Meatless Meets: A Vegan’s Perspective April 2020 Athlete of the Month

Ellen Jaffe Jones, 67, Sarasota, Florida While only a fraction of senior athletes follow a vegan diet, there is a trend with more turning to this option. Traditional opinions by coaches and athletes say that you can’t perform as well athletically on a purely plant-based diet, but runner Ellen Jaffe Jones is out to disprove

The Fall and Rise of Hollyce Kirkland

Hollyce Kirkland, 100, Sevierville, Tennessee The match was set. The anticipated “Battle of the Centenarians” had created a buzz in Albuquerque at the 2019 National Senior Games presented by Humana. Media lined up to cover the 50-meter race between 103-year-old Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins and upstart Hollyce Kirkland, who had just reached triple digits. When the

This Team Doctor is On the Team March 2020 Athlete of the Month

Dr. Boyd Haynes, 61, Newport News, Virginia Virginia’s Bone Setters 55+ Men’s Volleyball team has a not-so-secret weapon that their name gives away- they have an orthopedic surgeon on the team. Dr. Boyd Haynes has been playing with the same group of guys around Newport News since the mid-1990s. At the time he had started

“I never want to grow up!”

Simeon Gipson, 74, Tahlequah, Oklahoma A highlight of “Indian Day” activities held during the 2019 National Senior Games presented by Humana in Albuquerque was a live national broadcast of public radio’s Native America Calling. During the hour-long program, Oklahoma cyclist Simeon Gipson, who is half Cherokee and half Choctaw, captured the audience with his story and

Comeback Kate

Kate Fisken, 77, Bethesda, Maryland People who know Kate Fisken say she has a heart as big as the ocean. Perhaps that’s why she swims, but it’s really a statement reflecting on the retired Maryland accountant’s lifelong commitment to serve others, which dates back to when President Kennedy called on citizens to do “what you

Leonid’s Table of Good Health February 2020 Athlete of the Month

Leonid Sukher, 70, Brighton, Massachusetts Leonid Sukher has enjoyed table tennis since childhood. Growing up relatively poor with no access to equipment, he and friends made paddles out of scrap plywood to play. Little did he know as a youth that getting serious about his game would help regain his health later in life. Born

January 2020 Athlete of the Month

Madonna Hanna, 66 Tacoma, Washington The Boomer Widow and the Olympic Hopeful Life challenges can sometimes cause people to give up on goals and dreams, but Madonna Hanna was determined to not let that happen when her husband Steven passed away in late 2018. A widow’s search for a new track coach led to an

“Mr. Impossible”

 “Mr. Impossible” Andy Steinfeldt, 71, Minnetonka, Minnesota People are realizing how much more they can do and achieve in the second half of their lives, and that applies to every senior athlete who is challenging aging stereotypes. When we see stories about Senior Games athletes doing unexpected and sometimes extreme things, we take notice.  In

December 2019 Athlete of the Month

Bob Messersmith, 86, San Juan Capistrano, California “If you want to be old, you’re old.” Bob Messersmith has built a senior basketball dynasty. The teams he has organized and coached have won the California Senior Games championship 18 out of 20 years. His Team USA has dominated National Senior Games in five age categories over

Kneed for Speed – November 2019 Athlete of the Month

Kathy Meares, 70, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Kneed for Speed Kathy Meares has never needed to be told to go out and play, and her youth was filled with sports. Growing up before Title IX, the Louisiana native did not have the opportunity to earn an athletic scholarship, but she avidly competed in intramural volleyball and