2023 Registration Begins November 1
It’s already here – Registration will begin Tuesday, November 1 for the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana! NSGA will begin to send qualification notices to athletes this month.
Once registration begins, Qualified Athletes may register for all sports except Pickleball, which will begin January 16. Pickleball reached maximum participation in 2022, and the delay allows athletes qualifying in remaining State Games an equal opportunity to sign up.
Early Registration ends March 28, 2023, followed by a Final Registration Period and Open Entry Parameter beginning March 30 for sports/events that have not reached capacity. Registration closes Tuesday, May 2.
The Open Entry parameter accommodates athletes who have been unable to qualify due to various circumstances. 2022 was still a challenging year coming out of the pandemic and some states could not offer all of their usual sports, leaving some athletes little or no options to qualify near them.
Registration also opens on November 1 for the 2023 National Senior Games Softball Tournament being held in Columbus, Ohio. Specific registration dates and deadlines are in place for softball and tournament updates will be posted on the Softball Sport Page.
For complete registration information please visit the Registration Page at NSGA.com.
2023 Housing: Book Online for a Chance to Win a Mediterranean Cruise!
The Hotels and Lodging link for athletes to search and book rooms is now open, and athletes are finding it is informative and smooth process to find hotels in their desired area.
Team Travel Source (TTS) has negotiated lowest guaranteed rates in a special block of participating hotels. They have taken care to locate properties close to competition venues and obtain additional benefits and flexible cancellation policies. Plus, you are staying with other Senior Games athletes!
Check out the online booking system. Simply select Pittsburgh or Columbus and you are on your way. There’s a cool giveaway this year too – when you reserve your room using TTS you will automatically be entered for a chance to win a Mediterranean Cruise for Two!
2023 Age Specific Schedule is Now Posted!
The 2023 Age Specific Schedule has been released just in time for registration to begin.
Our staff has been working hard to get information out as soon as possible to assist athletes in their travel and housing plans. The schedule is now posted at NSGA.com along with the General Competition Schedule.
2023 Competition Schedule Webpage
Venue Spotlight: The David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Located in Downtown Pittsburgh, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center effectively blends unparalleled space, functionality, and flexibility to provide an extraordinary event experience for the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana.
The riverfront location and open design provides enjoyable views on the concourse. The facility provides 313,400 square feet of exhibit space to house competition in six sports plus The Village expo area for the National Senior Games. Sports to be contested there include Basketball, Cornhole, Pickleball, Shuffleboard, Table Tennis and Volleyball. See you there!
Celebrate Pittsburgh’s Food Scene
Bon Appétit or Yelp didn’t have to eat their words when they proclaimed Pittsburgh as the “Next Big Food Town.” And, Zagat, the go-to source for restaurant reviews, named Pittsburgh the “No. 1 Food City” in the United States a few years back.
Much of this acclaim is thanks to Pittsburgh’s chef-driven fare. In fact, the city is home to more than a dozen James Beard Award semifinalists, most recently Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka in Bloomfield – recently honored as one of the New York Times’ 50 favorite restaurants of 2022; Wei Zhu of Chengdu Gourmet in Squirrel Hill; and Bethany Zozula of 40 North at Alphabet City in the Northside.
New restaurants and concepts play a large role in Pittsburgh’s hot culinary renaissance. From Moonlit Burgers (Dormont and Uptown) and Gi-jin (Downtown) to Margaux (East Liberty), the recently-reimagined Pusadee’s Garden (Upper Lawrenceville), Doughbar (South Side) and others – there are plenty of Only in Pittsburgh dishes sure to satisfy any hungry appetite.
