Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana, features 2,500+ athletes age 50 and over in action from December 1-9 in Clearwater
EVENT: 2018 Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana, is an Olympic-style competition for athletes age 50 and over. In its 27th year, the Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana, is a program of the Florida Sports Foundation that serves as the state’s lead organization in promoting and developing Florida’s sports industry and tourism opportunities.
COMPETITION DATES: Saturday, December 1 through Sunday, December 9, 2018.
LOCATIONS: Competition for 25 sports and events will be held at 17 different sites throughout Clearwater and Pinellas County.
EXPECTED TO COMPETE: Over 2,500 senior athletes have registered to compete in the 2018 Florida Senior Games (as of November 28). 47 of the 50 United States and seven other countries, including Barbados, Canada, Cayman Islands, Netherlands, Slovakia, United Kingdom, US Minor Islands, are represented at the 2018 Games.
ECONOMIC IMPACT: Since the 1999 Sunshine State Games and the Florida Senior Games State Championships transition to Florida Sports, amateur sports opportunities have been provided for more than 500,000 athletes of all ages through the annual Olympic-style Sports Festivals. The in-state Amateur Sports programs provide almost $10 million annually in economic impact to more than 30 local communities.
GETTING TO THE FLORIDA SENIOR GAMES: Florida residents must qualify at one of over 20 Florida Senior Games Series Qualifiers. Series Qualifiers are held January through April and September through November. Athletes residing in Florida must finish in the top five of their age group in their sport to qualify for the Florida Senior Games. Out-of-state athletes are not required to qualify.
SPORTS OF THE FLORIDA SENIOR GAMES: Senior athletes have the opportunity to compete in 25 sports at the 2018 Florida Senior Games. Certain sports and events require a qualifying performance at a Florida Senior Games Series Qualifier while others have no qualifying standards and are open to all senior athletes wishing to participate.
Archery, Bag Toss, Basketball (3-on-3), Billiards, Dominoes, Lawn Bowls, Powerlifting, Power Walk/Race Walk, Racquetball, Road Race 5K, Tai Chi, and Volleyball are open competitions with no qualifying performance required.
Sports needing a qualifying performance include Basketball Shooting, Bowling, Team Bowling, Cycling, Golf, Horseshoes, Pickleball, Shuffleboard, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, and Track & Field.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Both paper form and online registration were made available for competing athletes from September 15 until November 18, 2018.
AWARDS: Divisions with no out of state athletes: One set of awards will be awarded, since only in-state athletes are competing in that division. Divisions with in-state and out of state athletes: In the event that out of state athlete(s) are competing in a division and finish in the top three, then two sets of medals will be awarded; 1) International/Overall – which is the top three athletes overall, and 2) State Championships – which is the top three Floridians. If a division has out of state athlete(s) that do not finish in the top three, then only one set of medals will be awarded, since the out of state athlete did not affect the in-state athlete from placing.
NATIONAL SENIOR GAMES QUALIFYING: The 2018 Florida Senior Games IS A QUALIFIER for the 2019 National Senior Games that are being held June 14-25, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
PREVIOUS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: The following is a recap of previous Senior Games sites, number of competitors, and a list of those who were named the Outstanding Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
Year Site Athletes Female Athlete of Year Male Athlete of Year
1992 Bradenton 712 Not selected Not selected
1993 Bradenton 928 Not selected Not selected
1994* Bradenton 1,764 Doris Prokopi, Land O’Lakes Wayne Wakefield, Bradenton
1995 Kissimmee/St. Cloud 1,101 Mary Melehan, Englewood Leonard Stone, Barefoot Bay
1996* Kissimmee/St. Cloud 2,041 Hope Fage, Largo F.L. McFadden, Lakeland
1997 Sarasota 1,440 Ethel Lehmann, Largo Seymour Duckman, Daytona Beach
1998* Sarasota 2,371 Lucia Schatteleyn, Englewood Donald Ritenour, Belleview
1999 Kissimmee/St. Cloud 1,216 Patricia Bond, Bradenton Gordon Johnson, Dundee
2000* Kissimmee/St. Cloud 1,568 Erika Messner, Clermont Al Treichel, Spring Hill
2001 Polk County 1,487 Sperry Rademaker, Floral City Howard Hall, Port Charlotte
2002* Polk County 2,037 Janice Lathouwers, The Villages Allen Bjork, Sebring
2003 The Villages 2,387 Madelaine Cazel, The Villages James Anderson, New Port Richey
2004* The Villages 2,982 Lillian Webb, Sebring Harry Carothers, Pinellas Park
2005 The Villages 2,575 Patricia Sargeant, Melbourne Andy McGuffin, Umatilla
2006* Lee County 2,062 Sari Kisbany, Redington Shores Roger Gentilhomme, Dunedin
2007 Lee County 1,664 Claudette Braswell, Lake Wales Larry Wallen, Jacksonville
2008* Lee County 2,049 Suzy Nothhouse, Estero Dean Davis, Fort Myers
2009 Lee County 1,857 Patrice Hirr, The Villages John Shultz, Inverness
2010* Lee County 2,239 Avis Vaught, The Villages Richard Merrill, Lady Lake
2011 Polk County 1,850 Essie Faria, North Miami Segismundo Pares, Ocala
2012* Polk County 2,331 Linda Frisch, The Villages James Richling, Port St. Lucie
2013 Lee County 1,946 Nina Hammer, Bonita Springs Tom Bliss, Merritt Island
2014* Lee County 2,418 Danuta Kubelik, Crystal River Walt Deal, St. Petersburg
2015 Clearwater/Pinellas Co. 2,164 Janet Brown, Lakeland Rudy Vazmina, Sarasota
2016 Clearwater/Pinellas Co. 3,012 Kathy Petrillo, Jupiter John Horwath, The Villages
2017 Clearwater/Pinellas Co. 1,928 Carol Teel, The Villages Mike Welter, Cape Coral
*National Senior Games qualifying event in even numbered years – over 50,000 athletes since 1992
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For more information about the Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana, visit http://www.floridaseniorgames.com.
