State Championships: 1200 Athletes and Counting!

The Opening Ceremony for the Senior Olympics was much in tune with the opening ceremonies for the regular Olympics...except everyone was over 50 years old!

There were over 1200 athletes and Cece found out quickly these were not shrinking violet athletes...they were rowdy extroverted athletes out to have a great time....AND they were competitive!

This is Janet Smith.  Cece and Janet met their first lunch in athlete's  village!  Soon, they were arguing over whether Cece was a pessimist or a realist and Cece got yelled at by a 77 year old dynamo who surged at her yelling over the lunch table....saying, "How can you be competitive if you are a realist?  You have to dream big!"

As you might be able to tell,.Janet  is a table tennis player (which Cece calls ping pong) and Janet went on to tell Cece about her strategy to beat "pony tail" because she has beaten Janet every year.  Now Janet knows that "Pony tail" has a bad eye and she will be hitting to her blind side so she can gain an advantage.  Cece exclaimed. 'OMG!  You are viciously competitive."    Janet replied. "Girl what else is there?  Meet me on Facebook after the events and I will tell  you how I did i t!"

Cece asked Janet what her secret to good health and happiness at her age was and she was told this wise advice:  "Never look back.  Just look forward to what excites you and look to your future happiness.  You can't change the past and waste energy on it."  They also talked about men and Janet exclaimed, "Make sure you see the bottom line of their checkbook before you get involved with them.  Are you coming to the dance on Saturday night?  That is where you'll meet a good man."  Unfortunately, Cece was leaving on Thursday....but maybe next year.....?

Janet invited Cece to come watch her practice with her table tennis partner after her bike  race.  She did just that!

Janet was about to serve!  Cece could not get any good pictures of table tennis because she  could not move her head fast enough to catch the action.  Cece broke a sweat just watching them run and maneuver all around the court!  Cece was exhausted.    She could not even keep her eye on the ball.  She learned that there are groups in NM that travel to play each other in tournaments. Cece told Janet, "I have a new appreciation for table tennis.It's exhausting"

This is Dorella.  She is 78.  She knew Cece's dear friend Tom Hendricks and used to ride with him on MWF mornings.She told Cece about the "Record Breaker" race that is Labor Day Weekend and that she is riding there trying to break the record for her age group.  She is in many cycling races and many swimming races too!   Cece and Dorella seemed to meet up at each meal although it was never planned that way.  Cece hopes that when she is 77 or 78 she will be in the great shape that these 2 women are in. 

 Both women were dynamos in their own ways...one playing table tennis and the other an amped up time trialist  and road racer....but they were both great examples of women who did not have Title 9 growing up and got into sports late in life. Before Title 9, PE for women was walking a few blocks for gym class.  No sports teams...it was unladylike !   They came into their own and excelled at their sport despite great odds.

There were many women and men who just astounded  Cece. She met runners, and discus and javelin throwers and many more athletes!  

 She was always the youngest and everyone asked her "Girl  why don't you just retire and have more fun?"    That always made Cece giggle!

Cece will look to the future and dream big!