By LOIS KINDLE
Registration for the 43rd Annual Tampa Bay Active Life Games is underway now through Sept. 20, and any adult aged 50 or older is invited to compete.
Hosted by Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa and organized by Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation, the games are a celebration of health, physical/mental fitness and camaraderie, said Mikah Collins, parks & recreation department’s community relations coordinator. They will take place Sept. 30 to Oct. 11.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION PHOTOS
Track & field events are second most popular at the annual Active Life Games in Hillsborough County. The 2024 games will also include billiards, darts, men’s, women’s and mixed pickleball; bag toss, basketball shooting and bowling; shuffleboard, horseshoes and table tennis; lawn bowling, golf and tennis.
The games serve as a regional qualifier for the Florida Senior Games, he said, so the top five finishers in each sport go on to compete in this year’s Florida Senior Games, Dec. 2 to 15 in Pasco County.
Entrants in the Tampa Bay Active Life Games compete in the following age brackets: 50 to 64, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69 and so forth. Collins said the oldest participant has been a 92-year-old man, who entered with his son and competed in horseshoes and bag toss (a k a cornhole).
The Active Life Games, formerly called the Senior Games, began in the 1980s. The two-week, Olympics-style event offers competitors of all skill and fitness levels a variety of contests. These take place at a variety of locations throughout Hillsborough County. Tennis and mixed lawn bowling, for example, will be held in Sun City Center this year.
The 2024 games include billiards, darts, track & field; men’s, women’s and mixed pickleball; bag toss, basketball shooting and bowling; shuffleboard, horseshoes and table tennis; lawn bowling, golf and tennis.
The most popular contests are pickleball, followed by track & field.
The Tampa Bay Active Games include an opening ceremony and talent show at 10:30 a.m., Sept. 30, at the David Barksdale Senior Citizen Center, 1801 N. Lincoln Ave., Tampa. Check-in is at 9:30. The talent show gives folks participating in the games the opportunity to do something they simply enjoy doing, Collins said, citing as examples performances by an ex-Buccaneers cheerleading team and a guy who does stand-up comedy. There’s no charge to participate in the show.
The closing ceremony is set to take place at 11 a.m., Oct. 11, at the University Area Community Complex, 14013 N. 22nd St., Tampa.
Participation in the Tampa Bay Active Games attracted 524 competitors in 2023.
“We’re expecting around 600 this year,” Collins said.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION PHOTOS
Competitors of all skill levels, ages 50 and older, are invited to compete in the 43rd Annual Active Life Games, Sept. 30 to Oct. 11, at locations throughout Hillsborough County. To register, visit www.hcfl.gov/activelife/.
Registration continues through Sept. 20. The cost is $25 for one event or $30 for unlimited events. There’s an additional $30 charge for those participating in the golf competition, which includes a cart. All registered participants receive a T-shirt and goodie bag.
All fees go to the Friends of County Parks. Members of the group voluntarily handle registration, purchase any needed equipment and arrange facility rental.
“The games would not be possible without them,” Collins said, noting the annual event is not budgeted by Hillsborough County.
To register for the Tampa Bay Active Life Games, see a complete schedule of games or obtain sponsorship information, visit www.hcfl.gov/activelife/. For more information, email recreation_admin@hcfl.gov/.