The 2018 Games: By The Numbers
- 2,505 athletes are registered for the games.
- Athletes broken down by ages
- 50-59: 557 (22.2%)
- 60-69: 944 (37.7%)
- 70-79: 769 (30.6%)
- 80-89: 218 (8.6%)
- 90-99: 16 (0.6%)
- 1,962 athletes are from Florida and represent 262 cities statewide.
- 47 of the 50 states are represented, exceptions not represented: Idaho, Montana, North Dakota.
- 8 total countries are represented at this year’s games: USA, Barbados, Canada, Cayman Islands, Netherlands, Slovakia, United Kingdom, US Minor Islands
- Of the 2,505 athletes registered, 1,662 (66.3%) are male and 844 (33.6%) are female
Top three participants in events
- Track and Field (357); 2. Pickleball (348); 3. 3-on-3 Basketball (225)
Top three registered events
- Track and Field (1131); 2. Swimming (996); 3. Pickleball (566)
A Daily look at the Sports of the 2018 Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana
Sports are listed chronologically as they take place during the nine days of competition
ARCHERY
Saturday, December 1
Location: Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 9:00 a.m.
Number of Participants: 106 (as of November 21), Archery allows on-site registration. Number will increase.
Most Experienced Athlete: Morton Rosenblum, 87, Edgewater
Perennial Medal Winners Registered
Shannon North, Lutz – North set the Barebow Compound 55-59 age group record in 2001 with a score of 730 and will be shooting in the 75-79 age group at the 2018 Games.
James Harden, Ocala – Harden had the Florida Senior Games all-time high score in a 900-round event with an 891 in the Compound & Release event in 2011 to win the 50-54 age group gold medal. Since that time, the closest score to Harden’s record setter has been an 882.
Anna Hartman, The Villages – She is one of six archers competing over the age of 80 and the lone female of the group. Hartman set the women’s Barebow Recurve record in the 75-79 age group in 2013 and the 80-84 age group record in 2014 with the highest women’s score recorded with a 558.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: The 2016 Florida Senior Games featured a record number of archery athletes with 135 shooting at the 34 targets lined up across the football field at Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex. Florida archers advanced to the 2017 National Senior Games and brought home a total of 29 medals.
BOWLING
Men’s and Women’s Doubles / Mixed Doubles: Saturday, December 1
Men’s and Women’s Singles: Sunday, December 2
Location: Seminole Bowl, Seminole
Anticipated Start Time: 1:00 p.m. (Saturday); 9:00 a.m. (Sunday)
Number of Participants: 162
Most Experienced Athlete: Stanley Corwin, 93, Boynton Beach. Corwin is a men’s doubles record holder in the 85-89 and 90-94 age groups
Perennial Medal Winners Registered
Three members of the Florida Senior Games Perfect Game Club will bowl at the 2018 Games. Gregory Lindsay, of Fort Myers, rolled a perfect game in 2017. Carol Teel, of The Villages, accomplished the feat in 2012, and Lawrence Draeger, of Pensacola, did so in 2011.
Barbara Gnegy, Lakeland – She returns in 2018 after missing the 2017 Games. Gnegy has won been a part of five Women’s Doubles Gold Medal teams since 2010 and a Silver Medal winning team, in the 65-69 age group. From 2000-09, she earned the Most Decorated Bowling Athlete of the Decade winning 10 medals in six years.
Carol and Gerald Teel, The Villages – Since 2011, the Teels have been winning medals and setting Florida Senior Games and National Senior Games records on an annual basis. Carol, the 2017 FSG Female Athlete of the Year, is the Women’s Singles Record Holder in the 55-59 and 60-64 age group. She holds the Women’s Doubles record with Mary Chamberlin. The pair teamed to roll the highest mixed doubles score in FSG history in 2011 with a 1495.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: Lakeland’s James Barnett rolled only the second 800 series in the history of the Florida Senior Games with a three-game total of 803 to establish a new record in the 50-54 age group in 2016. The other 800 series was rolled by Richard Merrill, of The Villages, who tallied an 825 total in 2010. Barnett, who turned 50 in just seven months earlier was competing in his first Florida Senior Games. The 800 series is considered the toughest accomplishment in tournament bowling since the bowler must average 267 or better in the three games. Barnett had scores of 279, 267 and 257.
