The older she gets, the more Marilyn Hilliard competes.

Hilliard, 72, of Butler recently returned from Fresno, Calif., where she competed in the 18th National Veterans Golden Age Games, which is the largest sporting event in the world for senior veterans.

"I didn't know this event existed until last year," Hilliard said. "As soon as I found out, I called the 800 number, got the registration papers and was ready to go."

Nearly 500 veterans competed in the games. Hilliard won gold medals in three of the four events she participated in - horseshoes, bicycling and the pentathlon.

She won gold in the same three events at last year's Golden Age Games in Maine.

All participants were U.S. military veterans age 55 and older from across the country who receive medical care through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

A retired Karns City schoolteacher, Hilliard served in the Army during the Korean War.

"I have a few (physical) problems, but I ignore them," Hilliard said. "I'm very fit for my age, and that's because I keep active.

"I'm the oldest member of my basketball team and the only original member left of the 65-and-older group we started seven years ago."

Hilliard will be competing in the National Senior Games June 3 through 18 in horseshoes through the Golden Age Games and in basketball through the Butler Cubs senior citizen contingent.

The National Senior Games does not have the bicycling quarter mile or pentathlon events that Hilliard won in California.

"I would love to take a 70-older basketball team to nationals," she said. "I'm our oldest player, so I play down with the 55-older group and they can do a few more things than I can.

"I'd like to play one time in my own age group, just to see how I could do."

There are only eight women age 70 or older competing in Pennsylvania Senior Games basketball and they are scattered throughout the state.

Hilliard charts her training activities and makes sure she gets plenty of practice in every event she does.

Standing only 5-feet-2, she plays basketball at the Butler Cubs Hall twice a week throughout the year, does walking or running workouts twice a week and practices horseshoes for an hour three times a week. She also practices the discus and shot put in her backyard every night.

"I compete against me," Hilliard said. "I take pride in being able to improve me."

The pentathlon at the Golden Age Games consisted of a softball throw, basketball shoot, discus throw, shot put and rifle shooting.

Despite having cataracts, Hilliard shot a perfect score in rifle.

Hilliard competed in seven overall senior events this year, winning six gold medals and one bronze. And she's not getting older; she's getting faster.

"My 100 meter time this year was two seconds faster than last year," she said. "My 200 meter time was three seconds faster and my 400 meter time was four seconds faster.

"I bicycled the quarter mile in 59 seconds (at the Golden Age Games) and was disappointed with that time until I found out the silver medalist had a time of more than two minutes."

Don't expect Hilliard to give up her sporting activities anytime soon.

"My mother will turn 95 in two weeks and she's still very independent," she said. "I've always loved sports. Basketball, softball, bowling, I've been involved in all of them.

"I believe I do well through simple determination and a lot of guts. I'm at my peak physically right now.

"The only way to become inactive is to stop being active. That's how I look at it," Hilliard added.