In October, about 12,000 senior athletes from all over the United States and 5 foreign countries gathered at Disney world to compete in the 1999 National Senior Olympics. From what I understand there were about 200 from Alabama. One person that was absent from this year’s competition was Montgomery’s own Pat Fossum. She was the triathlon 60-64 year gold medallist from the last games. She was just getting over pneumonia and was unable to attend…we really missed her there. Glad you are feeling better Pat!

On Sunday, we spent the day at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. That was the site of the official opening ceremonies and the parade of Athletes…what a show. We all lined up by state and marched into the arena in front of about 10,000 guests and dignitaries. There were movie stars and prior Olympic champions in attendance including Al Oerter one of ESPN’s top 100 athletes of the century and other sports champions. Jack Palance, the movie star, also was featured in the program and he did some 1 armed push-ups on stage as he encouraged the athletes. The two young people who emceed the program did an outstanding job with song and recognition of athletes as the 12,000 athletes marched into the arena. The athletes from Louisiana showered the crowd with beads from Marta Gras…they were quite a hit. They would feature athletes from each state as they marched...Pat was featured as a prior gold medal winner from Alabama even though she wasn’t there. Jay Smith and I were together and I know we both got goose bumps as we marched in front of the stands. They recognized several athletes over 95 and one athlete was 101 years young! There were prior Olympic medal winners and senior Olympic medal winners who competed. I was really impressed with the athletes who had overcome cancer and other life-threatening illnesses to compete at this level. When they recognized those athletes you couldn’t help feel a sense of pride to be a part of something this big.

As the show progressed, approximately 300 performers marched around in formations with hoops and ribbons as the two talented emcees sang songs that would give you goose bumps. They released doves (luckily we weren’t in GA so they flew away safely) and lit the eternal flame…quite a show and exactly what one would expect from a Disney production.

I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time watching some of the non-cycling events and I was really impressed with the level of competition at all age levels. I went away with the felling that most of these athletes and teams could beat their kids (and maybe their kids) at these events. I watched an Alabamian win a medal in archery, several softball teams, some of the 85+ year old horseshoe pitching, the Alabama 65-69 volleyball team, and I witnessed first hand the cycling competition. My first impression was that these cyclists weren’t just your ordinary, everyday 50+ year old cyclists…well, this was a national competition. All the 65-69 year old medal winners broke 7 minutes in the 5k time trial…one scored a 6:36! Not too shabby, huh? I only know 3 people around here that can ride around Gunter Park that fast. None of them are even close to 65 and Gunter is not an out and back with a 180 degree turn in the middle.

My goal was to medal in at least one of the 4 cycling events…5k & 10k time trials or 20k & 40k road races. I spent all of September and October letting guys like Jud, Rodney, Todd, Steve, Peter, David, Jim, and Chad take me out and punish me to get me ready…thank you fellas. With their encouragement and patience I was able to get in good form before the games, but I never dreamed that I’d win both races the first day. It was just one of those times when the good Lord decided to give me the strength to have a super day. I only raced the first day in the 40k road race in the morning and the 5k time trial in the afternoon. In the road race, they started us on a hill…not good. I crashed and lost my chain at the start (I’m the one who teaches bike-handling skills…right!). It took me about a mile to catch up and get back in the race…luckily, no one got away while I was working my way back up to the front. There were several unsuccessful breaks as the race progressed, but with 4 miles to go, I sprinted away with 2 others in what would prove to be the winning break. We held of the pack and I won the sprint to the line by about 2 bike lengths over the other two riders and about 25 seconds ahead of the pack.

In the time trial, I was just riding to see how I stacked up against some of the time trial specialists. I was extremely pleased with my time of 6:29. As it turned out it was the second best overall time but it did set the National Senior Olympic record for the 50-54 age group. A time trial specialist from Florida had the best time of 6:19 but he was in the 55-59 category. Now I have a goal for next time.

I guess if I walked away from these games with anything, it was a sense of pride that I was able to participate at this level with some amazing athletes. We see our governmental leaders trying to figure out a way to reform our health care system without much success. Here are 12,000 senior athletes who are doing something about their own health and self-image…and having fun as they are doing it! It’s not all about winning medals, but simply by competing they all share a common goal of fitness and health that is contributing to an entirely new image of aging.

As a senior athlete, I hope I can be a role model to the younger crowd as these athletes are to me. They are not only highly competitive, but they are adding years to their lives and quality to their years by just participating. Plus they are showing young athletes that you can compete at a high level well into your senior years…hey, just because you are getting older, doesn’t mean that you have to act that way. They are leading a life style revolution and living life to the fullest. I’m proud to be a member of this elite group…a senior Olympian. Two gold medals even made it sweeter.