BOWLING – Mixed Team
Mixed Team Doubles: Saturday, December 1
Men’s and Women’s Team: Sunday, December 2
Location: Seminole Bowl, Seminole
Anticipated Start Time: 9:00 a.m. (Saturday); 1:00 p.m. (Sunday)
Number of Participants: 36
Perennial Medal Winners
Pinchasers, of Plant City, are led by Marvin and Shirley Bruggeman. They have teamed with Tammy Gissenger and Tommy Wells to win the Mixed Team Gold Medal in the 50-59 age group each of the last three years.
DOMINOES
Location: St. Lucie Cricket and Sports Association Port St. Lucie
Anticipated Start Time: 11:30 a.m.
Number of Participants:
This is the first year of Dominoes in the Florida Senior Games. No Perennial Medal Winners
RACQUETBALL
Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2
Location: Richey Racquet, Port Richey
Anticipated Start Time: 8:00 a.m.
Number of Participants: 75
Most Experienced Athlete: William Burg, 89, Atlantic Beach
Perennial Medal Winners
Ken Drew, of Winter Haven, has been winning gold medals in the Florida Senior Games since 2002, when the Games were in his backyard of Lakeland. Drew won singles gold medals in 2002 and 2003 in the 50-54 age group, in 2006 and 2007 in the 55-59 age group. He is competing in the 65-69 age group this year. Drew has also won Men’s Doubles gold medals from 2007 to 2015.
Lucy Ramsey, of Naples, has won Women’s Singles Gold Medals for the last nine years, dating back to the 2008 Games. She began winning medals in the 55-59 age group and is playing in her final year in the 65-69 age group this year. She and Claudette Braswell, of Lake Wales, are the most consistent Racquetball Gold Medal winners.
Larry Ardito, of Bonita Springs, has won six Men’s Singles gold medals since 2009 and four golds in the last five years in the 65-69 age group. He has won three Men’s Doubles gold medals and has teamed with Lucy Ramsay to win four consecutive Mixed Doubles gold medals from 2014-17.
SHUFFLEBOARD
Men’s and Women’s Singles: Saturday, December 1 – Doubles: Sunday, December 2
Location: Clearwater Lawn Bowls and Shuffleboard Complex
Anticipated Start Time: 9:00 a.m.
Number of Participants: 53
Most Experienced Athlete: Paul Allaire, 97, Clearwater
Perennial Medal Winners
Henry and Linda Armstrong, of Lakeland, are the most prolific Florida Senior Games shuffleboard players in the history of the Games. In 2017, they each won their ninth singles gold medal, dating back to 2005 for Henry and 2007 for Linda. The 2017 gold medals came in the 65-69 age group for both. They have also teamed to win six doubles gold medals between 2006-17.
Stan and James Tredway, a father and son team from Lakeland, were gold medal winners in 2013 and 2014, won silver medals in 2015 and 2017 and a bronze in 2016. Stan won singles gold medals from 2014-16 in the 55-59 and 60-64 age group. 81-year old James has to play in the 60-64 age group to compete with his son, Stan, in doubles.
SWIMMING
Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2
Location: The Long Center, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 10:00 a.m. with events running in the following order:
Saturday, December 1 Sunday, December 1
100-yard Butterfly 50-yard Freestyle
200-yard Freestyle 200-yard Butterfly
50-yard Breaststroke 50-yard Backstroke
100-yard Backstroke 200-yard Individual Medley
400-yard Individual Medley 50-yard Butterfly
100-yard Breaststroke 100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Backstroke 200-yard Breaststroke
100-yard Individual Medley 500-yard Freestyle
200-yard Freestyle Relay 200-yard Medley Relay
Number of Participants: 195
Most Experienced Athlete: Shirley Chase, 93, St. Augustine
Perennial Medal Winners
George Schmidt, of Palm Beach Gardens, now swims in the 65-69 age group, but has been winning medals in every age group of the Games. He began swimming in the 50-54 age group, in 2000, and has been a medal winner in the National Senior Games every other year since 2001 He set the 50 yard breastroke record in the 50-54 age group in 2001 and to this date, no one has topped his all-time best time of 30.17 in 17 years. He set the 65-69 age group records in the 200 IM, 50 Back and 200 Back in 2016.
J Nathan Leech, of The Villages, holds seven age group records in the 55-59 through 65-69 age groups. He will competing in his ninth consecutive Florida Senior Games since 2010 this year. Over the last eight years, Leech has won 39 gold medals and 9 silver medals. In 2010, 2012 and 2014, Leech won gold medals in all six events he swam. Between 2005 and 2008, Leech won 18 gold medals, four silver medals and a bronze. In 12 years of FSG Swimming he has won 57 gold medals.
