Locals victorious at Senior Olympics

After starting in 1980 with just 17 senior citizens competing solely in track and field, the recent Nevada Senior Olympics in Las Vegas boasted 950 participants and 33 different sports.

Held from Sept. 26 through Oct. 10, the games, for ages 50 and up, included competitions running the whole gamut of sports. From pickleball to archery, shuffleboard to track and swimming to power lifting, seniors were out in force at venues around the valley.

Coming from all corners of the globe, including Canada, Germany, Spain and Russia, athletes of all different skill levels came to Las Vegas this year to participate in the games, which were the biggest yet, according to Vince Addamo, president of the Nevada Senior Olympics.

"We're finishing the tally up right now," Addamo said. "It's going to end up being about 950 participants. It was another new record this year. As more and more people learn about us they come on board. Plus the area's growing so much."

As the two-week event came to a close, it held its annual awards ceremony and closing social at the Desert Vista Community Center in Sun City, Summerlin on Oct. 9.

Several senior athletes were recognized, including 96-year-old Grace Hiddleson and 91-year-old James Pearce, for their achievement in swimming.

At last year's games, Pearce celebrated his 90th birthday by shattering the national record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 40.78 seconds.

One senior who participated in several events at this year's 24th games was De Ann Janne, a 67-year-old from Las Vegas who was named most versatile athlete at last year's games. Janne, a long-time participant in the competitions, has also seen them flourish.

"It's just grown and grown," Janne said. "Every year we have more and more people coming in."

This year, she participated in the shot put, javelin, discus throw and bowling, where she posted a 496 series and took the first place medal in women's competition. She and her husband Jack, 70, participated in the mixed doubles bowling competition and rolled a 1,041 together, finishing second.

De Ann Janne, who says she's in her "second childhood," redefines the role of the active senior. Besides participating in the Nevada Senior Olympics, she also participated in the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, plays volleyball in a 30-year-old-and-over league and is a member of the Las Vegas Neons, a softball team comprised of members over 60 years of age.

The chance to participate in a wide variety of sports is something that Janne -- who says she gets enough exercise without going to the health club -- cherishes and is something she and many other women in her generation never really got a chance to do.

"We weren't allowed to play sports in college," she said. "When I was growing up, there were no sports for girls. You could be on the cheerleading team, but that was about it."

Several athletes at the Nevada Senior Games, including Janne, qualified for the National Senior Games to be held in Pittsburgh next summer. Competition for the national senior games will be held from June 3-18.

"I'm really glad that I qualified," Janne said. "There are always some very good athletes at that. There are some masters athletes that go from meet to meet who are really good."

Janne's best performance at nationals was a second-place finish in badminton.

For more information on the Nevada Senior Olympics, visit their web site at www.nevadaseniorolympics.com. For additional information on the 2005 Summer National Senior Games, call the organizing committee in Pittsburgh at (412) 647-9519.


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