Skip Schacher is no ordinary 75-year-old. He doesn’t spend his days feeling his age. Instead, Schacher hits the Pablo gym three times a week, and he has five world records to prove it.

It all started about eight years ago. “Vic Starkel and Harold Smith convinced me to come over to Vic’s house,” Schacher said. Starkel had a gym in his home. Since that time, Schacher has been hooked on lifting. “I just wanted to stay in shape, I never had any goals to set records,” he said a few weeks ago while he was working out at the gym in Pablo.

This past month, he headed off to the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters Championships in Las Vegas, where he set his fifth world record, this one in the 75-79 age bracket, by benching 187.7 pounds. That was 40 pounds more than he weighs.

The World Championships rotate between Las Vegas and Reno, and lifters from all over the world come to participate. This past November, there were 583, according to Schacher. “I really enjoy going,” Schacher said, “I’ve met some really great people and look forward to seeing them every year.”

To qualify for the World Championships, lifters from this area head into Missoula in March. Over the years, Schacher has set records in different age groups and weight classes. “One year I got down to 119 pounds. That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” he said. Since he won his first a few years back, four of his records have been broken. His fifth still stands.

Schacher, who lives in Ronan, spent 42 years working at Plum Creek before retiring. When he got into lifting, he didn’t realize he would be getting a new job. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a group of between seven and 13 people meet at the gym in Pablo to work out. “It’s just like having a job. We have books with how much each person lifted on each day. It’s kind of intense,” he said. At 75, Schacher is actually one of the younger lifters. The oldest is 85.

This year’s World Championships were a little different for Schacher. A few months ago, he and his wife, Ruthann, lost their daughter, Darcy Lynn Schacher. She was a personal trainer, and a big supporter of her dad. “She was a health nut and a real go-getter,” Ruthann said, “She was always his number one fan.” 

After he won, Schacher wanted to dedicate his win to his daughter, but with so many people and so little time, he didn’t get to. As a personal trainer, Schacher said his daughter often bugged him about his form. “She was always telling me ‘Dad, you’re doing it wrong’,” he said with a laugh, “She was an inspiration.”

With four world records, competitors from around the world have come to know who Schacher is.

Ruthann told a story of one year when her husband was late due to the weather. “They ran into a snow storm, then later a sand storm. They got there late and one of the guys said, ‘Oh no, here comes that little guy from Montana.’ They thought he wasn’t going to show up.”

On a winterly morning in early December, Schacher told stories between his turns at the SKC gym in Pablo. When asked how long he was going to continue lifting, he said he wasn’t sure. “I hope to keep going – I don’t know about competition, but I’ll keep lifting as long as I can.” 

Don’t be fooled by the guys at the gym though... lifting isn’t all they do. “This group is kind of fun,” Schacher said, “We lift, but we also solve the world’s problems. Kind of like meeting for coffee in the morning.”