Many 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 mini-golf 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, mini-golf 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 there are just as many positive intangibles both for the athletes and their supporters. “The participants get to meet new people from all over the state who share their own interests,” Washington says. “They get to compete and stay physically fit and be active. It’s an awesome event that celebrates all the wisdom and experience that each participant has.”
For 78-year-old Carolyn Hawkins, 2014 marks the second Virginia Senior Games in which she’s participated. Hawkins has been a swimmer for more than 20 years and a cyclist throughout her life — for her, deciding to parlay these personal activities into a competitive arena was a simple question of, “why not?” “The games were essentially held in my home court,” she says, referring to the nearby Brittingham-Midtown Community and Aquatic Centers, which last year took part in hosting the games. “I knew I could volunteer, but I thought, why not give swimming a try? It was terrifying because I’ve never in my life done anything like that.” Hawkins swam the 50- and 100-meter backstroke and won two gold medals for her efforts. “I was unopposed,” she clarifies, laughing, “So I have two gold medals by default! Still, it was a wonderful experience and I had such fun doing it.”
Talking with Hawkins, this writer couldn’t help but be moved by her enthusiasm and positivity, which she’s happy to extend to her peers who may be wary of signing on to the Virginia Senior Games. “I would say give it a try,” she says. “[The games are] fun, it’s a way to have a good time and what I found was it was inspiring to people younger than I am. They realize there’s nothing to lose — it’s a terrific feeling to realize you can be an athlete at any age.”
Learn more about the Virginia Senior Games and see results from past competitions.
Samantha Bartram is the Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation Magazine.