“Buzzing Along” – January 2016 Athlete of the Month

Buzz Gagne, 68, Concord, New Hampshire The most publicized event of the 2015 National Senior Games presented by Humana was the heated battle of javelins between centenarians John Zilverberg and Fred Winters, which was seen on The Today Show and on numerous media websites. While noteworthy, the cameras did not catch a younger athlete setting

“State-to-State Recovery” – December 2015 Athlete of the Month

Mike Devaney, 65, Miami, Arizona Mike Devaney only started his career as a track and race walking senior athlete last year, but his face is rapidly becoming as familiar as any of his more experienced peers. That’s because Mike, who went through a serious health scare in 2014, is acting on an inspiration to go

“Wait to Worry”

“Wait to Worry” – Ryan Beighley, 90, The Villages, Florida Most of us can (or one day will) point to a moment or experience that brings about a profound change. When you ask 90-year-old Ryan Beighley what has motivated him to keep running and swimming through his life, the decorated World War II veteran has

Clearwater, Florida

The 2015 Florida Senior Games began with an awards ceremony to honor their 2014 Games Athletes of the Year, Walt Deal and Danuta Kubelik. Both are past National Senior Games competitors. Also at the ceremony was State Representative Kathleen Peters, second from right and City of Clearwater Government Mayor, George Cretekos. It was the first

“Swimming With Piranhas” – November 2015 Athlete of the Month

Rosemary Sexton, 65 Kingsport, Tennessee For Rosemary Sexton, returning home to Kingsport, Tennessee with two swimming medals from the 2015 National Senior Games presented by Humana “was right up there with my wildest expectations considering the level of competition.” She had only started training a few years ago, but her efforts resulted with a bronze

“Fun with Fitness” – October 2015 Athlete of the Month

Jim Runge, 72, Eldorado, Texas We promote Senior Games as an opportunity to find fitness, fun and fellowship. Jim Runge of Eldorado, Texas has been in the business of promoting fun, so it’s natural he would want to incorporate his style into his sports. Runge, now 72, provided midway games and novelty acts for parties,

Shuttling Around The World

Shuttling Around The World – Debbie Lorenzo, 64, Las Vegas, Nevada It’s only fitting that Debbie Lorenzo found herself settling into Las Vegas two decades ago. The previous years, beginning in her native Singapore, were full of action, surprises and excitement-and not all of it pleasant. She gambled on her life moves, scored on opportunities

Against All Odds

Against All Odds – Brenda Talley, 60, Las Vegas, Nevada What happens when life suddenly deals you one bad hand after another? Do you fold, or do you find a way to play it out? Brenda Talley, who was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 2008 and has undergone more than 40 rounds of chemotherapy,

Las Vegas, Nevada

For the first time, NSGA presented two Personal Best athlete awards in one state visit. The “Las Vegas Double Down” happened because we first selected 60-year-old tennis player and cancer survivor Brenda Talley (left in photo), who is also the director of the Nevada Senior Games. A big reason why she became the games director

“Aiming for 100” – September 2015 Athlete of the Month

Charlie Edwards, 96, Springfield, Virginia It’s not everyone who can pick up a sport at the age of 92, overcome a last place finish at his first national event and come back undaunted and capture a gold medal two years later. For Charlie Edwards of Springfield, Virginia, it was just another interesting challenge to conquer.