Public Flame Arrival Ceremony Wednesday, May 11, 7pm at Las Olas Oceanside Park
Broward Athlete Photos, Full Games Schedule, Logo: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zz45untpdsup0pz/AAAUur5bYgt0CpGMCL9eQsura?dl=0
WHO: National Senior Games presented by Humana, the Olympics-style event that takes place every other year in a different location, began May 10 and is taking place over the next two weeks with 21 medal sports at venues across Greater Fort Lauderdale. Broward’s tourism organization, Visit Lauderdale is a major sponsor and the destination host. This is the second time the biennial event has been held in Florida. The 1999 National Games event was held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando. During the Greater Fort Lauderdale National Senior Games,11,938 registered athletes ages 50 and over are competing during the next two weeks in 21 medal sports including track & field, volleyball and beach volleyball, pickleball, swimming, cycling, basketball, bowling, table tennis, shuffleboard, cornhole and more. Beach volleyball has been added as an official National Senior Games sport for the first time this year, making its debut at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park. Over 15,000 family members and companions are expected to travel with the athletes generating 38,000 hotel room nights and bringing an economic impact boost to Broward County of nearly $30 million.
Athletes: Competitions are held in five-year age brackets from 50 to 100+ to allow athletes to compete with their peers for medals. The oldest athlete this year is 103-year-old golfer Lindsay Tise from North Carolina. The oldest Floridian is Stanley Corwin, a 97-year-old bowler from Boynton Beach. There are 1,656 Florida athletes registered from 279 Florida cities. There are 109 Broward County athletes ranging in age from 51 to 94.
WHAT: Flame Arrival Ceremony, Wed. May 11, 7 PM at Las Olas Oceanside Park
Athletes and the public are invited to gather in a fun, beach party atmosphere for the Flame Arrival Ceremony. There will be an Olympic-style Torch Run and Lighting of the Cauldron at dusk. During the party, athlete Andy “Mr. Impossible” Steinfeldt will attempt a world record for side planking.
Speakers: Anthony Cordo, Executive Vice President of Visit Lauderdale will welcome the athletes to Greater Fort Lauderdale
Jimmy Cefalo, “Voice of the Miami Dolphins” serves as Master of Ceremonies, announces a “Play-by-Play” of the Flame Arrival
WHEN / WHERE: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 7 PM to 9 PM, Las Olas Oceanside Park, Fort Lauderdale Timeline: 6:30 PM DJ; 6:45-7:03 Florida Memorial University “The ROAR” Drumline; 7:03 Welcome, presentation of colors & National Anthem; 7:07 Stacy Ritter: 7:15 attempt at World Record for Side Plank (In 2019, “Mr. Impossible” made international news when he held an abdominal plank for a mind-boggling 38 minutes. He does things like this to show people how fitness can help you through life’s challenges, at any age); 7:30 entertainment by Introdance;
8:00 PM Lighted Torch arrives by Water Taxi at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park dock – picked up by a succession of National Senior Games standouts: 1st Leg – Ronnie Lakatos and Mattie Lenhardt, founders of Broward Heat senior basketball team; 2nd Leg – Dee Pack with Alabama Senior Olympics; 3rd Leg – Brian Hankerson of Hollywood, FL, holder of National Senior Games Track and Field records for long jump, high jump and triple jump; 4th Leg – Ed Roberts, national disability rights leader; Final Leg & Lighting of the Cauldron – “Marathon Woman” Kathrine Switzer, first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon.