Gov. John R. McKernan, Maine’s youngest chief executive, opened competition ceremonies Saturday for athletes, many of whom were old enough to be his father.

With a camera rolling for a re-election campaign commercial, the 42-year-old governor and his wife, U.S. Rep. Olympia J. Snowe, expressed envy upon meeting the group of athletes participating in the Maine Senior Games, which were held at various places in Bangor.

The secret to staying young, McKernan quoted late comedienne Lucille Ball as saying, is to age slowly, exercise regularly, and to lie about one’s age. Watching the athletes prepare for a full second day of competition Saturday, McKernan said, might even provide the governor with incentive to “get more exercise.”

Snowe told the group that it “put us all to shame,” adding, “I don’t think I would want to be competing against you.”

The athletes, she said, participated in “stereotype-smashing,” proving that “age should never make a difference in what you should and can do.”

Saturday’s experience also proved another thing, Snowe said: “My husband is stale playing basketball.”

Activities included golf, bowling, bicycling, swimming, tennis, racquetball and field events.

Winners in Maine’s Senior Games, now in its fourth year, will be allowed to qualify for the national games to be held next year. And, said Madeline Freeman of the Eastern Area Agency on Aging, the pool of athletes should be plentiful during the years to come.

“We expect we’ll have hundreds and hundreds of people 10 to 15 years down the road,” Freeman said of the graying baby boomers.