The Long Run – January 2015
Association NewsNSGA Welcomes Wilson Game Ball Sponsorship NSGA is pleased to announce that Wilson Sporting Goods will be a new sponsor for the 2015 National Senior Games Presented by Humana. Wilson will be the Official Game Ball for baseball, basketball, racquetball, softball and tennis for The Games in Minnesota. Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods Co., a division of Amer Sports, is the world’s leading manufacturer of sports equipment. “We are excited and grateful to have Wilson as our partner,” said Sue Hlavacek, NSGA Director of Events and Programs. “Sporting equipment is a significant need for us, and having Wilson as our Official Game Ball satisfies the desire to offer the highest possible quality of play that our great athletes deserve.” |
Game On!2015 Athlete Housing Link Now Open The Travel and Lodging section at NSGA.com continues to expand with the opening of our Housing information and booking link that is being professionally managed by the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau on behalf of the three host cities. All athletes and teams are encouraged to stay at one of the sponsoring hotels or dorms providing one-stop booking close to venues where you will compete. Website includes booking options, transportation and venue/mapping location information. “We are delighted to handle all housing needs for the 2015 National Senior Games,” says Bloomington CVB Vice President of Strategy and Sales Dan O’Neill. “Our online housing platform provides a list of sponsoring hotels and dorms that are close to the venues where senior athletes will compete. Having handled multiple citywide events, our online booking system is a perfect fit for the needs of the NSGA and senior athletes who want easy online booking options, transportation and venue/mapping location information.” Book now! Follow the link to the Housing Page to get started. The Travel and Lodging section now features lots of helpful information about how to get to Minnesota, where to stay and how to get around. Don’t miss checking out the fare discount code offer from a partnership with Delta Air Lines on the Air Travel Page. There’s also a great deal for getting around the Twin Cities’ extensive Metro Transit network of buses, light rail and commuter trains with a deep discounted 7-Day Transit Pass on the Local Transportation Page.
The registration roll-out is continuing with more states opening for qualified athletes to get signed up for The Games.See the list of states on the Registration page. States are added when their results are verified and entered into our registration system. If you qualified in more than one state, you will get one email for each state. Take advantage of the early registration discount by signing up by February 28, 2015!
Welcome to Bloomington, Minnesota, the hospitality hub of the 2015 National Senior Games. Bloomington offers free shuttles to and from the airport to all Bloomington hotels and Mall of America. If you’re driving, you’ll be accommodated with free parking at all hotels. Bloomington is just 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and even closer to the Minneapolis- St. Paul Airport. Even better, all three of those destinations are accessible via the metro light rail, which stop at the Mall of America.
Speaking of the Mall, it is, by far, the state’s largest attraction. You will find something for you and yours at any of the mall’s 520 stores. Plus, there’s no sales tax on clothing or shoes. At Mall of America you’re never far from dining option, with over 50 restaurants ranging from upscale to casual and quick -serve to sit -down. Nickelodeon Universe, inside the mall features 30 rides and attractions, which is perfect for NSGA visiting families after you are done or in between competitions. We wish you the very best games and reach out to us and let us help you plan the perfect National Senior Games experience at www.bloomingtonmn.org Full Message with Mall of America Fun Facts
Upcoming State Senior Games Arizona Senior Olympics – February 21 – March 15, 2015
Texas Senior Games – April 9-19, 2015 |
Bloomington Welcomes 2015 Senior Athletes
HUMANA Heroes: Athlete of the MonthWithout a Wagon
Inez Ross of Los Alamos, New Mexico is a self-described “wild and crazy 84 year old retired teacher, writer, jogger, star gazer, tap dancer, and ukulele player” who enjoys traveling to state and National Senior Games with fellow runner Carolyn Robinson of Santa Fe. She trains for the 5K by jogging up and down the steep streets of Los Alamos. New Mexico Senior Olympics offers talent as well as sport competitions, and Inez performs dramatic readings by dressing in period costume and addressing a six foot mannequin bearing the face of Kit Carson or sometimes Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy. She also does a three-minute Vaudeville routine with her sister Lois on their annual book signing tour around her home state of Michigan. So people know to expect the unexpected from Inez, but when she decided to hike the length of the old Santa Fe Trail when she was 66, more than a few eyebrows were still raised. “What began as a lark became a serious undertaking, but we didn’t realize that at first,” Inez explains. “When the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay route bypassed New Mexico entirely, the Albuquerque newspaper joked that we New Mexicans should have our own torch relay up the Santa Fe Trail to meet the flame in Kansas. Well I thought, ‘Forget the Olympics, why not hike the whole trail?'” Inez and Carolyn, along with three other women, hiked in segments until they completed the entire 875 mile Santa Fe Trail on the Cimarron Route from Santa Fe to Franklin, Missouri over a period of eight years. The hikers had to deal with heat, dust, bugs and snakes. Parts of the trail were eroded or ploughed under and only existed on old maps, but other segments still revealed old trail and battlefield markers, wagon ruts and remnants of cabins and outposts long abandoned. At times the women found themselves crawling under barbed wire fences. As “Trail Boss” Inez recorded their adventures, the song they composed, and the photos they took in a book titled Without A Wagon. The prolific author of several novels is currently turning her ninth book Blaize Castle into a screenplay while looking forward to going to Minnesota to compete in the 2015 National Senior Games Presented by Humana. “I will be in a new age group, so that encourages my competitive spirit.” We’re always looking for great athlete stories. Submit yours or nominate a fellow athlete who inspires you at our Athlete of the Month page at NSGA.com! |
Senior Health and WellnessHow Exercise Keeps Us Young Science is catching up with what we already know intuitively and from the example of all of you great senior athletes out there. We recently shared a link on Facebook and Twitter to an interesting New York Times blog by Gretchen Reynolds reporting results from an English study that measured fitness levels of only the more active seniors (as opposed to typical studies that measure all seniors.) Read the full article here. Reynolds concludes with a quote that this study shows “being physically active makes your body function on the inside more like a young person’s.” The findings are no surprise to us, and these study subjects were very active but not competitive senior athletes. Want to see more cool stuff like this that may not appear in the newsletter? LIKE us on the National Senior Games page on Facebook, and follow us @seniorgames1 on Twitter!
