May 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 18

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Golden Oldies
Active older athletes prove they can be competitive at any age at the Senior Games
By Samantha Bartram

any things - fine wine, fancy cheese, your favorite pair of jeans
- tend to get better with age, and that's certainly the case with the
hundreds of athletes who participate each year in the Virginia Senior Games. Also held in other states across the country, the Senior Games
provide a fun, competitive platform for athletes age 50 and older to show off
their skills in a wide range of events. Everything from shuffleboard and minigolf to cycling, softball, swimming, canasta and still other activities are represented, allowing more- and less-active seniors a chance at winning accolades
and bragging rights.
Respecting Our Elders
The Virginia Senior Games have history stretching back to the late 1970s,
when only four U.S. states held such
events. Over the years, the games went
through several name changes and a
great deal of expansion, adding locations and participants. Since 1987, the
Virginia Senior Games has served as
a qualifying event for the National Senior Games, held every four years and
often referred to as the Senior Olympics. " That year, 67 senior athletes
represented the Commonwealth at

the first national event in St. Louis and
brought home 29 medals, " says Karen
Washington, superintendent of youth
programs at Newport News Recreation and Tourism, which is hosting
the Virginia Senior Games this year.
So far, more than 600 athletes have
signed up for the 2014 games, held
May 14-17 at a handful of different
spots in Newport News, Virginia.
" We are confident that we will get
more than 1,000 participants, " Washington adds, noting of those, between
20 and 30 percent are first-timers.

Organizers of the Virginia Senior
Games select which contests will be
included each year based both on
those that will serve as qualifiers for
the National Senior Games as well as
popular demand. " Virginia traditional
sports were selected because of popularity in past games or requests by
participants, " Washington explains.
" Billiards, canasta, disc golf, minigolf and softball hit-and-throw are all
sports that Virginia offers outside of
the national qualifying sports. "
Local businesses also have a hand
in the success of the games. Fitness
centers, schools, bowling alleys and
the popular City Center at Oyster
Point all will host events, including
the Athlete's Party and Wellness Fair.
Add to that the labor of hundreds of
volunteers and support of enthusiastic friends and family members, and
you've got all the ingredients for a
truly inspirational athletic showcase.
" It's a multigenerational event that
involves volunteers, young people
and senior citizens, " Washington
says. " These activities remind all
ages of the many benefits of competition.... Many of the volunteers are
high schoolers or young people who
are seeing older Virginians in a much
different light than they are used to.
Events like the Senior Games remind
us all that the limits we place on ourselves are the only limits we really
have. "
No Slowing Down
There are obvious benefits to an
event like the Virginia Senior Games
- fitness, health, camaraderie - but

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