Lance Gunderson before the 5K Cycling Time Trial at the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana.

2022 marks the year that recumbent bikes are being introduced for medal contention in the National Senior Games Cycling Time Trials being held at Florida Live in Sunrise, Florida. There are divisions for two- and three-wheel recumbents, and competitors we spoke with felt as happy to have the opportunity to ride them as much as their desire to win a medal.

Many riders who have handled both types of bikes report that recumbent bikes have aerodynamic mechanisms that give them the ability to move very fast, as much as three to eight miles per hour faster than road bikes going uphill. When going downhill, recumbent bikes can move 15-20 miles per hour faster than road bikes. In fact, they are the fastest human-powered bicycles. 

Many needed to use recumbents in competition due to physical limitations, and others like how comfortable and fast they are. New Yorker Lance Gunderson, 56, got into it for both reasons. “My girlfriend has a bad back and cannot ride an upright bike for long,” he explains. “I do a lot of upright riding as well, but I’ve found the recumbent is far more relaxed, and it’s easier to go fast and stay fast.” 

Lance also disputes some claims recumbents don’t do well going uphill. “I climbed Whiteface Mountain in upstate New York, which is an 8 ½% grade all the way up 11 miles so it definitely works,” Lance explains. “The only advantage a road bike has over this is that it’s easier to take places than a recumbent. I like it.”

Marc Sacco, The Patient Whisperer

One cyclist that appeared on our radar this year has one whale of a survival story to share.

Marc Sacco of Reading, Vermont once had aspirations for the Olympics until a road accident relegated him to recreational cycling and running in his 20s. He had no notion of returning to competition until extreme challenges prompted him to pursue it as part of recovery therapy. His professional background also gave him a powerful healing tool that he claims has saved his life. We agree.

NSGA featured Marc as our April 2022 Athlete of the Month, and we feel that many have missed his incredible story in the hustle and bustle of preparing to come to The Games. We assure you it’s well worth reading so we are sharing his entire story again here. Good luck Marc! “The Patient Whisperer” April 2022 Athlete of the Month

View Olympic and Paralympic art from The Art Of The Olympians collection, paired with a brain stimulating interactive learning practice led by University of Miami Art and Medicine program today, May 19, at 1 pm in room 222 of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center. Prime your creativity for an enriching story sharing experience!

Presenters include:

• Cathy Oerter – CEO, Art of The Olympians CEO  
• Gauri Gaonkar-Agarwal M. D. – University of Miami Art and Medicine Program
• Hope B. Torrents – University of Miami Art and Medicine Program
• Andrew Walker – NSGA Health and Well-being Director, Moderator

Martha Padmore before the second day of recurve archery competition at the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana.

Martha Padmore’s potential as an archer was spotted while she was rifle shooting in 2006 in her home country of Barbados. Once she picked up a bow, she never looked back. 

Martha shoots recurve archery, which is the most physically demanding discipline in the sport. Recurve bows do not have the mechanical assistance found in compound release bows, requiring the athlete to draw and hold the full weight of the bow. “I like a challenge, and recurve is a challenge,” shares Martha. “It’s a game-changer.”

To stay in shape, Martha hits the gym five days a week in addition to archery practice. “I eat, sleep, and play archery, I love it,” she notes. 

This formidable competitor went into the second day of recurve competition leading the women’s 60-64 age division with a score of 753. She enjoys the environment of the National Senior Games and says the people are the best part of the competition. “I look forward to it every two years. They are very competitive, and I enjoy that.”

Martha already has her sights set on the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana in Pittsburgh, which will be her fifth time at The Games. No doubt she will continue to be a force to be reckoned with! 

Father Inspires Son to Return to Archery Roots

Father and son Joey Gautreaux, right, and Al Gautreaux, left, on the archery field.

Sometimes a small spark can rekindle a past joy. 

For Joey Gautreaux, that moment came while watching his father Al compete in archery at the 2019 National Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Joey was a successful youth archer, winning a junior state title at 13. Then football came along and archery fell by the wayside.

“When I went to nationals to watch him shoot, the fever hit and I was back in it,” Joey says on returning to the sport. 

Al will have plenty of insider tips to pass along to his son as a five-time National Senior Games veteran. This is just the beginning of a new journey for this father/son duo!

Regina Bouie (right) and her husband, William, pose with their medals at the 2019 National Senior Games presented by Humana.

Regina Bouie considers herself “late to the game” of pursuing balanced physical fitness, but the teacher turned personal trainer isn’t slowing down in what she calls the fourth quarter of life. 

Regina’s husband of 42 years introduced her to racquetball when she was in her late 20s, and this was her only source of physical activity for many years. When she developed knee problems from the sport, she knew cross-training was needed and sought help from personal trainers, but felt a disconnect due to their young age.

This experience led to the 66-year-old Virginia resident ending her 26-year teaching career and starting a new chapter as a certified personal trainer with a focus on serving older adults. 

“I figured out there was a niche for me…I wanted my clients to know that I can relate to what they’re going through as they’re aging,” she shares. “I absolutely love it. My goal is my clients’ longevity and their livelihood. I’m there to teach and train and be their biggest fan.” 

