Spring has come and with it are the first inaugural Half Century Senior Games from James City County Parks and Recreation.
“The Senior Games was something we wanted to provide the community [because] it was something where we didn’t see a lot of opportunity before,” said Kelley Herbert, operations manager for JCC parks and recreation. “There aren’t a lot of competitive options for that population.”
For residents ages 50 and older, Herbert said there were a lot of classes and programs that had gained traction from the department but it didn’t seem like there was much opportunity for athletic competition.
“We want to make sure that everybody is included in the recreation side of things,” she said. “We want to provide opportunities to people from birth till late in life.”
Originally, the event was intended to be a weekend-long series of activities including:
- Three-on-three basketball
- Basketball free throw
- Racquetball, doubles and singles
- Handball, doubles and singles
- Golf, four-person teams
- Bowling, four-person teams
- 5k/10k Race
However, registration for the weekend ended on March 15 and Herbert said there weren’t enough residents interested for all of the activities. Now, the Senior Games will only include racquetball on Saturday at 9 a.m. and handball on Sunday at 9 a.m.
The events were also supposed to take place at various locations throughout the weekend but now will only be at the James City County Recreation Center on Longhill Road.
Herbert said she did not have information on the exact number of residents registered.
While that’s disappointing, Herbert said, it still provides a good opportunity for Parks and Recreation to get feedback from participants for next year.
“One of the things we really want is to hear back from folks,” she said. “You never know what people might be interested in and we want to reach out to those communities.”
Herbert said when individuals registered, they were able to do so by event and by skill level from beginner and intermediate to advanced. With only two events now, participants registered for only sets of doubles and singles instead of activities with larger group teams.
But those who signed up will receive a Half Century Senior Games t-shirt and the chance to win the Senior Games medals. Herbert said there will be medals for each event.
But even though there are now only two events offered this year, Herbert said that isn’t the last of the Senior Games.
“Right now what we’re looking at is when we will be able to do another type of event similar to this,” she said. “We are reaching out to the community to learn what would be the best options to provide.”
For more information, visit the event online.