Survey Reminder Senior athletes: Have you taken the quality of life survey we shared last month that the University of South Dakota is coordinating with NSGA? Please consider taking a few minutes to do it. The survey (see link below) will help researchers learn more regarding your feelings about exercise, your quality of life and your mood. You’ll also have the opportunity to tell them what being a Senior Games athlete means to you. Your responses will be recorded anonymously. Please only take the survey if you participate in Senior Games.
Dr. Pam Peeke Blog: ‘Act Your Fitness Age’
Dr. Peeke continues her blog (and her first journey to the National Senior Games as a qualified triathlon competitor) by asking you a fascinating question: What’s your Fitness Age?
Read her January installment here, and watch for news from NSGA soon about how you can share your Fitness Age with us and help tell the world about the benefits everyone can enjoy from senior sports participation!
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NSGA Online Merchandise StoreGet a Warm Summer Feeling in 2015 Logo Gear
Get a Warm Summer Feeling in 2015 Logo Gear
OK, it’s January and the coldest time of the year wherever you live. Psyche yourself into summer by ordering warmer logo apparel for the 2015 National Senior Games Presented by Humana! Visit The NSGA Store at NSGA.com where you will find a wide variety of gear for all seasons including winter wear such as long sleeve T-shirts, pullovers, sweaters and heavyweight hoodies (like the one shown here) in your choice of sizes and colors.
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- Published in Newsletter
“Without a Wagon” – January 2015 Athlete of the Month
Inez Ross, 84, Los Alamos, New Mexico
Inez Ross of Los Alamos, New Mexico is a self-described “wild and crazy 84 year old retired teacher, writer, jogger, star gazer, tap dancer, and ukulele player” who enjoys traveling to state and National Senior Games with fellow runner Carolyn Robinson of Santa Fe. She trains for the 5K by jogging up and down the steep streets of Los Alamos.
New Mexico Senior Olympics offers talent as well as sport competitions, and Inez performs dramatic readings by dressing in period costume and addressing a six foot mannequin bearing the face of Kit Carson or sometimes Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy. She also does a three-minute Vaudeville routine with her sister Lois on their annual book signing tour around her home state of Michigan.
So people know to expect the unexpected from Inez, but when she decided to hike the length of the old Santa Fe Trail when she was 66, more than a few eyebrows were still raised.
“What began as a lark became a serious undertaking, but we didn’t realize that at first,” Inez explains. “When the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay route bypassed New Mexico entirely, the Albuquerque newspaper joked that we New Mexicans should have our own torch relay up the Santa Fe Trail to meet the flame in Kansas. Well I thought, ‘Forget the Olympics, why not hike the whole trail?'”
Inez and Carolyn, along with three other women, hiked in segments until they completed the entire 875 mile Santa Fe Trail on the Cimarron Route from Santa Fe to Franklin, Missouri over a period of eight years. The hikers had to deal with heat, dust, bugs and snakes. Parts of the trail were eroded or ploughed under and only existed on old maps, but other segments still revealed old trail and battlefield markers, wagon ruts and remnants of cabins and outposts long abandoned. At times the women found themselves crawling under barbed wire fences.
As “Trail Boss” Inez recorded their adventures, the song they composed, and the photos they took in a book titled Without A Wagon. The prolific author of several novels is currently turning her ninth book Blaize Castle into a screenplay while looking forward to going to Minnesota to compete in the 2015 National Senior Games Presented by Humana. “I will be in a new age group, so that encourages my competitive spirit.”
- Published in Athlete of the Month