With the Delaware Senior Olympics’ annual games ready to kick off in August, the organization is doing its best to attract new members.
New president Paul Gatti and the all-volunteer organization have started a membership program in the hopes of getting Delaware seniors to become more active.
Gatti sat down with the Dover Post on April 27 to discuss what the Senior Olympics has to offer the state’s senior population.
Q With just a few months before the annual games, what are some of the challenges Delaware Senior Olympics is facing right now?
A We’re trying, right now, to spread the word out on the fact that we even exist. There are over a quarter of a million people in the state of Delaware who are eligible to be a part of the organization. For those that do know it, most of them know it because of the annual games. And what we want to get out is that you don’t need to be a competitive player in order to be part of the organization and get some of the benefits.
Q So what is out there for the non-competitive senior who wants to remain active?
A We’ve had Walk Delaware for close to 10 years now, and we’ve had the group challenge for the past four years. People that feel that they’re not athletic but want to do something physical, well Walk Delaware helps you do that. It’s at a level where pretty much anyone should be able to do it. And the group challenge is kind of that same thing. It’s got activities like gardening, Wii bowling and walking that you can get points for, and that goes toward an overall goal if you want to be in a team climate. There are activities that you can, as an individual, make competitive, even if you’re competing against yourself. And hopefully you just have fun and you’re better off for it health-wise.
Q Is it tough to convince seniors that they can still be active despite their age?
A I think for all of us, when we were kids, if somebody hit 30 or 40, it was a big deal to see them go out and compete in something. And if they were 50 or 60, they were like almost in the grave. And most of the time, by the time they hit 70, most people had passed away. And if you look at what they did, they didn’t do a lot. Life has changed, though. Things have been sped up to make time available. People have started saying, “You know, I have time to do something now.” Nutrition and medical advances have worked wonders to allow people to be active. And I think if you talk to most people who were in the games, you would find out they’d say, “As long as I can continue to do it, I’m not just going to walk away one day and say I hit some number, I can’t do it anymore.” It’s more of the challenge of staying with it now and becoming part of the organization.
Q When people come out to participate, are there enough like-minded individuals to keep things going?
A I wondered whether there would be “kids” to play with when I got to this age, and you find out that there’s lots of “kids” that can do lots of things at lots of levels. And you’re only as old as you think you are. And if you’re still doing all of those things, I think that in part breeds this kind of youth in you. That’s part of what this quality of life is all about and what we’re trying to get in front of people.
Q What are some of the other events offered throughout the year besides the annual games?
A There are tournaments in things like volleyball, basketball and softball most of the year. We have several events per month in our sports.
Q Explain Delaware Senior Olympics’ new membership program.
A It’s a $20 annual fee, and along with that comes some side benefits. For instance, we’ve just entered into a relationship with the University of Pennsylvania, which has a thing called Heart Cam, where non-invasively they can look at the arteries in your heart and tell you how much plaque buildup there is. It’s normally a $395 procedure, and they’re going to give us a $100 discount. All you have to have is the membership card. For a lot of people, it’s preventative maintenance. It’s consistent with trying to get in modes where people can see that it’s not just about the annual games, it’s about all the things you can do with DSO.
Q Delaware is classified as an open state for Senior Olympics. What does that mean?
A An open state means that for our games you don’t have to be a resident of Delaware, and you can compete and qualify for the national games. A basketball tournament that we just sponsored had teams from seven different states. We opened the games up several years ago because we didn’t have enough Delaware people, especially when you break up the age groups. We wanted to get more players and promote better competition, and I think we’ve gotten both of those.
For more information about Delaware Senior Olympics
CALL 736-5698
EMAIL admin@DelawareSeniorOlympics.org
VISIT www.delawareseniorolympics.com
