Seniors show off at their own olympic contests
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By Karla Walsh | Saturday, June 23, 2007 |
The Double W Dancers perform on the stage at the Tri-City Jewish Center in Rock Island during Quad-City Senior Olympic competition Friday evening. (John Schultz/QUAD-CITY TIMES)
From swimming to shuffleboard and from tennis to Texas hold’ em, the Quad-City Senior Olympics offers nothing if not variety.
And the 17th annual event awards medals to people in five-year age groups, so there is variety when it comes to the winners as well.
“It’s nice to compete with people your own age. It’s more fair,” said Jean Schilling, who has participated for more than 10 years. She is taking part this year in bowling, shuffleboard and table tennis.
The Senior Olympics, with a motto of “enhancing life over 50,” had its opening ceremonies Friday afternoon. Events will conclude at 5:30 p.m. today. More than 300 Quad-City area residents 50 years and older signed up to take part this year.
The event “proves that people over 50 still have the strength, stamina, courage and conviction to compete,” said Charles Rubovits, a competitor in performing and visual arts who also emceed the performing arts competition.
In visual arts, participants enter paintings, photographs and sketches. The literary arts involve writing, the heritage arts include sculptures, and the performing arts involve music, dancing and playing instruments.
Awards were presented Wednesday night in the visual, literary and heritage arts. The performing arts competition was held Thursday night with each entry allowed six minutes to wow the judges.
Maryann Robinson participated in two acts during the performing arts competition. She is a member of the Quad-City Cloggers and the Golden Tones, a singing group from CASI in Davenport.
Robinson said she enjoys the variety the Senior Olympics provides, and she takes advantage of it. She also participated in the bull’s-eye pistol shooting and will compete in horseshoes.
“You don’t have to be good,” she said. “I’d never done horseshoes before, but they teach you if you show up.”
The events take place all over the Quad Cities, which makes them more convenient for all participants, said Myra Tunwall, a volunteer this year as well as a past participant.
“Anything you can do, they have a competition for you,” she said.
There is only one entry fee, $20, for participants, which includes a T-shirt. After paying that fee, seniors can take part in as many events as they please.
Jim Mertens, a news anchor at WQAD-TV, was the emcee for the opening ceremonies Friday at Augustana College in Rock Island. Mertens noted that the participants are not only doing good things for themselves, but for others as well. He added that senior athletes are an inspiration to all.
Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert welcomed the Senior Olympics to his city. He praised the event for helping Americans become healthier and to have longer, higher-quality lives.
“In America, because of good health, the aging process is being delayed. Today’s 70- to 80-year-olds are yesterday’s 50-year-olds,” he said, crediting events such as the Senior Olympics for exercising the minds and bodies of older Americans.
Contact the city desk at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com.
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