Consider these tasty news morsels. Yelp users voted upscale sushi and gin bar Gi-jin one of the top 100 restaurants in the U.S. for 2022. Gaucho Parilla Argentina, which recently relocated to a spacious two-story location Downtown with an inviting rooftop deck, was coined one of the top places to eat in the U.S. for 2015 by Yelp. Food & Wine declared Squirrel Hill’s Pigeon Bagels as one of the best bagel shops in the nation. And, P&G’s Pamela’s Diner, a Pittsburgh tradition that serves crepe-style pancakes and are presidential approved, was tabbed as having the best breakfast in the Northeast.
Today, the city boasts many restaurants all within easy walking distance of Downtown hotels. Joining Gaucho Parilla Argentina in Pittsburgh’s Downtown Cultural District is Con Alma, one of Esquire magazine’s Best 27 Bars in America 2021. Inspired by Pittsburgh’s rich heritage of jazz, Con Alma seeks to return jazz to its rightful place at the forefront of the local music scene while providing patrons with some of the best food and drinks the city has to offer.
Even with all the new dining options, the City of Bridges hasn’t forgotten its roots, like the Original Oyster House, a 152-year-old tavern and designated historic landmark. And while French fry- and coleslaw-garnished Primanti Bros. sandwiches and pierogies are traditional culinary staples of Pittsburgh, the food scene is as eclectic as the city’s unique and diverse 90 neighborhoods.
Make sure you bring your appetite to Pittsburgh! To learn more about Pittsburgh’s food scene, visit VisitPITTSBURGH.com.
Time to Tune Up and Qualify!
Qualifying events are winding down for several State Games in October and November, and December will close with a few remaining Encore Games (California) events and the entire Florida Senior Games slate of sports. Deadlines are coming up quickly so don’t delay! It’s always good to get more competition play to prepare for Nationals, and many athletes travel to more than one state to stay sharp and enjoy the camaraderie. Make your plans now before these Games close their entries.
Digital Version of 2022 Results Book Available Online
The 2022 Results Book has been distributed to all athletes who ordered a print copy. We are pleased to offer a digital version available for all to read and enjoy.
Find the 2022 Digital Results Book here.
If you didn’t pre-order a results book but have changed your mind and would like a copy, a very limited number of printed 2022 Results Books are available for purchase.
OCTOBER ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
Doug Dvorak, 62
Donelly, Idaho
Doug’s Life Reset Leads to Pickleball…and the Stratosphere by Del Moon
Doug Dvorak loves playing pickleball, and his passion for the game comes from a series of life challenges he says he overcame by taking up the popular sport.
Speaking from a hotel room in Philadelphia, Doug demonstrates his obsession. “Guess what I have with me?” he asks. “My pickleball paddle! I bring a foam ball with me, and on a five-hour layover at O’Hare yesterday I drilled at the airport in a quiet corner.”
Dvorak has earned success and notoriety as a motivational speaker and leadership trainer, presenting to more than one million people in more than 100 countries over three decades. “It’s such a high honor and privilege to have organizations call on me to help,” he says. “As it’s said, find something you like to do and do it for the rest of your life and it won’t seem like work.”
That’s true, but the rigors of travel took its toll a few years ago. Although he had a great career and a supportive wife, being on the road and alone in a hotel up to 44 weeks a year left him lonely. “I had some predispositions to alcoholism and drugs, and then my dad died a violent death followed by a cancer diagnosis. Those three factors forced me to really look at my life, my behavior and my attitudes. The only way out was through.”
The man who had helped thousands of others had work to do on himself, and he found an unexpected ally to help reshape his life – pickleball. “Albeit it was the worst period of my life, in retrospect those were the greatest gifts besides losing my Dad,” he says. “I unpacked all areas of my life and kept what was adding value, joy, happiness, and health. Pickleball was just a natural way to fill the void from the unhealthy habits.”
Doug is clean and sober now, and three surgeries have kept his squamous cell carcinoma at bay. “I’m still ultra-vigilant about it. People call me The Mummy when I play because I wear gloves, a hat and wear long sleeves and leggings for protection.”
