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By Carrie Miller

Event Coordinator

Davie Sr. Services

Davie County Senior Services kicked off the  28th season of Senior Games.

Senior Services held a drive-in opening ceremony at Davie County High School where participants were able to pick up a light breakfast and their welcome bag, filled with a hand sanitizer, “on your own” scoresheets, and t-shirts. The participants parked their vehicles and tuned into their car radios to hear the program.

Kim Shuskey, aging and adult services director, opened the program on Tuesday, April 6 with a note on how excited Senior Services is to be able to offer Senior Games this year, especially since last year’s games were canceled due to the pandemic.

Senior Games this year will be in a modified form – some events are on your own and some of the events will be held in person.

Rick Cross, mayor of Bermuda Run, welcomed everyone, followed by Davie County Commissioner Benita Finney who sang the Star Spangled Banner. Mayor of Mocksville, Will Marklin, introduced three Senior Games ambassadors: Peggy Evans, Roni Barney, and Alice Barnette to speak about Senior Games and why Senior Games are important to each of them.

Evans started off with a short speech about the fun, food, and fellowship that Senior Games brings to their lives and how much fun it is to travel together to the N.C. Senior Games State Finals in Raleigh each year.

Roni Barney spoke about becoming involved in Senior Games and how much fun, fellowship, and friendship comes from each season.

“If you don’t know how to play the sport, there’s no reason not to take the time to try it,” Alice Barnette said. “Senior Games keeps everyone active, and we ought to try something new.”

Representatives from the Town of Cooleemee, Steven Corriher and Aaron Thies, read the Senior Games Creed and the Spirit of Senior Games poem, followed by Paul Moore, recreation and parks director, who lit the torch as a symbol of the beginning of the games.

The first activities following opening ceremonies were discus and shot put held at Davie High. Moore served as a mentor for the discus portion, teaching the newcomers and sharing tips on how to follow through for the best score.

The long jumps were held on the Davie High track and only had two participants, one of whom had never done it before. The newcomer jumped six feet on his first try. This serves as a reminder – why not try something new – you won’t regret it.

On Thursday, April 8, the football throw, softball throw, and spincasting events were held at a new location for Senior Games – Carolina Bible Camp on Jericho Church Road, Mocksville.

Spincasting is an event that measures precision with a fishing line and weight. The object of the game is to put the weight inside the hole in the wooden board. You receive 5 points for the weight falling in the hole, 3 points if you hit the board, and 0 points if you hit the ground. There are three boards and each board is further from the starting line than the previous. There were more than 15 participants who came and enjoyed the beautiful weather and each age group had many winners.

The football throw also features a target, but the main goal is to see how far you can throw the football and make it through the hole in the target. The softball throw’s objective is to start at the starting line and throw the ball as far as you can.

Co-coordinators of this year’s senior games, Kim Shuskey and Carrie Miller, passed out the first, second, and third medals to each age group – laughs were had and memories were made to last.

There are still many events left. Participants compete in their own sex and age categories. If interested in joining in Senior Games, the qualifications are: you must be 50 or older, fill out a registration form at Senior Services, pay the registration fee, and want to have fun.

Humana and Davie County Recreation and Parks co-sponsored Senior Games this year and other local businesses donated food items for the opening ceremony.

To learn more or join, call Kim Shuskey or Carrie Miller a call at 336-753-6230.