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

Gone, But Never Forgotten

Followers of this blog will be aware that I have dedicated my efforts to Eric Todd , one of the journalism interns from the U of Minnesota who performed well for our media center operations during the 2015 National Senior Games held in the Twin Cities. Eric posted early this year that he had stage

October 2019 Athlete of the Month

James Jackson, 53, Denton, Texas Smoking the Competition It’s rare for a runner to win best overall times in both the 5K and 10K road races in a National Senior Games. It’s only happened four times in our 32-year history, most recently in 2011. Now, James Jackson of Denton, Texas joins that elite group with

Walking in the Light

My new power walking “career” continued in October with a visit to the Huntsman World Senior Games, a huge event in St. George, Utah that draws domestic and international athletes and serves as that state’s qualifying event for the National Senior Games. Once again, I had an other-worldly experience that left me speechless – and

September 2019 Athlete of the Month

Alice Walker, 87, Chester, South Carolina Nothing Keeps Alice Down If you compare Alice Walker’s lifestyle and athletic accomplishments to her history of medical issues over eight decades, you would not believe she is the same person. A horrific accident left her with limited use of her left arm. Her kidney needed to be removed.

August 2019 Athlete of the Month

David Salazar, 69, Cedar Crest, New Mexico Performing a Lofty Role NSGA’s official highlights video from the 2019 National Senior Games presented by Humana sought to go beyond action clips and honor the athletes and the people of Albuquerque and New Mexico by selecting a local athlete to represent them in an unusual way. The