Growing up, Doug played soccer through school years and found racquetball while attending Flagler College. “That was my game,” he says. “It was like I was meant for it. I got a sponsor and competed for eight years. Winning a pro tournament in Chicago in 1986 was a high point.”
He played into his 40’s until the work demands set it aside. As Doug faced his challenges he felt the need to get more active again. Seven years ago, He attended a pickleball clinic in Boise conducted by famed walker and motivational speaker Robert Sweetgall and realized he had gone to one of his seminars years before. “We laughed that we found each other after 12 years. Robert brought me into the game.”
Doug enjoys playing all ages but discovered a new world when he qualified at the Idaho Senior Games and then competed in this year’s National Senior Games. He played 60-64 doubles with his regular partner Ken Kester and made a new friend playing mixed doubles with Elizabeth Roop of Alabama in Fort Lauderdale. They didn’t medal but Doug was captivated by the atmosphere. “The most moving part of the Games was walking with Ken in the Parade of Athletes behind the Idaho flag along with a bowler and an archer from my state,” he says.
“The State and National Senior Games experience is so different from the typical pickleball tournament. The sense of community, of sharing and belonging among an all-senior group is powerful,” he observes. “I’ve been able to build friendships that extend outside of the sport that allow me to share and talk about life issues. That’s what I get out of Pickleball and Senior Games.”
As a reward for his makeover, Doug decided to treat himself with a unique experience. “In January of 2024 I’ll be going into space with a company called World View Ventures,” he says. “It’s not a rocket, it’s a balloon with a pressurized cabin that goes up 100,000 feet. Two hours up, four hours enjoying watching the curvature of the Earth, and then back down. I’m excited!”
That ought to give Doug plenty more to talk about.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ATHLETE STORY
SENIOR HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Optimal Performance In Older Adult Athletics Rests On Prevention
To perform well in a sport, a basic level of fitness and health is needed. It’s important for older adults who are part of the physical activity and sports movement to maintain their physical function. The best performances come when an athlete places foundational health first.
Boston Marathoner, activist, author, and Senior Games athlete Kathrine Switzer learned first-hand the value of health maintenance and prevention. About thirteen months ago she contracted a preventable and debilitating condition. She laments that her doctor had recommended she get a shingles shot several months prior. Although shingles is vaccine preventable, it is painful and a challenge to treat. During her prolonged treatment period she needs to take a nap regularly to maintain energy for daily activities.
Because of the value of prevention, many health plans and Medicare have made efforts to encourage better usage of prevention services. Medicare even emphasizes these features as a part of a special welcome program for new members, yet studies show less than optimal usage for older adults. The Journal of Aging Studies published a study showing that fewer than half of Medicare eligible seniors are up to date on recommended preventive services.
Kathrine Switzer suggests that we all listen to our doctor when they make a recommendation. “Not paying attention to my doctor when he recommend the vaccine was one of my biggest life disasters,” she says. Vaccinations right now are extremely important because you can’t train and expect your body to perform if you are ill. Plus, as we age, it is much more difficult to obtain fitness after a physical setback than it is to keep fit and healthy in the first place.
Now is a good time to invest fully in building your strongest foundation. Medicare open enrollment starts Oct. 15. Please think about the importance of prevention or plan to take action within the next 30 days.
Take Action With MyHealthfinder:
- Use the MyHealthfinder tool to get personalized recommendations for preventive services. Print out the list of recommendations and take it with you to your next doctor’s appointment.
- Talk to your relatives to find out if any diseases run in your family. Use this family health history tool to keep track of what you learn. Share this information with your doctor.
- Make a list of questions to ask your doctor.
- When you visit the doctor, it helps to write down your questions ahead of time.
- Talk with your doctor or nurse about which screening tests are right for you.
- Gain a good a good overview of preventive health basics with Medicare & You: Medicare’s preventive benefits (video). With a variety of preventive tests and screenings available at no charge, the return on value is too costly to pass up.
Surely today, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.
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