Game On!
2022 Housing & Registration
We are very pleased to report that priority registration for qualified athletes in the first month is ahead of pace compared with the same period for the 2019 Games. Given the unusual circumstances, NSGA is not assuming that pace will continue, but it does compare with the generally high turnouts for State Games in 2021.
Early activity also indicates that some hotel properties in our housing group are taking high numbers of reservations. Please be advised that once the NSGA Group Contracted Inventory (NSGA Rates) is sold out, J Team Management and NSGA have no control of the rates being offered by the hotels. Please also note that hotels will only offer a certain percentage of their rooms at the discounted rate, and once those are sold out they will not give any more at the discounted rate.
We’re happy to see so many of our athletes eager to get back into The Games. Remember that you can help your state while competing for your medals with the new NSG CUP presented by KOHLER Walk-in Bath, which is seen here. Starting in 2022, NSGA will again recognize the state that wins the most medals, and now the NSG CUP will be awarded to the state that earns the highest percentage of medals for its number of athletes. This allows for states of all sizes to compete to find out who has “the most punch!” Go get it!
HELPFUL REGISTRATION LINKS
- NSGA Registration Webpage for registration dates, 2021 state results status, entry fees and deadlines.
- Competition Schedules Page with Age Specific Schedule (which provides dates for most events and age groups) as well as Golf Course Assignments, Racquetball Schedule, Track & Field Schedule and Swimming Order of Events.
- NSGA Hotels and Lodging Page – find guaranteed low-price rooms.
NOT QUALIFIED?
There are still some remaining 2021 State Qualifying Games. Find calendar and games contacts at the State Information Page at NSGA.com. Athletes qualifying for the FIRST time in 2021 will be eligible to register for the respective sport/event after the state submits 2021 results to NSGA, results are verified AND the respective state and sport are listed on the NSGA website.
2022 Venue Spotlight: Double Play for Softball
Softball players will enjoy the facilities lined up for the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana. Pompano Community Park and Tradewinds Park in northern Broward County have both been secured to host our championship play.
- Pompano Community Park – This is the largest park in Pompano Beach, spread over 43 acres. The park has 4 lighted softball fields, covered dugouts and shaded areas near the fields, restrooms and ample parking for our athletes and spectators. It is located 12 miles north of the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center.
- Tradewinds Park – At roughly 625 acres, Tradewinds Park & Stables is one of Broward County’s largest and most diverse parks. It has 4 lighted softball fields, covered dugouts, restrooms and ample parking for our athletes and spectators. On the south side of Sample Road, you will find a disc golf course, a lake for fishing, athletic fields, and world-famous Butterfly World. The park is just located 10 minutes NW from the Pompano softball venue.
Explore Greater Fort Lauderdale by Land, Air or Water
Sightseeing options abound in the tropical paradise that is hosting the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana. Choose from authentic Italian gondola rides in the winding waterways of the “Venice of America” or use the hop-on, hop-off service of the iconic Water Taxi to learn fun facts about the destination. Spot celebrity-owned mansions and super yachts on Millionaire’s Row. Join the Jungle Queen Riverboat for a narrated tour leading to a private tropical isle.
On land, join a Segway tour to explore downtown, Hollywood Beach or Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. Explore Greater Fort Lauderdale like a local with the bike-share program Broward BCycle. Choose from classic bikes and electric bikes. You will find stations throughout six Greater Fort Lauderdale cities. The bikes features easy-to-use adjustable seats, front baskets to stow your belongings, three-speed settings and automatic lights to help keep you safe at all times of day.
Or if your idea of exploration involves a food tour, there are plenty of those too. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Ale Trail is the perfect way to discover the more than 50 local breweries, including Gulf Stream Brewing Company featuring the official beer of the destination – the Everyone Under the Sun Hefeweizen, with a fresh citrus finish.
For an aerial view, book a helicopter tour to soar above the skyline and take in all the splendor from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Everglades in the west.
Whether you want to explore on a yacht, Water Taxi, helicopter, paddleboard, gondola, or bicycle, there’s a tour that’s just right for you.
Explore Greater Fort Lauderdale
Association News
USA Volleyball Lauds Addition of Beach Competition
NSGA has enjoyed a long relationship with USA Volleyball, and it has deepened with the addition of Beach Volleyball as a new open sport for the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana.
