“Isabelle’s Relay” – October 2014 Athlete of the Month
Isabelle Daniels Holston, 77, Decatur, Georgia One of our National Senior Games athletes is best known as a member of an Olympic track relay team that won a Bronze Medal. Taken at full perspective, 77 year old Isabelle Daniels Holston’s entire life can be viewed as one big relay fueled by an Olympic spirit. First
- Published in Athlete of the Month
“Return of the Gladiator” – September 2014 Athlete of the Month
Lorraine Lewis, 55, San Tan Valley, Arizona People tell 55 year old Lorraine Lewis she should write a book about her life. After all, it’s not everyone who has been an American Gladiators champion. She’s started the book, but is too busy living life to finish it. Her latest chapter is this year’s triumphant return
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Serving Others
Irma DeMarzo, 76, Jackson, New Jersey Irma DeMarzo is the kind of person that embraces everything that she does, and especially when it comes to tennis. In her native Brooklyn, Irma displayed an innate competitiveness and physical aptitude in a variety of sports and was recognized as the top girl athlete in her high school. However,
- Published in 2014 PB, Personal Best Featured Athletes
Woodbridge, New Jersey
Fun, fellowship and fitness were found in abundance during our visit to Woodbridge, home of the New Jersey Senior Olympics. Everyone we met, from our Personal Best recipient Irma DeMarzo to the volunteers that greeted us everywhere, were “all in” and excited about the games. DeMarzo, who has been the tennis coordinator for the state
- Published in Personal Best Tour Blogs
“You Gotta Have Heart(s)” – August 2014 Athlete of the Month
James “JJ” Jones, 68, Kansas City, Kansas Listening to JJ Jones tell his story, it’s hard not to start humming “You Gotta Have Heart” from the popular musical Damn Yankees. That’s because he continues to swing a bat after not one but two heart transplants. The Kansas native spent much of his childhood in California,
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Albuquerque, New Mexico
When 94 year old senior athlete Larry Johnson of Albuquerque received his NSGA Personal Best Award recognizing him as an inspiration and role model for active, healthy aging, he decided to demonstrate his vitality by standing on his head in front of 1,200 delighted attendees to the opening session for the 36th annual New Mexico
- Published in Personal Best Tour Blogs
“Sister Act” – July 2014 Athlete of the Month
Janet McDonough, 56, Cranberry Township, PA and Patty Sweetall, 54, Louisville, KY It was like old times when sisters Janet McDonough (right in photo) and Patty Sweetall gave dominating swimming performances in Cleveland at the 2013 National Senior Games Presented by Humana. Janet, of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, earned four gold medals while breaking national records in
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Columbia, Missouri
It was Show Me time as we joined the kickoff banquet for the 20th annual Missouri State Senior Games in Columbia. Jane Kaiser was the perfect selection to represent the Show Me State Personal Best because she is someone who walks the walk. Jane is still active as a clinical nurse and speaker, and has
- Published in Personal Best Tour Blogs
“You Are What You Eat” – June 2014 Athlete of the Month
Michele Brown, 55, Lamar, Arkansas As a physical education teacher, 55 year old Michele Brown loves to be a role model for fitness. “Everyone who knows me says I am one of the most active and competitive people they know,” says the lifelong resident of Lamar, Arkansas. “When I found out about Senior Games, I
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Pasadena, California
What could be better than having an Olympic swimming legend attend an award presentation to honor an amateur Senior Games swimmer? John Naber, who dominated the 1976 Olympics with five medals, found a way. NSGA honored 67 year old Vivian Stancil of Riverside with a Personal Best Award during the California State Senior Games athlete
- Published in Personal Best Tour Blogs