Patricia Bond, of Bradenton, will be swimming in the 80-84 age group in 2018. She was named the 1999 Female Athlete of the Year in 1999, competing in the 60-64 age group. Bond holds 14 FSG Swimming records in the 60-64 to 75-79 age groups. Her medal-winning performances are countless and she has also competed in FSG Cycling over the years.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: Florida Senior Games swimmers, age 80 and over, made their mark on the Games record book over two days in the pool. Of the 48 age group records broken at The Long Center in Clearwater, 16 were broken by swimmers in the 80-84, 85-89 and 90-94 age group.
TAI CHI
Saturday, December 1
Location: Countryside Recreation Center, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 9:00 a.m., Forms; 1:00 p.m., Push Hands
Number of Participants: 20
Most Experienced Athlete: Janet Montague, 75, Bradenton
Perennial Medal Winners
David Wong Yee, of Clearwater, has won four gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze, in the two years of Tai Chi competition in the Florida Senior Games. He won the Advanced Hand Form Gold Medal in both 2016 and 2017, while winning the Advanced Weapons Gold and Advanced Sword Gold in 2017.
Deborah Gorzycki, of Palm Harbor, has won Hand Forms gold medals in each of the last two years. Gorzycki won the Beginners Hand Form Gold in 2016 and the Advanced Hand Form Gold in 2017.
TENNIS
Men’s and Women’s Singles: December 1-2 – Men’s and Women’s Doubles: December 3-4 – Mixed Doubles: December 5-6
Location: Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, Palm Harbor
Anticipated Start Time: 8:00 a.m. daily
Number of Participants: 188
Most Experienced Athlete: Gary Greenlee, 86, Sun City Center
Perennial Medal Winners
Martha Poitevent, of East Palatka, has won six consecutive women’s singles gold medals dating back to the 2012 Games. She won the 70-74 age group championship in 2016 and 2017 and won the gold medal in the 65-69 age group all four years between 2012 and 2015. She also won a women’s doubles gold medal in 2017 in the 70-74 age group.
Jay Bortner & Barry Shollenberger, of Valrico, look to win their third consecutive men’s doubles tennis gold medal in 2018 and fourth in five years in 70-74 age group. The pair also combined to win a gold medal at the 2017 National Senior Games. Bortner has won men’s doubles medals every year since 2010, in the 70-74 and 65-69 age groups, and teamed with Shollenberger to win golds in 2010, 2014 and 2016. Both have also won Men’s Singles gold medals over the years.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: The final day of the 2015 Florida Senior Games Tennis closed with a nail-biter of a match in the 65-69 age group mixed doubles event with a come-from-behind win for a Lake Wales couple. The husband and wife team of Judi and Aubrey Whitaker scored a 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (13-11) win over Martha Poitevent, of East Palatka and John Baker, of St. Augustine, to repeat as gold medalists in the 65-69 age group. After dropping the close first set, the Whitakers stormed out to a 4-0 lead in the second set only to find themselves tied at 5-5 before taking the second set 7-5. In the third and final one game set, the Whitakers fell behind 5-0, only to rebound. They fought off several match points, down 9-7 and 10-9. With a “one point at a time,” mentality, the Whitakers overcame the early and verge of defeat deficits to win 13-11.
“We had momentum going our way and when we fell behind, I started thinking, at least we can say we were the best husband and wife team,” she said. “We just hung in there and kept playing. It was some good tennis.”
TABLE TENNIS
50-69 age groups: Monday, December 3 – 70+ and up age groups: Tuesday, December 4
Location: The Long Center, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 8:00 a.m. on both days
Number of Participants: 134
Most Experienced Athlete: Don Henderson, 90, Brecksville, Ohio
Perennial Medal Winners
Ricardo Abril and Patricia Benitiz, of Orlando, have been one of the most dynamic teams in the FSG since they began playing in 2011. Combined they have won over 20 medals in seven years in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. They won the 50-54 age group mixed doubles gold every year between 2011-14 and the 55-59 age group in 2016.
John Shultz, Inverness, has won table tennis medals for 25 consecutive years, the longest consecutive years medal winning streak among all athletes. In 2017, Shultz won the 80-84 age group men’s singles and teamed with Deane Chickering, of The Villages for the men’s doubles gold. He also won mixed doubles silver medal. Shultz’s streak began when he won a men’s singles gold medal in 1993 in the 55-59 age group
Jan Cline, of Sun City Center, also has a streak of winning Florida Senior Games medals for over 20 years winning medals every year since 1994. She has won five consecutive women’s singles gold medals in the 75-79 and 80-84 age groups and has teamed with Audrey Columbia, also of Sun City Center, to win six consecutive women’s doubles gold medals in the same age groups.
GOLF
18-Hole Competition: Tuesday, December 4 – 36-Hole Competition, Tuesday, December 4 and Wednesday, December 5
Location: Countryside Country Club, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: Tee Times beginning at 8:00 a.m. on both days
Number of Participants: 177
Most Experienced Athlete: Charles Miller, 94, Sebring. Miller turns 95 on January 1, 2019.
