The Nick Lichatz Award presented from left to right - Darby Cortright, Good Life Games Pres., Hal Oliver, 2006 winner and 2007 winner Del Bowyer.
After six weeks of grueling competition and very obvious aches, pains and minor injuries, the senior citizen athletes of Pinellas and surrounding counties came to a close Sunday at Taylor Park in Largo with the major annual awards presented to the best of the best of 2007. These games are held annually with over 50 specific events actively competed in by over 500 men and women from age 50 to the 90's with participants who came from all over Florida, from Georgia, New Jersey, Canada and a family who even drove to Pinellas from Texas.
Now approaching 20 years, these senior games have gotten bigger and better than ever and include team and individual athletic competition by age and gender groups which included gold medals to an 85 year old female javelin thrower, and a 90 year bike racer, right on down to one of the young kids on the block, a 50+ year old former Army Ranger.
Highlighted by six different swimming events, eight different track and 14 field events, medals were awarded for over 100 individual competitions. This year the Good Life Games can brag about two of their own, Sari Kisbany of Redington Shores, a state and national gold medal winner in table tennis, and Roger Gentilhomme a 97 year old Dunedin resident and gold medal tennis player at the national level, both of whom were just named Florida Senior Games State Championship Athletes of the Year in Tallahassee.
Join the Good Life Games to volunteer or join the games. Call (727) 230-3776
GOLD TORCH AWARD for the best of the best in their age groups - from left to right;
Barbara Hutchenson, Wade Borber, Pat Hoffman, Bob Simons, Archie Bunting, Gerald DeTorre and Kathleen Fitzgerald, Good Life Games Executive Director.
