Fri 7/19 – Thu 8/1
By Susan Schaul
Cleveland is welcoming the National Senior Games this summer from Fri 7/19 – Thu 8/1. This biennial national sports competition was started in 1987. Different sports venues throughout the city will host athletes, friends, families, fans, officials, coaches and referees. While similar to the Olympics in high level competitive spirit and athletic skill, these participants have to be 50 years of age or older and have qualified in their state-level championship games meeting specific criteria in the sports categories. Senior athletes are not so “senior” anymore.
Men and women from across the country and a few from neighboring Canada are registered to compete in their classifications. Nineteen sports have been designated by the National Senior Games Association (NSGA): Archery, Badminton, Bowling, Cycling, Golf, Horseshoes, Pickleball, Race Walk, Racquetball, Road Race, Shuffleboard, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Track & Field, Triathlon, and Team Sports – Basketball, Softball, and Volleyball.
“All of these events are free and open to the public,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. “In fact, we encourage the locals to attend to help make the estimated 38,000 visitors feel welcome and positive about Northeast Ohio. This is a huge participant event for the area, with a large economic and public relations impact.” London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics where 10,800 athletes competed. For the 2013 National Senior Games, 10,720 athletes are registered to compete here.
Gilbert recommended not only seeing the individual sports competitions, but also attending the opening event on Fri 7/19 with the arrival of the flame, and the Fri 7/26 celebration of the athletes. The Senior Games are slated to be remarkable and fun. The athletes compete in 5-year incremental groups based on their ages. There are three athletes registered 100 years of age or older!
Jeannie Rice, 65, a senior runner from Northeast Ohio, is entered to compete in the 5K Run (3.1 miles) at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. “I have run 89 marathons in the past 30 years,” said Rice, a lean 98-pound, 5’2” woman pictured above running in this year’s Cleveland Marathon. Marathons are 26.2 miles long (42K) and people generally run only about one or two races a year.
“I ran in this year’s Boston Marathon and won in my age division,” she reported, “even though I fell 2 miles from the finish line which cost me about 5 minutes on my time. Then after crossing the finish line (an hour early), I had to go to the medical tent to take care of my skinned elbow taking me away from the bombing area.” Rice also ran in the recent Cleveland Marathon running the distance in three hours and 34 minutes, better time than in Boston. Normally a distance runner, Rice is going to have to train for the Senior Games to run at a faster pace for a shorter distance. Rice works as a realtor covering Lake County for ReMax.
Cleveland senior athlete and journalist, Carlo Wolff, 70, is competing with his partner, Jim Zimmerman, in the table tennis competition at the Veale Center at Case Western Reserve University. “I have played since I was a young boy and competitively since the late 1980s,” said Wolff. “We came in second in the state doubles championship last summer so we qualified for the National Senior Games,” he explained.
“My hitting style includes a chop, a cutting slicing movement that produces a backspin on the ball. I coax the ball with my paddle to go backward while it is moving forward,” he said. “I also have a loop and a smash stroke. The serve is critical. A short serve is better, but mine is generally not short enough,” Wolff admitted. “Not only does the game have value with quick strokes, but also you can keep playing as long as you can move your arms and stand up,” he added. To stay in shape, he stretches before games.
According to the U.S. Table Tennis Association ratings, Wolff ranks 1487 out of 3000, which is very good considering no one is at the 3000 level. He belongs to the Tri-County Table Tennis Club in Willowick playing at least twice a week to keep his game at a high level.
“I am a busy guy who writes a lot. Table tennis gives me a chance to get out of myself. When I play well, above my game, it’s nice to be in the zone, it feels great,” he said. Wolff works as a staff reporter for the Cleveland Jewish News, and authored his book, Cleveland Rock & Roll Memories.
For more information and a schedule of events for the National Senior Games, visit http://Cleveland2013.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul, who says the act of writing is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The challenge lies in getting the pieces to fit together and make sense.
Cleveland, OH 44113