Perennial Medal Winners
Broward Sapp, of Crawfordville, has won medals in each of the last four Florida Senior Games, two golds and two silvers. He won the 36-hole gold in 2016 and a silver in 2017 in the 60-64 age group. He won the 55-59 age group gold medal at the 2015 National Senior Games.
Janet Brown, of Lakeland, earned the 2015 FSG Female Athlete of the Year and has won a gold medal in 15 of the last 16 years, winning a silver medal in the 2014 Games. Brown shot the overall lowest women’s score of the Florida Senior Games, a 72 in 2004. She won a National Senior Games gold medal in 2005.
Nick Kent, of The Villages, holds the 36-hole age group record in the 70-74 age group, shooting a 147 (75+72) in 2015. He was a four-time National Senior Games silver medalist between 2009 and 2015 and won the gold medal in 2007. He won his first gold medal at the 2006 Games in the 60-64 age group.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: William Jones, of The Villages, recorded the lowest score of two days of 2016 Florida Senior Games Golf, with a 73, nine strokes younger than his age. The next lowest score was a pair of 77’s shot by Jack Allen, of Seminole, to win the 65-69 age group and Richard Burke, of Bonita Springs, to win the 70-74 gold medal. Jones claims his goal every time he steps on the golf course is to break his age. “I’m at an age now where the number is high and if I play half decent, I can do it,” he said. “At the moment, I’m at the sweet spot.”
CYCLING
5K & 10K Time Trials: Thursday, December 6 – 20K & 40K Road Races: Saturday, December 8
Locations: Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Vierde (Time Trials); Crest Lake Park, Clearwater (Road Races)
Anticipated Start Time: 10:00 a.m. (Time Trials); 7:30 a.m. (Road Races)
Number of Participants: 140
Most Experienced Athlete: Rennie Ballagh, 91, Punta Gorda
Perennial Medal Winners
Judith Shepard, of Odessa, is the 10K Time Trials record holder in the 60-64 (set in 2012) and 65-69 age groups set in 2016). Following her record-setting performance in 2016 to qualify for the 2017 National Senior Games, she won 5K and 10K NSG Gold Medals in Birmingham, Alabama.
Luigi Fabbri, of Hallandale Beach, began winning medals in 1995 with bronze medals in the 5K and 10K Time Trials in the 60-64 age group. His most recent gold medal performance came in the 2016 Games in the 80-84 age group.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: Clearwater’s Shawn Mello rode the 5K and 10K Time Trials races with a specially-fitted prosthetic right leg to clip into the pedal of his bike. Mello, a former Army Green Beret, lost his leg at the knee in a boating training operation in Key West in 2003. He competed in his first Florida Senior Games in 2016. Once fitted with a prosthesis, he attempted to continue to stay fit by running, but experienced discomfort to his knee. He spent time doing triathlons before being introduced to competitive cycling through a Military Adaptive Sports Program. He designed, along with his prosthetist, the prosthesis to clip into his bike pedal and finished with a time of 7:47 in the 50-54 age group 5K and 17:15 in the 10K Time Trials.
LAWN BOWLS
Thursday, 12/6 – Clearwater Lawn Bowls and Shuffleboard Complex
Location: Clearwater Lawn Bowls and Shuffleboard Club
Anticipated Start Time: 9:30 a.m.
Number of Participants: 22
Most Experienced Athlete: Arthur Allen, 85, Clearwater
Perennial Medal Winners
Arthur Allen and David Murray, of Clearwater, have been top finishers in all three years of Lawn Bowls competition in Clearwater. The duo won the gold medals in 2015 and 2016 and were upset in the 2017 Games to finish fourth. Deborah Foster and Patrick Beggs, of Bradenton won the 2017 gold medal.
PICKLEBALL
Men’s and Women’s Singles: Thursday, December 6 – Mixed Doubles: Friday, December 7 & Saturday, December 8
Men’s and Women’s Doubles: Saturday, December 8 & Sunday, December 9
Locations: Ross Norton Recreation Center & North Greenwood Recreation Complex, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 8:00 a.m. on all days
Number of Participants: 348
Most Experienced Athlete: James White, 90, Naples. White will become only the third 90-94 age group Men’s Singles Pickleball player since 2003
Perennial Medal Winners
Deb Harrison, of The Villages, is the most decorated Pickleball athlete of the Florida Senior Games, winning women’s singles and doubles and mixed doubles gold medals since 2004. She began playing in the 55-59 age group and is now winning in the 70-74 age group. She won a gold, silver and bronze medal at the 2017 National Senior Games and is also a FSG Table Tennis medal winner.
Gary Miller, of The Villages, is on a pair of three-year gold medal winning streak in a couple of the busiest brackets of the Florida Senior Games. He and his 60-64 age group men’s doubles partner, Steve Wojcik, have won for the last three years as well as with his 55-59 age group mixed doubles partner, Lydia Willis.
