The Butler Cubs Senior Olympic teams know how to keep busy.

The group, headed by Carol McCollough of Chicora, recently returned from the Virginia State Senior Games in preparation for the start of the Summer National Senior Games in Western Pennsylvania.

One member of McCollough's squad of more than 40 women, 73-year-old Marilyn Hilliard of Butler, recently returned home from the National Veterans Senior Games in Oklahoma.

"You have to understand, we've been waiting two years for this," Hilliard said of the Summer National Senior Games. "We are prepared and we are ready."

The Summer National Senior Games run June 3 through 18 at venues in Western Pennsylvania. They will involve 10,400 registered athletes, ages 50 and older, competing in 18 events.

The most events any individual can enter is four. Athletes and/or teams qualify for the event by winning either a gold or a silver medal at National Senior Games Association-member state senior games.

The NSGA is an umbrella for its 51 member organizations across the United States.

Team sports in the national event include softball, volleyball and 3-on-3 basketball.

Zelienople's Tom Murray, 63, is looking to medal in his fourth consecutive Summer National Senior Games triathlon. He won the gold medal in his age group in 1999 and 2001 and claimed the silver medal in 2003.

The triathlon is scheduled for June 12 in North Park. It consists of a 400-yard swim at the North Park pool, a 12-mile bike ride and 5-kilometer trail run.

"I'm also qualified in four bicycle races, but one of those is scheduled the day before the triathlon," Murray said. "I'll probably skip that one to save my legs.

"I've seen people in their 80s compete in the triathlon. It should be a fascinating event."

The Cubs Senior Olympic group has six basketball and two volleyball teams entered. Many of its team members also are on softball squads in the Games.

"That's going to hurt some of our basketball teams because they've got women's softball and basketball scheduled at the same time in some instances," McCollough said. "I complained about that, but they said there's nothing they can do."

McCollough's husband, Don, is head coach of one of the basketball teams and is helping out with the others.

"One of our teams may have to forfeit its first game because of the scheduling conflict," he said. "Hopefully, we can overcome that.

"My job is to get these women to play together. Teamwork wins these games."

The system has been working so far. The Cubs' 60-plus basketball team won the gold medal in Virginia, as did its 55-plus team. The 50-plus team won the bronze.

The 55-plus volleyball team won the gold with a 10-0 record.

Individually, Sarah Johns and Carol McCollough won gold medals in racquetball. Joanne Toy and McCollough won gold in golf.

Hilliard is the only original Cubs team member remaining. She will be competing in her fourth Summer National Senior Games.

"There were only seven of us when we started," Hilliard said. "Carol's a go-getter and she built this group up. She encouraged us all to branch out and try other sports, and we've all done that."

Hilliard competed in the 1999 Games in Orlando, Fla., in basketball.

"We were pathetic," She said. "We lost our first two games and were done. The other ladies went to Disney World afterward. I wanted to see what the rest of the (basketball) competition was like, so I took a cab to the games and watched all day.

"I couldn't believe how good the teams were. We had a long way to go."

But they've slowly made the climb.

Hilliard's basketball team reached the final eight at the National Games in New Orleans in 2001. It won the silver medal in 2003 at Hampton Roads, Va.

This year, for the first time, Hilliard is playing on a 70-over women's basketball team. She is the only Butler County member on the squad. The other six players are from Pittsburgh.

"I want that gold medal in basketball really bad," Hilliard said. "It's been a long time coming."

At the National Veterans Games, Hilliard won gold medals in the quarter-mile bicycle race, half-mile bicycle race and horseshoes. She rode a bike four miles per day while training for those events.

Besides basketball, she will be competing in the 200 meters and horseshoes in Pittsburgh.

"I've been having a little trouble with my knee, some arthritis, and I was hoping it wouldn't keep me out of these Games," Hilliard said. "But the doctor told me to go for it."

All of the athletes will be doing that.

"Anyone coming out to watch these events will be surprised at what they see," Carol McCollough said. "The picture they have in their mind of little old women playing basketball is not accurate, believe me.

"They will be amazed by the talent that's out there."

More than 30,000 visitors are expected in the Pittsburgh region during the Senior Games. A "conservative" estimated economic impact of the Games on the region is $30 million, according to Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Joseph McGrath.

For information on the Senior Games, call its 24-hour event hotline at 412-648-3054 or visit www.2005seniorgames.org