This is Regina’s third National Senior Games, and she shares that she mainly plays to be with her husband, but also enjoys the culture of the sport. “It’s social and competitive at the same time. You mean business when you step on the court, but when you step off the court you are total friends with your opponent,” she says.

Their mixed doubles team took home gold at the National Senior Games in 2019 and silver in 2017 in the 60-64 age division. Regina also placed first in the women’s 50-54 doubles in 2019 with partner Vicki Hopkins.

The athlete takes a positive approach to aging and challenges her clients to picture their future and how they want to live, not just survive. “My husband and I refer to it as the fourth quarter. We’re going to play hard and live hard in the fourth quarter,” she says. “Everything I do is to make the best of each moment and each day.”

Please note that The Village expo area will be open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. with the final day on Saturday, May 21. Get your official merchandise, take the free Senior Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE) and check out all the exhibitor offerings before they are gone until 2023!

James Krenis sports his medals earned during the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana.

By Matthew Adams

“It’s what inside that counts” is more than just an expression for first time National Senior Games competitor James Krenis – it literally saved his life. 

At first glance, you’d think this attorney and certified NFL Contract Advisor  in Jackson, Tennessee was a healthy guy and  in excellent shape. In fact, until recent times he never had a major medical incident or even taken a single stitch in his life. 

However, looks can be deceiving. During his normal workout routine a week after qualifying in Pickleball in the Tennessee Regional Olympics, James experienced extreme fatigue to the point that he headed for the doctor and a heart CT (computerized tomography) was scheduled. James was about to get on a plane to go to another pickleball tournament when his doctor intervened. James found himself kissing his daughter goodbye on the way to the hospital for triple bypass surgery. “I wasn’t sure I would ever see her again,” he recalls. 

James recovered and considers himself lucky that caught it early. He chooses to look at it as a “great thing” and a new purpose in life. “It’s the beginning of a better life for me,” he says emphatically. “There’s always someone going through something worse and it motivated me to set a goal of competing again.” 

He made good on that promise to himself, and this past week he won a gold medal in Pickleball and competed in team triathlon, and tennis. He has had a fantastic first National Senior Games experience and it has been far better than he imagined. James is not a back-off, take it easy kind of guy and he wants to make the most of every minute.

Getting blood work done is not an activity that people look forward to, but it could be the difference between life and death. “Although my family would love for me to slow down, the flip side is then it wouldn’t be me,” he says.  

The experience has James actively sharing a message: “Go talk to your doctors and get checked out. What you see on the outside may not necessarily reflect what’s happening on the inside,” he stresses. “If I didn’t get myself checked out, I very well may not be here to tell my story.”

By Nick Gandy, Florida Senior Games

Charles James plays on the Country Club of Coral Springs golf course during the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana.

Charles James is the first to admit he may have a “home field advantage” in the 2022 National Senior Games, presented by Humana, Golf competition.

The Country Club of Coral Springs, where the Men’s 80-84 age group is playing, is a 30-minute drive from his Pembroke Pines home. He played the course in a local summer league a few years ago and knows its intricacies, including what the course website calls “some of the best greens in Florida.”

James is using those greens to his advantage against the out-of-town field. “The greens are very fast, like pro greens,” James said after his second of three rounds. “Since I know the course, I know how to manage the greens well. It’s like putting on concrete.”

James’ strategy of playing each hole for a par is working well.  He shot a 77 in the first round and followed up with a 75 on day two. Entering the final round, he is currently in third place, six strokes behind the leader, one behind the current second place golfer and two ahead of fourth place, in the 37 athlete field.

On day twom he notched par scores on 10 holes, had five bogeys but evened those out with an eagle and three birdies.

“I’m playing very well on those slick greens,” James said. “Having played the course before, I know where all the bones are buried.”

James qualified for the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana by winning the 80-84 age group gold medal in the 2021 Florida Senior Games. His score of 79 was the overall low score of all golfers.  He also competed in basketball shooting, winning two silver medals and a bronze, and bowling, where he finished fifth in his age group.

With his golf success, it’s obvious he spends more time on the sport than the others.  But how he achieves his success is a bit out of the ordinary.

“I’m a self-taught golfer,” James said. “I started playing golf while I was in the military and I learned by watching a lot of golf videos.  Now I watch them on YouTube and I watch the pros on television.” 

He also applies what he learns by playing on a variety of South Florida golf courses and he claims to learn the most from watching women’s golfers in LPGA tournaments.

“The women are more precise in their game,” he said.  “In the men’s game, it’s all about driving the ball 300 yards off the tee.  Once you get within 150 yards of the pin, it’s all equal. On the greens, women can putt just as well as men.”

James ended up in South Florida after retiring from the Army where he served as medical supervisor.  He had two tours of duty in Vietnam, in 1966-67 and 1970-71, supervising as many as 30 medics who worked in clinics on the front lines. 

“I would visit the field clinics once a month and rotate the medics in and out,” he said.  “After a month, they needed breaks after all they saw.”

When he retired in 1987, he earned a teaching certificate and became an Army ROTC instructor at Miami Jackson and Miami Edison High School.  He was assigned to those schools and the Houston, Texas native has been in South Florida since.

“I was born and raised in Houston and the rest of my family still lives in a 50-mile radius of Houston,” James said.

The Florida Senior Games is glad you are part of the team and earning 2022 National Senior Games medals for Team Florida.