“We are thankful to our sport governing bodies for providing uniformity and integrity to guide their sport competitions, and USA Volleyball does an outstanding job to advance their sport for youth, collegiate, Olympic and senior age divisions,” NSGA CEO Marc T. Riker noted. “We are all excited to see how our new Beach Volleyball events will go, and it’s great that we’re already seeing people register for them.”
Riker met past and present USA Volleyball leadership at the recent Association of Chief Executives for Sport (ACES) annual conference in Colorado Springs. In the photo he is flanked by 2005-2017 CEO Doug Beal (left) and current CEO Jamie Davis.
“USA Volleyball strives to provide a lifetime of opportunities in safe, positive and fun environments,” Davis commented. “While we are excited to promote the most elite athletes and field the best Olympic and Paralympic teams, our broader goal is to cultivate widespread interest and passion for the game for people of all ages and abilities. The National Senior Games provides our participants over 50 with their own path to the podium, and the introduction of Beach Volleyball fits perfectly with the Games coming to Florida.”
October Athlete of the Month
“I’m fighting hard to get back on the court” – Louise Jones, 77, San Marino, CA
When Louise Jones found Senior Games basketball in 2010, she had already recently overcome a bout with breast cancer. She was looking forward, enjoying the active life traveling and competing with her Cougars Gold team through four National Senior Games. Then came the bad news.
“I was disease free for ten years, but it came back in 2019,” she says.
Determined to not let it stop her, the mother of four still played at the Games in Albuquerque while being treated for stage 4 breast cancer. Since then, treatments have continued and she currently needs the assistance of a wheelchair. But she reports she is stable, her scans look better with decreasing numbers, and she’s nowhere near throwing in the towel.
“I’m fighting hard to get back on the court,” she says resolutely. “It will always be with me, but there’s some great medications out there and more coming all the time, so I’m hopeful.”
Playing senior basketball has made up for lost opportunities in the past. “When I was young there was no such thing as Title IX, so there were no teams for girls,” she explains. “I was tomboyish and loved to run and jump, climb trees and tiptoe on people’s fence tops.”
After earning a doctorate degree from UCLA and starting a family, Louise played tennis and then started running in the ‘70s for adult recreation. She later picked up weightlifting in 2005, but basketball did not enter her life until after her first breast cancer diagnosis in 2008. The surgery, chemo and radiation treatments were effective. “They felt that they got it all, so technically I was in remission,” she recalls. “But breast cancer is a sneaky bugger. It can go dormant and live in your bloodstream for years until something wakes it up.”
Feeling well in 2010, she attended a meeting about Senior Games. “I’m six feet tall, so there was a lot of interest in getting me into basketball. Some of us got together and we eventually had enough for a senior team. We’re really grateful to the Pasadena Senior Center for their support helping us with practice facilities and everything.”
The next year, getting ready for her first National Senior Games in Houston, Louise had a poignant moment when the team’s uniforms came in. “I never had a sport uniform,” she explains. “I tried it on and almost cried, I was so excited to actually see myself in a uniform with a number.”
Louise also found that she had skills to go with her height. Asked if she is a good shooter, she replies, “I’m good enough that the other guys don’t like me getting the ball anywhere near the basket! But I really love to play defense. It makes me happy to stand there with my hands up and have some skinny guard turn around, say ‘Oh’ and pass the ball out!”
The future is uncertain, but as in 2019, Louise says the disease is not going to keep her from going to Fort Lauderdale to be with her team next May. “If I can’t play, I’ll coach. But I’m going to be there with my team.”
Louise wants her experience to help others be diligent with monitoring their health. “One in three women see breast cancer come back, and then it’s stage 4,” she says. “If I could give a message to women now, it would be that yes, early breast cancer can be cured, but you have to be alert and never let your guard down for the rest of your life. And never lose hope.”
Editor’s Note: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
What’s YOUR story? To submit yours, or to nominate a fellow athlete, Please Click Here.
Health and Well-Being
Initial Data Shows Game’s Athletes Pandemic Resilient
During the pandemic, NSGA suspected that the uniqueness of National Senior Games (NSG) athletes may afford them an extra level of protection over their age peers. With prompting from State Games coordinators, NSGA Health and Well-being director Andrew Walker initiated a “status of health survey” of qualified National Senior Games athletes.
