Following a one-year hiatus due to the coronavirus, the Senior Olympics is returning to the Clinton County landscape this month with a limited amount of events compared to the past.
“Senior Olympics is coming back,” said Genda Funeral Home Director and Event Coordinator Mark Genda. “We’re looking forward to it. This will be our 20th Senior Olympics. But, we are going to have a little different version.”
This year’s event will be held May 24-28 at three locations: the Wesley Manor Tear Drop, TPA Park and Dorner Park.
Genda said this year’s events will all be held outside, the event will shrink from the month of May to just the last week in May and they will have just five events instead of the 20-plus events they had in 2019.
“We did two preliminary things,” said Genda. “We made some phone calls to people who participated in the past to see where they were at, to see if they were comfortable. After we made the phone calls, we then initiated the plan to do this week of outdoor activities for Senior Olympics.”
The schedule is as follows:
Monday, May 24 — Bocce Ball at Wesley Manor Tear Drop.
Tuesday, May 25 — Corn Toss at Wesley Manor Tear Drop.
Wednesday, May 26 — Croquet at Wesley Manor Tear Drop.
Thursday, May 27 — Shuffle Board at TPA Park
Friday, May 28 — Horseshoes at Dorner Park.
All events begin at 1 p.m. on those dates and if there are weather issues, events will not be rescheduled.
The registration deadline is Friday, May 7. Registration forms can be returned to Genda Funeral Home (608 N. Main St.), Wesley Manor Front Desk (1555 N. Main St.) or Paul Phillippe Resource Center (401 W. Walnut).
Genda was asked if there was a possibility of having some of the indoor events later this year.
“Lets see what this year holds,” said Genda. “I think we’re all optimistic. I hope we are about how things are progressing. At least having the camaraderie of getting together. That’s been the main reason for having the Senior Olympics — getting together and networking with still a little bit of that competitive edge.”