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Almost 8,000 Senior Athletes Competed in Huntsman
World Senior Games
Nov. 2, 2004 –
Nearly 8,000 athletes 50 and older competed in 92 events at the Huntsman
World Senior Games held October 4-16 at St. George, Utah.
The World Senior
Games were founded by John H. Morgan, Jr. in 1987 and are held each year
in in mid-October with the City of St. George hosting the Games. In 1989
Jon M. Huntsman, Chairman of the Huntsman Corporation, a
chemical
manufacturer,
became the Games' principal sponsor.
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Caye Inglis overcame two back surgeries to win, at 83, a gold
medal in singles tennis in her age group at the Huntsman World
Senior Games in Utah last month. Playing tennis well, she said,
is exercise for the mind as well as for the body.
Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli
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Competition
included basketball, bowling, tennis, cycling, mountain biking,
racquetball, road racing, softball, swimming, triathlon, volleyball,
lawn bowling, square dancing, table tennis, track and field, horseshoes,
bridge, golf and many other activities.
Complete lists of
medal winners should be available by mid month at
www.seniorgames.net, a spokeswoman said.
According to
Kathie Thayne, Executive Director of the Games, the competition has
grown in popularity over the years (increasing from 500 participants in
1987 to more than 7,000 in 2004) because of a "more health conscious"
baby boomer generation. Since 1987 the Games have served as a meeting
point for senior athletes from across the country and around the world.
"Four million
people in the United States will be turning fifty each year through
2024", Thayne says. "Today's 50 plus generation is active and health
conscious. Competing in these games gives many baby boomers and older
Americans a terrific incentive to stay healthy and keep in shape."
The Games help
foster good health screenings. The services include clinical breast
exams, PSI, blood sugar, bone density, hearing, blood pressure,
cholesterol and glaucoma tests and body composition and breast cancer
risk assessment screening - all meant to emphasize the importance of
seniors taking a proactive role in their health.
Healthy experts
say the activities can be a source of important information about the
changing medical needs of older people - and equally important, a great
way for seniors to compete and have fun.
The Games are open
to all female and male athletes age 50 and above and have grown each
year from just over 500 participants in 1987 to almost 8,000 in 2004. A
small staff that works year round, plus 2,000 volunteers, make the Games
possible. The Games have been host to athletes from all fifty states and
forty-six foreign countries.
For more
information visit www.seniorgames.net, or call 1-800-562-1268.
Copyright: SeniorJournal.com |