The project took root when NSGA was awarded a Region IV Public Health development project from Emory University. University of South Florida Professor of Gerontology Hongdao Meng, MD, PhD, MPH, mentored University of Alabama-Birmingham public health graduate student Kelly Corcoran to create the survey. Additional assistance came from Senior Athlete Fitness Exam (SAFE) researcher Becca Jordre, DPT, of the University of South Dakota.
The survey was designed to confidentially collect population data to better understand status of health and the needs of NSG athletes during this turbulent period. The response has been tremendous, with more than 5,000 athletes taking the survey in numbers that lend even more credibility to the data.
Dr. Meng notes the preliminary survey results confirmed that NSG athletes maintained an active lifestyle despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, participated in meaningful activities, and have been highly resilient to age-related functional decline. This is exciting because future research with these athletes may help us understand how common barriers to maintaining an active lifestyle can be overcome. Learning about their positive experiences with a healthy lifestyle will help people of all ages improve their health and well-being.
Initial analysis by Dr. Jordre reveals interesting early findings: Of respondents thus far only 8% report having had COVID-19, though an additional 4.5% report having a presumed case (someone has tested positive for the virus at a local or state level, but it has not yet been confirmed by the CDC). Only 0.4% were hospitalized for COVID-19 and 0.1% report having a severe case that required a ventilator. Currently 84% of athletes report being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Findings also show that a majority of the respondents are planning to compete in the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana. When asked about their top reason for participating in the Games the top reason was the competition (45%), followed by having fun (27%) and for the health benefits (21%).
Dr. Jordre reports that these results also confirm ongoing SAFE study findings. More than 60% of surveyed athletes report getting more than 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardiovascular exercise each week, which meets CDC guidelines for older adults. Less than 25% of the general population of older adults meets this recommendation.
“This is good information,” Walker said. “It’s what makes well-being programming both challenging and interesting. As a trained health educator, I know the importance of not relying on perceptions when working with populations and not assuming you know your audience. It is best to ask them what is important in order to have effective programming. It also speaks to motivational aspects of the participants.”
Further findings will be reported when they are ready for release. Our thanks again to our amazing athletes for actively participating in NSGA research!
This article was prepared by Andrew Walker, MPH, NSGA Health and Well-being Director
How to Safely Start Training Again After Sustaining An Injury
This informative article comes from KOHLER Walk-in Bath, a proud National Senior Games partner.
Athletes of all levels know that even the smallest of injuries can derail a training plan. And while it can be hard to take time away from training to heal, it’s important to avoid further stress on your body. When you’re ready to work out again, being mindful of your body’s recovery can keep you on track to meet your training goals. And remember to consult a professional before returning to training to prevent re-injury.
1. Take It Slow
When you’ve gotten the go-ahead to return to training, start by gently stretching and walking. Going back to basics can help build your strength back up without doing too much, too soon. Slowly increase the length and intensity of your workouts over time rather than returning to an aggressive training regimen.
2. Work Around Your Injury
Even when you’ve recovered from an injury, it’s important to minimize immediate stress on that part of your body. Try adjusting your workouts to focus on other areas that may help compensate for weakness around your injury. If you pull a muscle in your arm, emphasize lower body cardio to keep your endurance up. If you strain a tendon in your leg, switch to upper body strength training to relieve stress on your leg muscles.
3. Support Muscle Recovery
Tired, sore muscles can always benefit from extra attention after a workout. Hydration and a healthy snack can help restore your energy and begin your recovery process. You can also try soaking in an Epsom salt bath to relax your muscles from head to toe, or apply an Epsom salt-soaked towel to areas that feel particularly strained.
4. Listen To Your Body
Pain is your body’s way of communicating that something is wrong. When training, your workouts can be intense and uncomfortable, but they should not be painful. Stick with a level of difficulty that pushes you to work hard while maintaining your safety, especially in areas that have been injured or are easily stressed.
With proper care for your body, you can stay active at any age. For more tips on maintaining a healthy active lifestyle, visit the KOHLER Walk-In Bath blog!
Health & Well-Being Partners
NSGA Sport Partners
NSGA Official Apparel
