“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

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

Portland, Maine

Pictured to the left Becky Dube (left) with Martin’s Point Health Care congratulates Maine Senior Games Coordinator Jo Dill as recipient of their inaugural Medallion Award, while Jerry LeVassaseur displays his Personal Best Award presented by NSGA CEO Marc T. Riker. An enthusiastic throng of Mainers joined to honor 76 year old senior athlete Jerry

The Show Must Go On

Jerry LeVasseur, 76, Brunswick, Maine On a hot and sunny July day in 1944, young Jerry LeVasseur and his mother set out from Bristol, Connecticut for an afternoon of fun at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in nearby Hartford. The Big Top was packed with 7,000 fans.  As the show began, the

“School is Never Out on Fitness” – May 2014 Athlete of the Month

Dr. Paul Miller, 96, Normal, Illinois When Dr. Paul Miller talks about the importance of exercise and shares his routine, he can’t help if it sounds like he is lecturing. That’s because he is a retired professor of sociology and anthropology from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, just a few miles from his home in

“Finding His Rhythm” – April Athlete of the Month

Dave Kirgan, 62, Bowling Green, Kentucky As a race walker, 62 year old Dave Kirgan of Bowling Green, Kentucky knows the importance of finding a rhythm and focusing on fine details to keep moving. He also knows all too well the consequences of falling out of rhythm. A career Air Force man, Dave kept in

Minneapolis, Minnesota

The 2014 Personal Best Tour kicked off with a reception at The NSGA Annual Conference where 80 year old tennis player Ruby Rott (pronounced “wrote”) of St. Paul was introduced to attendees who manage state Senior Games around the nation. An official presentation event for public and media will be held during the Minnesota Senior

Extra-Ordinary

Ruby Rott, 80, Saint Paul, Minnesota When we first invited Ruby Rott to be a Personal Best athlete, she didn’t feel she was worthy of the recognition, instead suggesting another Minnesota tennis player in his 90’s who won two medals at last year’s National Senior Games. After all, she had only finally managed to capture a

For the Love of the Game

Ethel Lehmann, 84, Largo, Florida Baseball was love at first sight from the time Ethel Lehmann was a little girl in New York sitting on her father’s shoulders, watching and cheering along as the hometown hero hit a home run. As a teen that memory resonated when she set softball records and was named team

Soaring Inspiration

Dr. Granville Coggs, 88, San Antonio, Texas “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” – From Invictus by William Ernest Henry When he thinks back over an eventful life, Dr. Granville Coggs is both astonished and gratified at the path he has taken and the things he has