By Terence Faries, Guest Columnist
Pittsburgh – The National Senior Games just concluded, with more than 11,500 seniors ages 50 and up gathered from around the nation to compete in 20 sports and games.
They went for medals, reunite with friends and make memories. Whether they set a record, performed a personal best or simply crossed the finish line, each competitor set an example of the benefits of staying active at any age.
Among them this year were five seniors representing Cherokee/Clay Senior Games – Lisa Sellers, Ruth Harrell, Debra Bolle, Terence Faries and Daryl Jones. At this level of competition, and with that many competitors, it goes without saying that unlike the local games, medals are not easy to come by, but our little group managed to bring home one bronze medal when Lisa was able to join a ladies Softball team from another county when some of their original team members could not make the trip.
Ruth Harrell and Debra Bolle both competed in the 1,500-meter and 5K Power Walk events, with both of them setting new personal bests. Ruth managed an 18th place in the 1,500 and 15th in the 5K, while Debra finished 17th in the 1,500 and 12th in the 5K in their respective age divisions.
Terence Faries competed in the 50-meter (18th) and 100-meter dashes (16th) as well as the long jump, where he placed 14th.
Daryl Jones competed in Badminton Singles and Mixed Doubles. He was just edged out of the bronze medal positions, finishing fourth in both events.
Some people call it the “Senior Olympics,” and that is just the way it felt. It was truly an inspirational time participating and cheering on everyone else – especially the 80- and 90-year-olds – and there were plenty of them.
It’s not often anyone can get to be a part of an event of this magnitude. It was an experience never to be forgotten, including marching in the “Parade of States” prior to a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game at PNC
Park.
Since the Senior National Games are only held every two years, the next opportunity will be in 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. The road to those games will start locally in next year’s Cherokee/Clay Senior Games for anyone who is interested.
The writer is coordinator of the Cherokee/Clay Senior Games. For details, visit cherokeecountyseniorgames.org.