Calling All Competitors!

By Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A., FACHE

We have the Olympic Games for those who are at the peak of their athletic ability and qualify as the very best in their sport.

We have the Special Olympics for individuals with mental retardation, the Paralympic Games for athletes from different disability groups, and the Transplant Olympics for those who have received a life-supporting organ.

And for those of us over 50, we have the Senior Games, an Olympic-style sports event designed to promote healthy lifestyles through fitness, sports, and athletic competition. Events offered include basketball, track and field, racquetball, road racing, softball, swimming, bowling, tennis, swimming, triathlon, volleyball, archery, badminton, cycling, golf, horseshoes and table tennis.

The competition is fair. To keep an 80-year old from unfairly using her wisdom and experience to take advantage of a younger, wet-behind-the-ears 50-year-old like me, the age groups for the Senior Games are set in five year increments for men and women (ages 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and so on).

Senior Games in the United States are sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee, and events are coordinated by various state government agencies in cooperation with the National Senior Games Office.

The competition begins at the district level within the states. The top two finishers in each event typically advance to the state level (sometimes called State Games). During the State Senior Games, the top two finishers advance to the National Senior Games that are held every two years in different parts of the country. The winter National Senior Games are held in even-numbered years, and the summer events are held in odd-numbered years.

The next National Senior Games will be in Hampton Roads, Va., from May 29 to June 6, 2003. And the 2005 National Senior Games will be in Pittsburgh, Penn.

To learn more about the Senior Games competitions in your area, contact your state's Senior Games office.

Phil Campbell, the author of Ready, Set, GO! Synergy Fitness (Pristine, 2002) offers a free health and fitness newsletter at www.readysetgofitness.com.

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