Dear Athletes and Friends:

I'm so pleased to report that the 2014 Bay Area Senior Games are completed. Reflecting on the 2014 Bay Area Senior Games, we are delighted at the turnout, the athletes, the performances and the friendships. Admission to the Games was FREE to all spectators, families and friends. The results are posted at www.bayareaseniorgames.org (either on the left side of the home page, under results or by going to the sports page, clicking on the icon for each sport and viewing the results.) Photos of the games are posted as well, with athletes sending in more photos on a daily basis. Finally, see the Facebook page for Bay Area Senior Games for even more.

2014 BAY AREA SENIOR GAMES BY THE NUMBERS

ATHLETES: 1356, men and women over 50 – 20 Sports Total, plus the Solar Torch Relay, the Pasta Dinner Celebration and the Sports Basement Closing Reception. The first event, Badminton was Saturday, May 3 and the final event, Archery will finish Sunday, June 1. Fencing will be conducted in September.

Individual Sports - Archery, Badminton, Cycling, Feats of Strength, Fencing, Golf, Lawn Bowling, Pickleball, Racewalk, Racquetball, Road Race, Swimming, Table Tennis, Track & Field and Triathlon.

Team Sports – Basketball, Rugby, Soccer, Volleyball and Water Polo

Teams

• Soccer: 37 teams (455 players)
• Water Polo: 14 teams (153 players)
• Rugby: 2 teams (men) (40 players)
• Basketball: 12 teams (55 players)
• Volleyball: 8 teams (60 players)

Individual Sports

• Track & Field: 189
• Swimmers: 89
• Pickleball: 60
• Cyclists: 38

VOLUNTEERS: 150 great folks all wearing lime green shirts, including high school students performing community service, headed up by BASG esteemed volunteer coordinator, Bob Weder. Let's salute these extraordinary volunteers who keep the Games running!

SPORTS COMMISSIONERS: Please join me in thanking the 2014 Bay Area Senior Games Sports Commissioners – all of whom use their knowledge and love of their sport to ensure the Games provide the best competitive conditions possible!

• Archery: Karen Keating, Dawnell Scott
• Badminton: Jeff & Karen Fishback
• Basketball: Dave Newman, James Houston
• Cycling: Tom Simpson, Frank Scioscia
• Feats of Strength: Dale Harder, Bill Weinstock
• Fencing: Barbra Higgins, Rita Comes
• Golf: John Jay
• Lawn Bowling: Terry Hogan
• Race Walk: Alex Price
• Pickleball: Dick Hilder, Margaret Shindelus
• Racquetball: Merijean Kelley
• Road Race: Tom Service
• Rugby: Bob Benson
• Soccer: Mike Rohde, Laura Garrett
• Swimming; Michael Moore
• Table Tennis: Dennis Davis
• Track & Field: Leroy Milam
• Triathlon: Stanford Treeathlon
• Volleyball: Alexis Bryce
• Water Polo: Andy Burke

2014 SENIOR GAMES STAFF: Helen Mendel, Operations; Anne Warner Cribbs, CEO

SPONSORS: Humana, El Camino Hospital, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Bay Area Pain Management, Sportability, The Sports Basement, Hobee's, City of Palo Alto, Stanford Athletics and BASOC (Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee) plus several valuable but anonymous contributors. Please note that the 2014 Bay Area Senior Games could not go on without these sponsors – we appreciate all their support.

NOTABLE THIS YEAR

• CYCLING at Ft. Ord, Monterey – Thanks to our sports chair, Tom Simpson, we found a closed cycling course on the former Ft. Ord in Monterey. This year, a one-day event, featured a 5K time trial and a 20 and 40K road race. Despite unseasonal high winds, all the cyclists had a great time and look forward to 2015 where we expect to have the course for two days and look forward to making this cycling event, the premier event for senior cyclists in Northern California.
• WOMENS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT – After years of trying, and thanks to Beth Schneider, the 2014 Bay Area Senior Games featured a women's basketball tournament. Looking forward to an even bigger tournament in 2015!
• PICKLEBALL – Added this year, the Bay Area Senior Games had three great days of Pickleball. There have been many requests over the years to include Pickleball – thanks to our sports chair Dick Hilder, assisted by Margaret Shindelus and the City of Walnut Creetk, sixty Pickleball players had a great time and look forward to the future!

More about the Solar Torch Run: In 2009 for the Summer National Senior Games, we said, "The Senior Games competitors, like the torch that was specially designed for them, are trailblazers and shining examples of how ingenuity, effort, perseverance and vision create a vital new paradigm that promotes health and sustainability for people and the planet." This comment is true in 2014 as well.

Runners from this year's Solar Torch Run are listed below. There is a Solar Torch Relay photo slide show posted at www.bayareaseniorgames.org

Runners for the 2014 Solar Torch Relay

• Runner 1: Barbra Higgins '84 Olympian, Fencer, Panama
• Runner 2: Dave Palaca, Representing Humana
• Runner 3: Sylvia Lee, Badminton
• Runner 4: Paul Lee, Badminton
• Runner 5: Rob Willis, Water Polo
• Runner 6: Carol Erickson, Water Polo
• Runner 7: Phyllis Karsten, Racewalk
• Runner 8: Ruben Alba, Hobees
• Runner 9: Darla Reetz Demitrios, Track & Field
• Runner 10: Rita Comes, Fencing

As we put the finishing touches on the 2014 Games – photos, thank you notes, invoices to pay, plans for next year, results, responses to questions and comments, we want to thank you all for your dedication to your sport, to competition and friendship.

REASON: Demonstrating that "the competition never ends" and that exercise and physical activity are the keys to a long, happy and healthy life.

Mission: To promote healthy lifestyles for seniors through education, fitness and the spirited competition of sports, while inspiring everyone to embrace health and appreciate and enjoy the value of sports related exercise.

I want to share this thought with all of you. "The Senior Games are at the heart of the meaning of the Olympic Movement. Though they inspire us all, It's still true that many people watch the Olympic Games, see mostly younger athletes at the prime of their performance and say "those athletes are amazing, but that's not me..." With the Senior Games, people of all ages, even those who did not think they could swim, run or jump anymore, are inspired to a more active, healthy and fulfilling life...that's the TRUE Olympic spirit and the real meaning of the Olympic Movement, a challenge to all of us to be the best we can be."

For those of you who journey to Pasadena to compete in the 2014 State Championships in June (and qualifier for the 2015 Summer National Senior Games in Minneapolis) – we wish you the best. This year there will be a second chance to qualify for the 2015 National Games – details and registration information will be on line at www.californiaseniorgames.org and www.bayareaseniorgames.org by July 1. The Bay Area Senior Games and the Wine Country Senior Games are working together to provide this opportunity. Having two qualifying events in California will enable us to qualify many more athletes from California.

And for all, our best wishes for a happy, healthy future –

We look forward to seeing you at the Second Chance Games or any of the California Games in 2015.

Chair, California Senior Games Association
2014 Bay Area Senior Games Chair
1960 Olympian – USA