriorate in my body. I want to be a living example to others that life does not end when you get an unexpected diagnosis or lose mobility, independence, or body functions. I believe each one of us has the power within to rebound, which enables us to continue this life journey of discovering all that we are. If we never encounter a challenging medical setback, we may never know how powerful we are to heal and be well.
Why is living a healthy, active lifestyle important to you?
Living a healthy, active lifestyle is important to me because it is who I am. It's my identity. It's what drives me to be all that I can be because being healthy and active means I can be as physically, mentally, and spiritually expressive as I choose to be. It enables me to keep adapting to aging in ways where I keep gaining new experiences that outweigh what I lose as I age. I crave the feelings of strength, agility, power, endurance, confidence, control, resilience, and movement. And even though my body can't do what it did when I was 20, I have the capacity and creativity to find new ways to continue experiencing these joyful feelings of a healthy, active lifestyle. As a Humana Game Changer, that's what I want to help people discover for themselves!
What advice do you have for people wanting to be more active who feel like they don’t know where to start?
Finding your safe starting point is a trial-and-error exercise that you must be willing to try. The human body best adapts to becoming healthy through consistent, repeatable activities. If you choose to do things that you truly enjoy because they make you feel good, then you'll most likely be more consistent in doing them and allow your body to change quicker. Therefore, if you precede your trial-and-error starting exercise by taking time to identify the types of healthy living sensations that make you feel alive, vibrant, and more like you, then it will be easier to find activities with which you can be consistent long enough for your body to start changing in a healthy way. Focus on having fun and enjoying your body in motion as it discovers all that it is able to do.
Please tell us about your experience competing in the 2023 National Senior Games. What was the best part?
Every National Senior Games from my accident forward will always be special to me because I know that I made myself well enough to compete! But the 2023 Games were exceptionally special since I am from Pittsburgh, and this was an opportunity to showcase the city I love to over 11,000 athletes and their families. The Pittsburgh National Senior Games allowed me to have family and friends watch me play, and I was able to cheer on other friends who were competing in their first Games.
But, the very best part of the Games was being one of six torch runners at the opening ceremony. This was a childhood dream come true. Since I was a little girl, I fantasized about lighting the Olympic cauldron, and when I found out I was chosen to be a Torch Runner, it was better than I ever imagined. I had never seen, let alone carried, an Olympic Torch. This torch was gorgeous and beautifully carved with Pittsburgh memorabilia which – combined with the magical Olympic mystique – made the experience unforgettable and surreal. It was an incredible honor to be a part of lighting the National Senior Games cauldron.
In addition to the lighting of the Olympic Flame, our 65+ Steel City Quest team finished with a gold medal in Division 3 basketball. Prior to this, the highest medal I earned on a basketball team at a National Senior Games was bronze. This was the icing on the cake!
Congratulations, Paula, on your athletic achievements and helping motivate other seniors to lead healthy, active lifestyles!
More about Humana: Since 2007, Humana has sponsored the National Senior Games and celebrated senior athletes with the NSGA. Specifically, Humana supports the National Senior Games’ mission to keep active adults healthy through education, fitness and sport.
