See Florida's Finest Senior Athletes at the 2008 Florida Senior Games State Championships

Views: 465
Added: Thu Oct 23rd 4:18pm
Posted in: Sports

• » print
• » report
• » email

It’s been a little over three weeks since Florida Senior Games State Championships registration has been open and the Florida Sports Foundation has been buzzing with activity.

 

More than 8,000 registration books were mailed out to prospective athletes, questions have been  asked over the phone and there has been a steady diet of inquiries at www.flasports.com.

 

As of October 23, about halfway through the registration period, close to 300 athletes have registered and many more are expected through the end of November.  The 2008 Games, a qualifier for the 2009 National Senior Games, will be held December 6-14 in Lee County and the City of Cape Coral.

 

Among individuals already registered, I noticed a few names that are Senior Games regulars and have won quite a few medals over the years and have represented the State of Florida in fine fashion, not only in state but out of state.

 

John Anoka, of Maitland, is the fastest 89-year old sprinter in the country.  I’d put him up against anyone.  How many times do you hear that claim?  John holds three age group records in the 400 meter dash, dating back to 1995 when he set the mark in the 75-79 age group with a time of 1:15.78.

 

He set the 80-84 age group record with a time of 1:22.69 in 1999 and ran a 1:39.29 in the 2004 Games for the 85-89 age group record.  This summer at the Sunshine State Games Open and Masters Track & Field competition in Winter Haven, Anoka ran the 100 meters in 21.07, the 200 meters in 44.98, the 400 meters in 1:53.22 and also had a long jump of 7-01 and a shot put of 19-11.75.  All gold medal winning totals since he had no other age group competition.

 

I called him one day leading up to the Sunshine State Games to write something about him and he said he was going to have to get back to me because he was resodding his yard in Maitland.   

 

Norm Taylor, of Naples, will play tennis and run in the track & field meet, hopefully in the Granparent/Grandchild relay again.  Taylor was one of the teams in the 2007 Grandparent/Grandchild Relay with his 10-year old grandson, David.  A member of his high school track & field team and in college at Ball State University, Taylor had no problem last year when David boasted he ran faster than his grandfather.  Norm won a silver medal in the 2007 Tennis Men’s Singles 75-79 age group and a gold, silver and bronze medal at the track & field competition.

 

Patricia Tullman, of Valrico, won six Swimming gold medals in the 70-74 age group at the 2007 Games.  As a warmup for the 2007 State Championships, she won five gold medals and a silver at the 2007 National Senior Games in Louisville, Kentucky.

 

Jack Stone, of Punta Gorda, will run in the 5 & 10K Road Races and in the distance races at the Track & Field meet.  A native of the Southwest Florida area, Jack is one of the easiest senior athletes to approach and strike up a conversation.  Seems a lot of runners have that capability.  I don’t know what it is about them.  A couple years ago, at the cycling competition, I got to talking to Jack about what little bike riding I do in my neighborhood with my son and before I know it, he’s offering to give me a bike of his that he wasn’t riding much anymore.  I graciously declined his offer thinking that transporting the bike from Fort Myers to Tallahassee might be a bit of a chore. 

 

Essie Faria, of North Miami, competed in her first Florida Senior Games State Championships last year, and seemed to make quite a few friends.  I guess that’s what happens when you register for four different sports over the course of the nine-day event.  In 2008, Essie has registered in Race Walk, Table Tennis, Track & Field and the 5K Road Race in the 70-74 age group and will no doubt make more friends this year. 

 

I had a really nice conversation with Carla Stevenson, a golfer from The Villages, a few years back after she finished her round on the course.  She told me about growing up in North Carolina and what few opportunities and resources were available to her as a young girl being interested in sports.

 

If I remember our conversation correctly, she was able to find a sympathetic golf pro who taught her the game and taught her well.  Later on, as I was compiling the results for the day’s competition, not only did Carla have the low women’s score, but the low overall score of both men and women.

 

A few month’s later, a friend of mine who works at the University of Central Florida, was asking me about ideas for some speakers/guests for an upcoming “Women in Sports Day,” they were having in conjunction with a basketball game.  I recommended Carla and she agreed to help out.  I later heard she was a hit with the crowd and enjoyed being a part of the event.

 

Luigi Fabbri, of Hallandale Beach, has been a name consistent with Florida Senior Games State Championships cycling since over my 10 years of working with the Games.  He now competes in the 70-74 age group, but he began winning medals in the 65-69 age group back in 2000.  He won gold medals at the 2003 and 2007 National Senior Games and a silver medal at the 2005 National Games.  Luigi and his wife, Eva, will both be competing in the 2008 Games.

 

Don't these stories make you want to be a part this event? 

 

Those that may still be contemplating, time is running out to qualify for the State Championships.  Only a handful of local senior games events remain.

 

ORMOND BEACH SENIOR GAMES
 www.ormondbeach.org
October 24-November 2, 2008

 (386) 441-7735
E-mail: jvanwert@bellsouth.net

 

Master’s Athlete Softball Tournament - The Villages
Qualifier for the Florida Senior Games State Championships

October 24-26, 2008, The Villages, Florida

Madeline Castro, 352-259-6590

 

MARTIN COUNTY GOLDEN GAMES
http://parks.martin.fl.us
November 1-10, 2008
Jesse Moore
772-221-1419
E-mail: jmoore@martin.fl.us

GOLDEN AGE GAMES
www.sanfordfl.gov
November 8-13, 2008
 407-302-1010
E-mail: eltonhek@sanfordfl.gov

SARASOTA COUNTY GAMES FOR LIFE
http://parkslonline.scgov.net
November 8-14, 2008
 941-861-9879

 

The Master’s Athlete Softball Tournament, held at The Villages this weekend will have 22 teams competing, the majority of which are from Florida, but teams from Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina will play as well.

 

Some familiar names will be playing among the eight team registered in the women’s bracket, including the Southern Trace Chiropractic Silver Bullets and Ken Marshall Sun Harbor Realty All Stars. 

 

The Southern Trace Chiro Silver Bullets won a gold medal in the Ladies 50+ division at the 2006 Florida Senior Games State Championships and the Ken Marshall Sun Harbor Realty All Stars won a silver at the 2007 State Championships in the Ladies 60+ division.

 

A total of 14 men’s teams will play in the 50+ and 60+ age groups and from the looks of the team names, at least six teams are from Florida and could qualify for the Florida Senior Games State Championships.

 

The State Championships softball competition will be held during both weekends of the nine-day event at the Northwest Softball Complex in Cape Coral.  The Men’s 50+ and all Women’s Divisions will play on December 6-7 and the Men’s 55+, 60+, 65+, 70+, 75+ will play on December 13-14.

 

See you next time.