50+ Lifestyles

Gearing Up for the 33rd Annual QC Senior Olympic Games May 18–June 1, 2024 www.qcsogo.org

By Rhonda Elsbury
Board Member

A medalist in the cycling event.

We are gearing up for the 33rd Annual QC Senior Olympic Games, and we’re excited to gather again, see friends, make new friends, award medals, and cheer each other on!  These games have something for everyone. There are athletic events, of course, but also various arts events and games that let you use your brain skills, too, like spelling and euchre! It’s long been our mission to encourage members of our community to stay active and involved and use the skills you’ve developed as you age. What you could do in your 20s can continue into your 40s, 50s, 60s and well beyond. This event lets us recognize individual and group excellence in creativity and fitness. We follow the mission and guidelines of Senior Olympic state games and even the National Senior Olympics, but we customize our local games for inclusion, variety, and fun!

Kevin Rose, medalist in the 10K cycling event, being congratulated.

Rewards?  Yes….Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are awarded to participants either in age categories or other groupings. Participants receive a games T-shirt which is included in your registration fee and are invited to opening and closing ceremonies. But medals aren’t the icing on the cake. The comradery, friendships built, and people striving to be better and stay active are the BEST rewards in this initiative.

We are on the scout for new participants and volunteers this year. We want to grow and share the fun with even MORE people. We grow by adding new participants, new volunteers, new sponsors, new friends, new planners, and new promoters of the games.

Let me summarize some of the events. Look for what interests you and how you could get involved.

Spelling Bee bronze medalist Belinda Holbrook.

There are track and field events that include running, kicking, throwing, jumping, and vaulting held at the beautiful Paul V. Olson Track at Augustana College. Volunteers are on hand to help with whatever the event manager or participants need. Family and friends are encouraged to be on site to watch and cheer. Board members, volunteers, or media professionals might be walking throughout for pictures or grabbing results to take back to Headquarters.

Other physical sport events held at various QC venues include cycling, pickleball, golf, 5K road race, bowling, table tennis and disc golf. Lower impact games include billiards,  shuffleboard, bocce ball, horseshoes, and bean bag toss.

Spelling Bee gold medalist Carol Baldry with board member
Matt Kopel.

And wait…there’s more! There are all kinds of ways to showcase your talents or hobbies in non physical competitions such as performing arts, literary arts, and craft including photography, painting, woodcarving, and cross stitch work. And let’s not forget our Euchre tournament!

We wrap up Saturday June 1 around 4 pm and enjoy a closing picnic and present awards to our new Hall of Fame recipients.

What interests you?  Who can you encourage to take part in any of these activities?  Come join us, be recognized, have fun!  Visit our website www.qcsogo.org or email us qcsogo@gmail.com. Registration is open and we can’t wait to meet you!

* Photos from past years’ QC Senior Olympics

The CASI Goldentones – Performing Arts.

The Chordbusters – Performing Arts.

The first, second and third place finishers of Men’s Solos –
Performing Arts. Left to right: David Wubbena, Joseph Johnson, and Wes Wells.

Eloise Graham (l) and Ruth Johnson (r), silver and gold medalists from Dramatic Reading – Performing Arts.

Betty Cripe, winner of the euchre tournament with Board President Paul Mullin.