Sylvia Whitehouse, of Palm Coast, along with partner Erica Gonzalez, of Poinciana, have won three consecutive 50-54 women’s doubles gold medals and she has teamed with two different partners to win the 50-54 mixed doubles gold medal each of the last two years. Whitehouse and Gonzalez won gold medals at the 2017 National Senior Games.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: Dean Refakes 2017 Men’s Doubles Golf Medal, in the 70-74 age group came almost three years after suffering a heart attack on a Fort Myers Beach Pickleball court. Refakes, of St. Petersburg, “flatlined,” before being brought back to life by an automatic external defibulator (AED) that was present at the Indian Creek RV Park.
“There were four or five guys also playing that day and they jumped into action,” Refakes said. “Also across the street playing miniature golf with his family was a volunteer fireman, who literally jumped a fence to come and help. He was the one who actually shocked me. He said afterwards it was the first time he had used one of those things when it brought someone back to life.”
CELEBRATION OF ATHLETES
Thursday, December 6
Location: The Long Center, Clearwater
Start Time: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Florida Senior Games and Humana host the Celebration of Athletes, a celebration of active aging! The festivities in Clearwater feature a night of food, live music, and fun entertainment. On the agenda is a recognition and awards presentation to a group of athletes who embody what it means to age actively – physically, mentally and socially. Admission is free for all athletes and their biggest supporters
BILLIARDS
Nine Ball: Friday, December 7 – Eight Ball Singles: Saturday, December 8 – Eight Ball Doubles: Sunday, December, 9
Location: Strokers Bar and Grill, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 10:00 a.m., on all days
Number of Participants: 56
Most Experienced Athlete: Vincent Alaimo, 91, The Villages. Allaimo is also registered for Bowling.
Perennial Medal Winners
Lois Miller, of Dunedin, is aiming to win her fifth consecutive Eight Ball Gold Medal in 2018. She won the 65-69 age group from 2014-17 and has won Nine Ball Gold Medals each of the last two years.
Ronnie Cruce, of Ocala, returns for his fourth consecutive year of FSG Billiards. Since 2015, Cruce has turned in three medal-winning performances. He began with a Nine Ball Bronze Medal in 2015. He has won consecutive Eight Ball Doubles Gold Medals, with different partners in 2016 and 2017.
HORSESHOES
Friday, December 7
Location: Ed C. Wright Park, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 9:00 a.m.
Number of Participants: 26
Most Experienced Athlete: Kit Kittrell, 87, Lady Lake, who won the 85-89 age group gold medal in 2017.
Perennial Medal Winners
Claudette Braswell, of Lake Wales, earned the 2007 FSG Female Athlete of the Year and has won nine consecutive gold medals since 2008. Braswell hit 32 ringers in 60 pitches in 2017 for a 53.3 ringer percentage. She will also compete in Bag Toss and Basketball Shooting this year and is a consistent Basketball Shooting gold medal winner
Charles Buddy Short, of Ocala, won his first FSG Gold Medal in the 1999 Games in the 60-64 age group and won the 75-79 age group gold medal in 2016 and 2017. His gold medal performance in 2017 featured a 66.7 ringer percentage. Short will also compete in Shuffleboard and had a fourth place finish in the 75-79 age group in 2017.
BAG TOSS
Saturday, December 8
Location: Safety Harbor Community Center
Anticipated Start Time: 11:00 a.m.
Number of Participants: 31
Most Experienced Athlete: Wayland Barber, 83, Bellaire
Perennial Medal Winners
Jack Hoskins, of West Milton, Ohio, won a gold medal in the 2017 Games in the 75-79 age group, a silver medal in the 2016 Games and a bronze in the 2015 Games.
Mary May, of Zephyrhills, returns to the 2018 Games to defend her gold medal performance from the 2017 Games in the 75-79 age group.
BASKETBALL SHOOTING
Saturday, December 8
Location: Highland Recreation Center, Largo
Anticipated Start Time: 8:30 a.m.
Number of Participants: 42
Most Experienced Athlete: Adrian Galarza, 86, Orlando
Perennial Medal Winners
Harry Carothers, of Pinellas Park, has collected 56 FSG gold medals over the last 19 years. He has won his age group gold medal for Timed Field Goal Shooting — where athletes try to hit as many shots as possible in three one-minute periods — for 19 consecutive years. A specialist in the three point shot, he had a FSG Time Field Goal Shooting record score in 2005 of 152, representing a total of 30 made three pointers in three one-minute periods
Ronn Wyckoff, of Sarasota, won back to back Free Throw Shooting Gold Medals in 2015 and 2016, in the 70-74 age group, hitting 59 of 60 shots, including a perfect 30 for 30 in 2015. Between 2013 and 2016, he hit 95% of his Free Throws. Won a silver medal in 2014 and a bronze medal in the 2017 Games in the 75-79 age group.
