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While some folks his age (or younger) look to enjoy leisurely pursuits like golf, fishing, boating or traveling, 66-year-old Fred Cherry is busy preparing for his second trip to the national CrossFit Games in a couple of weeks in Birmingham, AL.

Cherry, a Washington native and current Chocowinity resident, can be found most days working out at Fitness Unlimited in Washington to get ready to compete with other 65+ athletes in the Master’s Division, where he finished fifth last year in Madison, WI.

“Once I got a taste of it last year, I knew I wanted to go back again this year,” Cherry said. “I’ve always liked to compete and push myself and doing something like this certainly does that.”

Cherry owns his own construction business, so he can make time for muscle-ups, rope climbs, sandbag throws and various weight workouts, but the contestants at the national meet won’t know what the exercises are until they get there.

“I have to be prepared for anything, so my trainers (Many Vidal and Patrick Whaley) have come up with workouts to get me in the best shape possible to be ready for anything.”

Cherry qualified fourth out of 170 athletes in his classification after finishing fifth in last year’s competition which consisted of eight workouts held two hours apart spread over three days.

“I think I’m better prepared mentally for what’s going to happen after going through it last year,” Cherry said. “There’s a lot of people there and there’s plenty of waiting between events. I’ll be familiar with the warmup routine and the pace of everything. I enjoy trying to outdo the younger guys here at the gym and it will be fun to go up against athletes closer to my own age.”

One of those young guys is former Washington High School star athlete and current girls basketball, assistant football and assistant track coach Stevie Green.

“Fred inspires me to work out harder every time I’m around him,” Green said. “It’s amazing that a guy twice my age is in that good of shape, but he more than holds his own. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he won the whole thing.”

The competition is Aug.29-September 1 in Birmingham, with most, if not all, events held inside.

“I’ll have my wife and some of my kids and grandkids there with me, so it will be fun,” Cherry said. “Running a 5K in the heat could be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to doing my best.”