In a converted train station in north suburban Highwood, athletes from as far away as South America gathered Wednesday for what promises to be a fierce three days of competition. You could tell they were athletes because that’s what the tags said dangling from their necks — that, and the sleek warm-up suits with the names of their countries stitched on the back.

But along with the teenagers, some of the competitors in the 2019 Women’s Pan American Bocce Championships were in their 60s, perhaps older. “I’m watching the Argentinians stretch, and they don’t have 58-year-old muscles,” said Lisa Dobeck, part of team USA. “They’re over there looking cute and perky.”