Carol Walters, of The Villages, has won 13 gold medals in Free Throw, Spot and Timed Field Goal Shooting since 2013, including five consecutive Free Throw Shooting golds in the 65-69 age group. In 2014, she posted the all-time best Women’s Free Throw mark, hitting 28 of 30 shots. Since 2013, she has hit 80% of her Free Throws (120-150)
BASKETBALL 3-ON-3
Saturday, 12/8 and Sunday, 12/9
Location: Highland Recreation Center, Largo
Anticipated Start Time: 12 Noon, following Basketball Shooting
Number of Participants: 33 teams, for 3-on-3 (22 men, 11 women)
Most Experienced Athlete: John Grexa, 83, St. Augustine
Perennial Medal Winners
Broward Heat – Ronnie Lakatos, Ida Montgomery and Mattie Lenhart, are the core of the Broward Heat, a team that has been winning FSG Gold Medals since 2012 in the 50-54 and 55-59 age groups. Others have joined the team over the last six years that also won two bronze and a silver medal at the 2013, 2015 and 2017 National Senior Games
Clearwater Aces – Mike Campbell, Jim McNulty and Harry Carothers, have been a part of medal-winning teams since 1998 when playing in the 55-59 age group. The team now competes in the 70-74 age group. Since 2007, the Aces have won three silver and two bronze medals at the National Senior Games, including a silver in 2017.
POWERLIFTING
Saturday, December 8
Location: Safety Harbor Recreation Center
Anticipated Start Time: 7:30 a.m. for weigh-ins
Number of Participants: 47
Most Experienced Athlete: Bill Tinkler, 84, Melbourne
Perennial Medal Winners
Joan Miller, of Brandon, will be stepping up to the bar for her sixth consecutive FSG Powerlifting competition in 2018. She has won medals every year since 2013 and holds records in the Bench Press, Deadlift and Powerlifting categories in the 70-74 age group.
Robert Cseh, of Port St. Lucie, has won Bench Press gold medals in the 80-84 age group for the last three years and is the only consistent competitor in that age group over the last three years. His bench press of 92kg in 2015, is the top total of three 80+ powerlifters, who have competed since 2014.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: 78-year old FSG Powerlifter Bob Jardine, of Winter Haven, did not see the weights on the bar or hear the cheers of the crowd after he completed a 159 pound bench press and 209 pound deadlift at the 2017 Games. He lost his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa, is completely deaf in one ear and only has 30% hearing in the other ear, with a hearing aid. Jardine completed his lift with tap command from officials, letting him know when to start, press and rack. He also followed the same official’s command to complete a 209 pound deadlift. Bob has been without sight and hearing for nearly 20 years and has began competing in USA Powerlifting events in 2010.
RACE WALK
5K Race Walk: Saturday, December 8 – 1500M Race Walk: Sunday, December 9
Locations: Crest Lake Park, Clearwater (5K) and Clearwater High School (1500M)
Anticipated Start Time: 8:30 a.m. for 5K on Saturday; 9:15 a.m. for 1500M on Sunday
Number of Participants: 43
Most Experienced Athlete: William Gordon, 87, Punta Gorda
Perennial Medal Winners
Sandra Hults, of Leesburg, was the recipient of the first Bob Fine Award for Race Walking Excellence for her 2008 FSG performance. She won gold medals each year between 2004 and 2016, most years in both the 1500 meter and 5K events. She will compete in the 75-79 age group at the 2018 Games.
David Brohel, of Largo, was awarded the Bob Fine Award for Race Walking Excellence for his 2015 accomplishments. He has won a gold medal in either the 5K or 1500 meter Race Walk, or both, each year since 2014. His 75-79 age group gold medal winning 5K time of 35:39, in 2017, was the second best time of all race walkers.
5K POWER WALK
Saturday, December 8
Location: Crest Lake Park, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 8:30 a.m.
Number of Participants: 15
Most Experienced Athlete: Jack Mahon, 88, Trinity, is a former Race Walker who won the 2011 Bob Fine Excellence in Race Walking Award.
Perennial Medal Winners
Virginia Harshman, of Sarasota, posted the fastest Women’s 5K Power Walk time of all athletes, a gold medal winning time in the 50-54 age group of 35:37.2 in 2014. She has not competed since and returns to the Florida Senior Games in 2018.
Guillermo Aguayo, of New Port Richey, has been a medalist in all but two of the FSG Power Walk competitions since it began in 2011. He holds the 75-79 age group record, set in 2014, and will compete in the 80-84 age group in 2018. He also competes in the 1500 meter Race Walk.
5K ROAD RACE
Saturday, December 8
Location: Crest Lake Park, Clearwater
Anticipated Start Time: 8:30 a.m.
Number of Participants: 59
Most Experienced Athlete: Sandy MacLean, 84, Clayton, MO. A close second is 84-year old Maria Georgiev, of Longboat Key, who set the 80-84 age group record in 2014, with a time of 32:42.7
Perennial Medal Winners
Danuta Kubelik, of Crystal River, earned the 2014 Florida Senior Games Female Athlete of the Year Award and set the 60-64 age group 10K Road Race record, in 2012, with a time of 52:06. In her last FSG competition, in 2016, she won the gold medal in all six track and field running events of the 65-69 age group and set the 400 meter run record. She also won the 65-69 age group gold medal in the 5K Road Race.
