LAKELAND — You might not associate powerlifting or a 5K road race with the nonagenarian set, but nearly 40 competitors aged 90 and older are preparing to prove otherwise.
Registration opened Friday for the annual Polk Senior Games, an event that has become a staple of local recreation since 1991. This year, the games are bolstered by a new partnership with Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital, aimed at getting residents over the age of 50 off the sidelines and into the competition.
While the schedule includes physically demanding sports like running, swimming, and trap shooting, organizers emphasize that you don’t need to be an Olympian to participate.
“Seniors can compete in more than three dozen events –– everything from archery to pickleball to walking,” said Carlos Carrasco, President of Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital. “For the more subtle athletes, games like bridge, chess, cribbage, and euchre are also on the schedule.”
The sheer variety of events—ranging from “Senior Smarts” and Sudoku to basketball shooting and punt, pass, and kick—reflects the organization’s growth over the last three decades.
When the games launched in November 1992, 777 seniors showed up to compete in 15 sports. Today, the operation requires more than 600 volunteers to manage a massive roster of events that run from February 28 through March 14.
According to Duane Hopkins, president of the board of directors for the Games, the demographic has shifted significantly since the early days. Originally open to those 55 and up, the minimum age was lowered to 50 in 1997. Conversely, the upper age limit continues to rise along with the participants.
“Now, more than 600 volunteers help the event run smoothly, with about 40 people 90-years-old and up among the competitors in events,” Hopkins noted.
Residents looking to join the mix have a few weeks to sign up. Registration begins January 2 and runs through Friday, February 6. Paper applications must be received by 5 p.m. that day, while online registration remains open until 11:59 p.m.
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