At 92, Cy Swiecichowski is still very much in the game.
After a lifetime of football, basketball, baseball, bowling, softball, and Senior Olympics competition, sports continue to be an important part of Cy’s life.
Today, he stays active at Cedar Community while coaching senior softball teams, competing in the Wisconsin Senior Olympics, walking, lifting weights, and encouraging his neighbors to keep moving too.
For Cy, staying active has never just been a hobby. It’s simply part of who he is.
A Lifelong Love of Sports
Cy has been involved in competitive sports since his high school days at Notre Dame High School in Milwaukee, where he played football, basketball, and baseball.
That passion has followed him throughout his life.
Over the years, Cy has competed in senior softball and the Wisconsin Senior Olympics, sometimes alongside his wife, Shirley. Together, their athletic adventures resulted in more than 60 medals.
Sports would also influence Cy’s career in ways he never expected.
From the Army to a Career Built Around Sports
After high school, Cy had planned to attend college, but his family could not afford it. Instead, he took a job at WH Brady Company.
It was there that he met Shirley, who worked as the president’s secretary.
A few years later, Cy was drafted into the Army in 1956.
At the time, he and Shirley were engaged, but when Cy learned he would be sent to Germany, their wedding plans moved up quickly.
Cy was given a three-day pass from Fort Hood, Texas, with instructions that he could only travel within 100 miles of the base.
“That wasn’t going to work for me since Wisconsin was much further than that,” Cy smiles.
He promised his captain he would return, traveled home, married Shirley, and returned to Texas as promised.
Afterward, Cy and Shirley moved to Germany, where they were able to live off base for a time. During his military service, Cy worked as a clerk typist and played on the basketball team.
That eventually led to another assignment as the colonel’s orderly and driver, giving Cy opportunities to travel to military sporting events.
Turning a Passion Into a Business
After returning home, Cy eventually joined Oster Manufacturing.
There, he worked with the union and helped organize recreation programs including bowling leagues, basketball tournaments, horseshoes, table tennis, and softball.
His experience running sporting events eventually led to an opportunity with Rudig Trophy Company, where his connections with coaches, athletes, and school leaders made him a natural fit.
Cy and another salesman later left to start their own company, Champion Awards.
They grew the business for 25 years, opening locations in Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay.
At one point, the company was screen-printing bowling shirts for more than 250 accounts.
“I can’t tell you how many times I worked until midnight screening shirts,” Cy laughs.
After selling the stores, Cy and a friend developed the Cymar Striker, a wrist support for bowlers designed to help maintain a straighter forehand during release.
“They were selling like crazy,” Cy says.
The business was eventually sold to Ebonite Bowling.
Even then, retirement did not last long. Around age 70, Cy launched another company, Champion III, which he operated for about three years before finally deciding it was time to retire.
Choosing Cedar Community
Cy and Shirley had been on the waitlist for a Cedar Community independent living apartment.
Shirley had a particular vision in mind: the right apartment needed a patio and a garden view.
After 67 years of marriage, Shirley passed away at age 89.
Cy’s children encouraged him to leave the Jackson home where he had lived for 52 years and move to a retirement community.
His priorities had changed.
“I didn’t want a patio,” Cy says, “but wanted to be on the highest floor I could get so I could be closer to heaven, near Shirley.”
Cy ultimately moved to Cedar Community’s Cedar Ridge Campus.
Staying Active at Cedar Community
Cy may have retired from work, but slowing down does not appear to be part of the plan.
“There’s too much to do here!” he laughs.
Every other day, Cy spends about an hour walking all three floors of the building.
On alternating days, he lifts weights in the fitness center.
“I always encourage other residents to get out and be active,” Cy says.
Still Competing, Coaching, and Leading
Sports remain a major part of Cy’s life.
Although he stopped playing softball himself around age 89, he continues to coach and manage senior teams.
Cy helped start 55+ and 65+ softball leagues in Milwaukee and now helps manage a traveling team that competes around the United States.
He also continues competing in the Senior Olympics.
His events have included:
- Pickleball
- Table tennis
- Horseshoes
- Cornhole
- Bowling
- Softball
Cy’s apartment reflects a lifetime of sports, entrepreneurship, and competition, filled with autographed memorabilia from his trophy-business days and drawers full of medals.
But the medals are only part of the story.
What stands out most is that Cy is still finding ways to participate, contribute, and stay connected to something he has loved his entire life.
A Life Still in Motion
If you know Cy, you know his big smile.
His life has included military service, entrepreneurship, decades of marriage, athletic competition, coaching, travel, and more than a few unexpected turns.
At Cedar Community, that active life continues.
Cy is still moving, still coaching, still competing, and still encouraging the people around him to get involved.
For someone who has spent a lifetime in the game, there is no reason to stop now.Originally published in the Winter 2026 issue of Live More magazine.
