Courtesy Florida Sun-Sentinel

(June 16, 2010) It’s common for local sports anchors to have an athletic history — WFOR’s Kim Bokamper and WTVJ’s Joe Rose, for instance, are both former Dolphins. It’s not as common for anchors to continue to compete, and especially in the most strenuous possible activity, after turning 50.

Mike DiPasquale, 51, has been training several days per week with former Florida Panthers strength coach Ian Pyka, who has trying to teach him the proper blend of speed and steadiness in the sport of Olympic weightlifting. They have been working toward this Saturday, when DiPasquale will compete again in the Masters Division at the Sunshine State Games in Lakeland. Last year, DiPasquale won his class, matching his results (70 kilograms in snatch, 90 kilograms in clean and jerk) from the last time he competed, 17 years earlier in his native Ohio.

“But we’re ahead of that this time,” said DiPasquale, who has been with WSVN since 1997, and also has a background in bobsledding. “The goal is not only to win my class, but to win the overall 35 (and over) title.”

Then he’s planning on competing in Nationals in Savannah, Ga., in April.

“Part of this is that people think that 50 and beyond is a death sentence,” DiPasquale says. “It isn’t. If you just give yourself an hour a day to do something active, you feel better.”

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