Leonel Gutierrez, of Davenport, has been competing in Florida Senior Games Road Races since 2007 when he won a bronze medal in the 5K and won his first gold medal in 2011. In winning the 60-64 age group 5K Road Race in 2016, he was one of only five runners, with a time under 21 minutes. He also ran the 400, 800 and 1500 meter races.
TRACK AND FIELD
Field Events: Saturday, December 8 – Running Events: Sunday, December 9
Location: Clearwater High School
Anticipated Start Time: 8:00 a.m. (Saturday) and 9:45 (Sunday)
Number of Participants: 356
Most Experienced Athlete: Clem Moorman, 92, Punta Gorda
Perennial Medal Winners
Bryan Hankerson, of Hollywood, holds five records in the 50-54 and 55-59 age group Long Jump, High Jump and Triple Jump events. At the 2017 Games, he won gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200 meter dashes in the 55-59 age group and had the fastest 50 meter time of all runners with a 6.8. At the 2017 National Senior Games, he won four gold and a silver medal, setting records in the Long Jump and Triple Jump.
Jocelyn Lowther, of Cocoa Beach, burst on the FSG scene in 2004 winning four gold medals and setting the 50-54 age group record in the 100 meter dash and 800 meter run. Her last appearance in Track events was in 2013 when she won gold medals in the 50, 100, 200 and 400 meter events. She has competed in Swimming events since 2015.
Tiny Cazel, of The Villages, earned the 2003 FSG Female Athlete of the Year Award and holds 11 age group records, three running events and eight field events. Cazel is the Discus Throw record holder in the 70-74, 75-79 and 80-84 age groups. She has competed in the National Games since 2005, when she set a Discus Throw record in the 65-69 age group.
Rodney Letchworth, of Tallahassee, won a discus and shot put gold medal in 1999 in the 60-64 age group. He won a discus and shot put gold medal in 2017 in the 80-84 age group. In 19 years, he has won gold medals in five different age groups. He won a silver medal in the Discus Throw at the 2017 National Senior Games.
John Hurd, of Navarre, set the 50, 100 and 200 meter dash records in the 85-89 age group in 2016. At the 2017 Florida Senior Games, he ran his unbeaten streak to 35 consecutive Florida Senior Games and National Senior Games races, since 2003, with gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200 meter dashes in the 85-89 age group.
Peggy Peck, of The Villages, holds two High Jump records in the 55-59 and 60-64 age groups and the 55-59 Triple Jump record. At the 2017 Games, Peck won gold medals in five Field Events (Discus, Javelin, Shot Put, High Jump, Long Jump) with the top totals of all women athletes.
Memorable Clearwater Moment: Michael Fitzgerald, a sprinter from Mason City, Iowa, became the fastest man in the history of the Florida Senior Games on the final day of the 2016 Games, setting new overall best times in the 50, 100 and 200 meter dashes. The 55-year old Fitzgerald began the day running the 50 meter dash in 6.59 seconds. In the 100 meter dash, he ran the first sub-12 second time in the history of the Games with a sprint of 11.98. He ended the day with the Games first sub-25 second 200 meter dash when he crossed the finish line with a time of 24.94.
VOLLEYBALL
Men: Saturday, December 8 – Women: Sunday, December 8
Location: Morningside Recreation Center, Largo
Anticipated Start Time: 8:00 a.m. on both days
Number of Participants: 14 teams (5 Men, 9 Women)
Most Experienced Athlete: Joseph Barbiero, 78, The Villages
Perennial Medal Winners
Beaches/VB Girls, from a variety of Central Florida cities, began winning gold medals in 2014 and have emerged as a collection of 20 women’s volleyball players, divided up into teams based on their availability for tournament play. Susie Williamson, of Edgewater, and Sandy Garner, of Daytona Beach, are former college players who act as team organizers for the 50+ age group teams.
A Salute to the 16 athletes age 90 and over
Yilmaz Eryasa, 90, Riviera Beach, Track & Field
Thomas Suess, 90, Clearwater, Billiards
James E. White, 90, Naples, Pickleball
Don J. Henderson Sr., 90, Brecksvillle, Ohio, Table Tennis
Lavern Wyse, 90, Midland, Michigan, Golf
Vincent Alaimo, 91, The Villages, Billiards and Bowling
Rennie Ballagh, 91, Punta Gorda, Cycling
Hans Hellmann, 91, Sarasota, Swimming
John Mataya, 91, Ocala, Shuffleboard
Betty Lorenzi, 91, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Swimming
Clem Moorman, 92, Punta Gorda, Track & Field
Shirley Chase, 93, St. Augustine, Swimming
Stanley Corwin, 93, Boynton Beach, Bowling
Charles Miller, 94, Sebring, Golf
Virginia Salame, 94, Wildwood, Golf
Paul Allaire, 97, Clearwater, Shuffleboard