Joe Landolfi lifts adjustable dumbbells at Bishop Guilfoyle High School. Courtesy photos

Let’s imagine that you could go back in time and advise your younger self. You would be able to avoid so many of life’s pitfalls. You might use your vast senior experiences to provide some of the following guidance: “Don’t get into credit card debt; invest in this company called Apple; do not go into that profession you are more suited for this one; change your eating habits; he or she is not the right person to plan a life together.” The counseling is endless.

Can you imagine telling a highly athletic and energetic youngster that someday your strength, conditioning, and skills will dramatically diminish? Unfortunately, your younger self is likely to turn a deaf ear to your guidance. However, your older self will not give up and continue to persevere. Those seniors who have been featured in The Fitness Track exemplify that attitude and this month’s athlete is no exception.

Joe Landolfi, age 75, like many of his generation, participated in athletics from an early age.

“I went to Sacred Heart and played basketball in fifth or sixth grade, and then continued through Bishop Guilfoyle, where I graduated in 1968. We won a PCIA, (Pennsylvania Catholic Interscholastic Athletic Association) championship during my junior year,” Landolfi said. That team was inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

Landolfi’s father passed away in 1961. Thankfully, his mother promoted his athletic skills with a simple offering.

Landolfi is photographed with Julius “Dr. J” Erving at the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2014. Courtesy photo

“In the summer of 1962, my mother had a small area in our backyard black topped. A steel pole and a plywood backboard with a hoop was our court. The neighborhood kids and all our friends would shoot baskets for hours. We had great games in our backyard,” Landolfi said.

Landolfi credits his coach from Bishop Guilfoyle for the conditioning that led to a state championship. His training methods were not for the weak and uncommitted.

“We would practice in heavy cotton sweats with ankle weights and heavy insoles in the bottom of our sneakers. Anyone who’s familiar with Guilfoyle gym knows that a folding curtain separates the gym from the cafeteria. It was never opened when we practiced and the heat was turned up. It was like a sauna. When we played our opponents, they were trying to catch their breath during the fourth quarter and we were still running up and down with a full court press,” Landolfi said.

Landolfi’s basketball prowess afforded him the opportunity to play for the University of Massachusetts.

“Our freshman team was the only undefeated team in UMass history. I was injured my junior year. I had ruptured the ligaments of my left ankle, and then coming back from that injury was a struggle. Think about where medicine was at that time, nothing like it is today. I tell kids I grew up without MRIs and CAT scans, and they look at me like I’m a caveman,” Landolfi said.

During his time at the University of Massachusetts, he had the opportunity to play with a teammate that would later play in the NBA. This player was named to the All-NBA Team seven times. Julius Erving, better known as Dr. J., had a great impact upon Landolfi and his teammates.

“We watched him figure out what he could do, and how he defied gravity. We would just stand there in awe and look at leaps that he would make. He was the nicest, politest, most soft-spoken guy you could possibly imagine. Years later we would see him, and he always remembered us and made time for us,” Landolfi said.

After graduating from UMass with a degree in Business and Finance, Landolfi stayed in the Boston area and worked for Kemper Insurance as an adjuster and field supervisor. During his thirteen-year stint with the company, he stayed in shape playing basketball in summer leagues. In addition, he was always maintaining his strength through weight training and cycling.

“I had a 12-speed bike which I rode all over the place and was always doing some kind of weight training. I was never a big bench presser, so I used to like to do straight presses, curls, deadlifts and squats,” said Landolfi, who focused on form rather than heavy weight.

When he moved to Chicago, he had the opportunity to train at a fitness facility that was state of the art located at the Kemper world headquarters.

“We had weight machines, free weights, and aerobics classes. It was terrific,” Landolfi said.

From 1997-2000, he lived in Wisconsin where he was able to partake in skiing opportunities throughout the week. He first acquired his skiing prowess when he lived in Boston.

“I skied off and on when I first got dragged into it by the guys I worked with in Boston. They grew up skiing and I did not. If it would snow heavy on a Tuesday, they would take Wednesday off work and go to New Hampshire to ski. Well, let me tell you, there were times I went with these guys. I got into serious trouble because I got on trails I had no business being on. It was fun being outdoors, as long as I wasn’t falling all over the place,” Landolfi explained.

On a trip to Rochester for a job interview, Landolfi stopped in Altoona to see his family. To his surprise, he found that he was able to live in the area and still gain employment. This was in the early 2000s when e-commerce was evolving. So, he pitched his tent in the area and didn’t leave.

His brother, Guy, has also been featured in the Fitness Track, and encouraged Joe to play in the summer leagues at Mansion Park.

“I was in my early 50’s and was always playing pickup basketball but not at the level of a division one team at Mansion Park. I was in my fifties, and I was getting killed,” Landolfi said.

Landolfi consistently worked out with weights at Building II in Altoona and later at the Blair Regional YMCA. He always had a basketball with him during his workout sessions. He also used his skills to help others.

“I helped Coach John Swogger run his Drills for Skills, the leagues that John organized and ran. When he unexpectedly passed away, his son, Jimmy, and I continued to do the Drills for Skills for a few years,” said Landolfi, who is a strong proponent of basketball fundamentals.

During the summer of 2020, Landolfi had a meeting that has impacted him to this day.

Mike Cacciotti, the principal of Bishop Guilfoyle, asked me to come to the school to talk. When I arrived, he said, ‘I got a situation.’ I said, ‘What do you need me to do?’ said Landolfi, who unexpectedly was offered the position of athletic director which he accepted.

Unfortunately, Landolfi’s athleticism has suffered dramatically. A few years ago, he suffered what he coined as “nerve damage in his legs.” Despite seeing many medical professionals, he has been unable to get a clear diagnosis or treatment plan. Therefore, he is extremely limited physically.

“I got my aerobic activity playing basketball and riding a bike. I loved riding a bike. Now, suddenly, the nerves below my knees are dead and I can’t run and I can’t play basketball. I wasn’t ready to stop playing basketball,” Landolfi said.

He still finds methods to modify his training routines by performing chair yoga and lifting adjustable dumbbells. He also walks the halls of Bishop Guilfoyle and exercises in the weight room a couple times a week.

“I wear fitted braces and that was life changing. I can take a normal stride while walking. If you saw me walk without them, you would know something is wrong with my gait,” Landolfi said.

The drive that launched him into a successful basketball career in high school and college still exists in Landolfi. He may have limitations, but will continue to exercise and find ways to stay fit.

George Thomas Kattouf of Altoona is the developer of the website AgelessTimeless.com. He has been instructing martial arts for over four decades in the Altoona Area at the Academy of Martial Arts and encourages seniors to stay fit through martial arts training. If you or someone you know in Blair County is age 50 or older and would be a good candidate for the Fitness Track, email Kattouf at george@agelesstimeless.com. Tune in to the YouTube channel AgelessTimeless to learn more.