Senior racquetball champ wants to continue collecting gold medals

When James Troutt walked into a Montgomery, Alabama, Air Force base gym in 1972, his plan was to meet a group of friends for a night of pick-up hoops.

Nobody else showed up, though, prompting Troutt to find other means of recreation.

A small racket and hollow rubber ball piqued the airman’s interest.

“I haven’t stopped playing racquetball since,” said Troutt, a 75-year-old Spokane man who won gold in last month’s National Senior Games. “It’s a way of life. It keeps me living and I plan to keep on going.”

His resume is indicative of that.

Troutt has won a series of notable tournaments in his age group, including the 2016 and 2017 USA Racquetball Championships, the 2016 National Master’s Racquetball Association Championships and the 2015 Huntsman World Senior Games.

The former Gonzaga University assistant dean of admissions eased through his bracket in June’s USA Racquetball Championships at Arizona State University, winning all five of his matches, dropping just a single game.

All of this after recovering from a slew of injuries.

Since 2007, Troutt, a Philadelphia native stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in 1983, has experienced knee replacement, rotator cuff surgery, trigger finger and a nagging case of pes planus, commonly known as flat fleet.

“Flat feet is the only thing that really affects me now,” said Troutt, a Troy State University graduate. “You probably wouldn’t believe me unless you saw my speed and movement on the court at my age.”

The retired Troutt, who boasts of recently beating a 30-year-old, has even garnered a sponsor in Gearbox, a San Diego-based racquetball, pickleball and paddleball manufacturer.

When he isn’t driving a courtesy shuttle part-time, he’s sweating it out at Fairchild’s gym and North Park Athletic Club, gearing up for tournaments all around the country.

Troutt is eyeing more hardware at the World Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico, next month.

“I just want to keep getting golds now,” he said. “You just don’t want to settle for less than that.”