Local qualifiers scheduled for Florida Senior Games
By LINDA CHION KENNEY
The Tampa Bay Active Life Games are back on the calendar for the fall, with registration open now through Sept. 24 for Olympic-style events in a broad range of categories.
Formerly known as the Tampa Bay Senior Games, this year’s contest is set to run Oct. 4 -12 at various Tampa Bay locations, including Summerfield Crossings Golf Club in Riverview and Sun City Tennis.
Hosted by Hillsborough County, in partnership with the cities of Tampa and Temple Terrace and Friends of the County Parks and Recreation, the games are a regional qualifier for the Florida Senior Games, scheduled for Dec. 4-12 in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. Those who qualify at the Florida Senior Games are eligible to advance to the National Senior Games, scheduled for May 10-23 in Fort Lauderdale.
The focus of the games is not on winning but on encouraging and promoting healthy lifestyles for Florida seniors. The games allow athletes age 50 and older to compete at the local, state and national level through an event billed as an “affordable and quality multi-sport festival.”
Count among them Quinzola Jefferson, who at age 69 secured her place as a two-time senior games gold medalist in track.
“They say this is supposed to be our golden years,” Jefferson said, in a YouTube video promoting the games. “You know, people look at things and say, ‘I can’t do that.’ But I don’t look at it like that. I say, ‘I’ll try; you got this girl; go ahead.’ And when you start, I don’t know about anybody else, but I feel good inside. I feel like I can keep going.”
Qualifiers for the Florida Senior Games are sanctioned by the Florida Sports Foundation. Athletes can participate in qualifiers close to home or travel to qualifiers in other parts of the state.
The Tampa Bay Senior Games qualifiers include contests Oct. 4-9 at Carrollwood Village Park (talent showcase and 1-mile walk/run), Barksdale Active Adult Center in Tampa (shuffleboard and horseshoes), Lightfoot Senior Recreation Center in Temple Terrace (Bunco and dominoes), Pinchasers in Tampa (bowling), All People’s Life Center in Tampa (bag toss and pickleball) and Northdale Recreation Center (table tennis).
Qualifying locations Oct. 2-12 include track and field events at Gaither High School in Tampa and billiards and darts at Peabody’s Billiards & Games in New Tampa. The closing luncheon for the Tampa Bay Active Life Games is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12, at Carrollwood Village Park.
To qualify for the Florida Senior Games, athletes at local games typically need to finish in the top five for their age group and gender. Brackets are determined by the participant’s age as of Dec. 31.
For more schedule details and information about participation, visit the Hillsborough County website at www.HCFLGov.net and search for “Tampa Bay Active Life Games.” Visit also www.floridaseniorgames.com/.
