Golden Generation

Local Seniors Can Extend Athletic Competitive Primes In California Senior Games

By Zach Cavanagh

The weather and abundance of facilities in South Orange County encourage local seniors to stay active, and for those who have continued to extend their athletic primes, there are even more opportunities available to continue their competitive athletic careers.

Each year, senior athletes of all ages and abilities gather to compete in various Senior Games with local editions held throughout the state and across the country. While qualifying for this year’s Summer National Senior Games in Pittsburgh is closed, there are still plenty of California Senior Games sites where older athletes can compete.

The Capo Classics, a senior men’s basketball group out of San Juan Capistrano, has competed in these games and taken home state and national championships at various age levels in the past. Some of those Capo Classics athletes have gone on to represent Team USA in international competitions and won world championships.

For the senior games, there are numerous age categories in five-year increments from 50 years old to over 100 years old for athletes to compete—and to eventually qualify for the National Senior Games, which will next be held in 2025. There are individual sports like track and field events, golf, disc golf, tennis, race walking, power walking, archery and even billiards and bowling. Additionally, there are events for cycling, powerlifting and swimming. Seniors can also group together for team events including basketball, beach and indoor volleyball, soccer and softball. Paddleball and pickleball are, of course, also offered for top competition.

While there are no Orange County senior games, local athletes can still make their way to other local events.

Next up in Southern California are the Pasadena Senior Games, hosted by the Pasadena Senior Center at various venues across the San Gabriel Valley from May 20 through

July 23. For more information or to register, check out pasadenaseniorcenter.org/activities-events/senior-games.

Later in the summer with some event locations closer to South Orange County, the San Diego Senior Games will be held from Aug. 25 through Sept. 24. Registration for the events opens in May at sdseniorgames.org. Pickleball will be the closest-held event in Oceanside.

San Diego and Pasadena will be co-hosts of the 2024 California Senior Games State Championships.

The Inland Empire Senior Games close out the Southern California slate of contests from Sept. 22 through Oct. 6 and are hosted by the City of San Bernardino and the Fontana Community Senior Center.

Instead of a broad goal of general fitness, which is still encouraged for all seniors, local athletes can aim for gold and shine on well into their twilight years.

By C. Jayden Smith

or older adults in South Orange County looking to stay active, Age Well Senior Services and local community centers have combined to provide a bevy of mentally and physically captivating activities.

The Dana Point Senior Center, Dorothy Visser Senior Center in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano Senior Center all serve as hotbeds for fellowship through nutrition, exercise, and programs that assist with learning about technology and other personal affairs.

Beth Apodaca, executive director of the Dorothy Visser Senior Center’s operations, and San Juan Capistrano’s Community Services Manager Heidi Ivanoff both spoke with Picket Fence Media about everyday life at their cities’ respective centers.

Apodaca, whose center functions independently of the City of San Clemente, says that while there are positives associated with not having city involvement, the negatives include having to fundraise to achieve its main objective.

“We want to keep seniors in their homes as long as we can, so we’d like them to come down to the center and socialize, get out (of the house),” she says. “We offer a ton of activities that appeal to different ages. Then, when the time comes, and they are no longer able to come down here, we provide the Meals on Wheels program … we will take the meals to them.”

Ivanoff says that Age Well handles the congregate meal program, where older adults gather at the San Juan Capistrano center for lunch from Monday to Friday.

Older adults who come to the Dorothy Visser facility have access to a gym and exercise classes such as chair yoga and strength and flexibility programs.

Wednesday night bingo events are a big hit, according to Apodaca, who notes that the game’s use of numbers helps to keep the participants’ minds stimulated.

Additionally, they can participate in tech support classes for using iPhones or computers, a food pantry, and a recently initiated transition support group for focusing on events such as retirement or losing a loved one.

“It’s a great class to help seniors branch over to dealing with the changes that happen when you get over 60 or 70 years old,” says Apodaca.

Over in San Juan Capistrano, Ivanoff spoke about classes for learning English as a Second Language (ESL), a United Way-sponsored tax preparation service, an open gym for basketball, and hosting programs from Saddleback College’s Emeritus Institute.

Programs have included art classes, tai chi, and yoga.

The exercise classes are what the San Juan Capistrano community especially “gravitates” to, according to Ivanoff. With options for people looking to attain various goals, the classes can reach as many as 60 attendees.

The Dorothy Visser Senior Center hosts game events for playing bridge or Mexican Train Dominoes, and brings in experts on teaching conversational Spanish, answering Medicare questions, drafting wills and trusts and more.

As the staff welcomes anyone over 50 years old to the facility, Apodaca says they are always trying to change up the routine and find new things to do.

“We have seniors that are extremely active in their 60s, or we have seniors that are in their 80s and 90s that are using a walker or a cane,” she says. “So, we appeal to all levels of seniors to make sure everyone gets out and gets an opportunity to come out.”

Ivanoff adds that the community partners in San Juan Capistrano are part of the center’s efforts to have accessible programming for all participants, a practice other centers also try to follow.

“All of the programs and the services that we offer from the center are generally free,” says Ivanoff. “We pride ourselves on that, that everything is no cost to our seniors, and many of the programs and services are offered and run by volunteers.”