Games

No Matter What Your Age Over 50,
The Good Life Games are For You!

By Dr. Bob Simons
Senior Games participant, Good Life Games Board of Trustee Member, & CEO and President of Simons Fitness Enterprises, Inc.

If you're over the age of 50 and worried that you're not as strong or fast or mobile as you once were—you are not alone. We are all aging, but don’t compound that realization with the mindset that we have stopped growing. Life-satisfaction is a lifelong quest, and is embodied in the National Institute on Health’s Six Dimensions of Wellness and our nation’s National Blueprint Increasing Physical Activity Among Adults Age 50 and Older. The integration of these six dimensions of wellness; physical, emotional, social, intellectual, vocational, and spiritual often define us as individuals. The Senior Olympics can open or re-open this portal to life, not just the physical dimension! No matter what your current status is, the Senior Olympic Games (Good Life Games) are for you!

My profession is devoted to enhancing the quality of life of our nation’s senior citizens, and without exception events such as these have done so, and often in a big way. Even if you’re not ready or able to compete in track and field, the wide variety of over 40 competitions ranging from photography, line-dancing, bridge, golf, to the 100 meter sprint are available for you to select from. To take it one step further, even involving yourself as a volunteer or spectator can be extremely personally advantageous and satisfying. In fact, my involvement as a spectator to the 2001 National Senior Olympic Games in Baton Rouge , Louisiana catapulted my professional and personal involvement and enthusiasm into the senior games. I now compete regularly and donate many hours to supporting these games as a Good Life Games Board of Trustee member.

Senior Games competition is primarily an Olympic-style sports event that promotes healthy lifestyles for seniors through fitness, sports, active lifestyle, and athletic competition. But, to promote competition and active lifestyle behaviors many non-sporting type events have been added. The range of events and competitions are meant to attract and involve ALL senior adults. The listing of events and competitions can be found on this website under the sidebar menu button “GLG 2005 Schedule” on this or any GLG webpage.

The competition is always fair. Senior Games are set in five-year age groups for men and women: ages 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, all the way up. The U.S. Olympic Committee sanctions the Senior Games in the U.S. , and various state government agencies, in cooperation with the National Senior Games Office (www.nsga.com), coordinate the events. Senior Games begin at the district level within the states. The top four finishers in each age group and event advance to the State Games. During the State Senior Games, the top finishers advance to the National Senior Games held in different parts of the U.S. every two years.

Here's the important part: Why you should seriously consider entering the Good Life Games in Pinellas County this year. The closest thing we have to the “Fountain of Youth” is exercise, and with the explosion of age-related recent physiological research, seniors are starting to get the message!