BEREA — The 2008 Olympics in Beijing may be over, but local athletes ages 50 and older still have a chance to grab a gold medal.
Berea College and the Bluegrass Area Agency on Aging and Independent Living will sponsor the inaugural Bluegrass Regional Boomer and Senior Games from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6.
“The senior games have been around for years,” said Paula Woodman, director of the Berea Senior Center. “There are state and national games. But, this is the first year that we’re trying to get this thing off the ground.”
“We would really love to get 100 participants the first year,” she said. “I think we’re getting close.”
Athletic events in the games will include badminton, basketball, cycling, golf, racquetball, softball, swimming, track and field, volleyball and tennis.
Berea College’s Seabury Athletic Center will serve as the location for most of the competitions.
The Berea Country Club will host the men and women’s golf competitions beginning with a shotgun start for 18 holes of golf.
Golfers are encouraged to bring their own carts because a limited number are available at the club. Green’s fees, payable at the course, are an additional $16.50.
The fee for competing in the games is $10, payable during registration at 8 a.m. at the Seabury Center. The fee includes a games T-shirt, along with lunch.
Medals will be awarded in each event and age category.
“We have an older population that is educated about the benefits of physical activity,” said Martha Beagle, associate professor of physical education, health and athletics and track and field coach at Berea College. “They are a group of people who looks for opportunities to be more physically active. Because of the variety of sports and lunch-hour activities, we are attempting to reach a broader group of older adults, not only the competitive older adults.
“Participation and having fun participating in these games is very important,” she said. “Age is irrelevant. It is a good idea for everyone to be physically active.”
Three physical education major classes at Berea College, along with other student volunteers, will play key roles at the event, Beagle said.
“The benefit for our students will be wonderful helping them to realize and witness that physical activity participation is a lifetime adventure,” she said. “It doesn’t end with old age and retirement. It continues.”
As part of the games, all athletes and other community members are can enter their best art and/or crafts in the “Art at the Games” exhibit.
First-, second- and third-place “best of show” will be selected by a panel of independent judges and awarded medals in each medium of art work.
While the first year of an event always is difficult, Woodman said she hopes the athletes will inspire others to join in on the fun.
“I think a lot of people when others can do it will say, ‘If my buddy can do it, why can’t I do it?’” she said. “I think it encourages them to try to. You really don’t have to be a star athlete to participate.”
To register for the inaugural Bluegrass Regional Boomer and Senior Games, call Woodman at 986-8350 or go to www.foothillscap.org or www.bgadd.org.
Bryan Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@richmondregister.com or 624-6691.
Local News
Bluegrass Regional Boomer and Senior Games set for Saturday
- Local News
-
-
‘She wasn’t just a teacher’ : Lambert retires after 43 years at Berea
Scroll to the bottom of the story to read "Love for Lambert: Berea graduates share memories of their teacher," as well as a list of other Berea retirees this year.
Writer’s Note: Brenda Lambert is the reason I write articles today (Class of 2000).
Years ago, a little blonde-haired girl from Rockcastle County gathered her friends to “play school” in a 10-by-10 foot playhouse her father built.
Even at 12 years old, Brenda Lambert knew she wanted to be a teacher one day.
“I always felt like an old person trapped in a young person's body,” said Lambert, who is retiring after 43 years of service to Berea Community School. -
Special Olympics return for 18th year at EKU
Next weekend, the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games return to Eastern Kentucky University campus. This is the 18th consecutive year EKU has hosted the event.
The games will be Friday through June 2. About 1,300 athletes will compete this year. -
Assault charges reduced, dismissed by grand jury
Two men arrested in connection with serious assaults had their charges reduced, and in one case dismissed, by a Madison grand jury.
Jerry Wayne Edington, 34, of Berea Road, was charged Jan. 19 with second-degree assault after an altercation at the Blue Moon bar on East Irvine Street, according to a Richmond police report. -
Dump of the Day
The Dump of the Day is a recurring series the newspaper publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Page A7 in Sunday's paper to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.
-
Paradise Cove open through Labor Day
Opening day of Paradise Cove Family Aquatic Center coincided with a spike in temperatures Friday which reached 90 degrees. The facility, located in Richmond’s Lake Reba Park, will be open through Sept. 3. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
-
Dump of the Day
An old mattress, a car seat and other debris sit Friday afternoon on North Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets where it was first spotted Thursday. The “Dump of the Day” is a recurring series the Richmond Register publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Sunday’s Richmond Register to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.
-
Undefeated academic team brings pride to Madison Middle School
Madison Middle School 6th and 7th grade academic teams have been undefeated for the last two years.
The 8th grade team also has done well, having some students qualify to compete at the state level. -
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
-
Man is indicted on additional sex charge involving teen in 1998
A man already accused of sex abuse in November 2011 has been indicted on a charge of first-degree rape involving a child in 1998.
Charles W. Peyton, 63, of East Irvine Street, was indicted Wednesday by a Madison grand jury. He used “forcible compulsion” to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between March 1 and May 1 in 1998, according to the indictment. -
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
Officers responded to a call in the 1000 block of Scaffold Cane Road about a man trying to break into a home, according to a release from BPD Public Information Officer Jake Reed. - More Local News Headlines
-
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
