2 0 1 7 F L O R I D A S E N I O R G A M E S C O M M E M O R A T I V E P R O G R A M
E V E N T S
FSG spotlight on Leurene Hildenbrand
This article appeared in the March/April,
2016 edition of the Florida Department of
Elder Affairs Elder Update
Point a spotlight in the direction of
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Leurene Hildenbrand and she is
drawn to it.
With the Florida Senior Games in
Hildenbrand’s backyard, she has been
a woman on the go, making the most
of the nine-day event. This top-flight
senior games athlete, who competes in
the 80-84 age group, has won medals in
four sports and showcased her musical
talents with the Pinellas Park Civic
Orchestra as a second violinist.
In each of the four sports she
competes, she catches up with old
friends and made new ones while
enlightened them with details of her
intriguing and fascinating life.
Her schedule for the first couple of
weeks in December a couple of years
ago began on Sunday night, performing
with the local civic orchestra. During
the concert, the 55-member orchestra
and a number of singers played 10
songs featuring a variety of Christmas
songs including excerpts from Handel’s
Messiah, Santa’s Classical Christmas
and the Nutcracker Ballet.
The next morning, there she was
at the Long Center in Clearwater, by
8 a.m., where she played in singles,
women’s doubles and mixed doubles
events. As event organizers were
lamenting their long day of matches,
Leurene was still there chatting away
with anyone willing to listen.
“I can’t tell you how much enjoyment I
get from these things I do,” Hildenbrand
said of her on and off the field of play
talents. “Playing the violin is a relaxing
time for me because I enjoy it so much.
The Senior Games sports are not
stressful like hard work but they are
extremely physical.”
On Wednesday, she was at Ed Wright
Park, where she won a gold medal in
Horseshoes singles. She was one of only
five women at the picturesque horseshoes
venue that houses the Florida Horseshoes
Association Hall of Fame. If there was
a wing for most personable horseshoes
pitchers, Leurene’s photo would be
prominently displayed.
“We got along just fine,” said
Claudette Braswell, who was paired up
with Hildenbrand in horseshoes and
is just as gregarious as her counterpart
in Senior Games competitions. “I have
also played against her in table tennis
for a few years. She’s very focused on her
sports and is strong in what she believes.
She’s not afraid to share that. Leurene
is a very gracious person but is a very
serious competitor. Every year, I’m glad
to see her and glad to compete with her.”
Of the 39 registered athletes in the Bag
Toss event, on Saturday, Hildenbrand
was the “most experienced” bag tosser,
using many of the same talents used at
the horseshoes competition and one of
only three octogenarians.
On the final day of the Games,
Sunday, she was lined up on the starting
blocks at the Clearwater High School
Track running in the 50 and 100 meter
dash. It’s no surprise she is ranked
nationally and internationally by U.S.
Masters Track and Field.
While Hildenbrand’s talent for sports
was a late in life discovery, following her
retirement, her ability to play the violin
began during her college years.
Even in her younger years,
Hildenbrand was a trendsetter. Having
grown up with a father who she
describes as a “mechanical genius,” she
wanted to be a research scientist. At
the University of Akron, it was classes
in math, mechanical engineering
chemistry, physics and other sciencerelated
courses that drew her attention.
When it came time for graduation, she
was lacking in one area, introductory or
elective courses.
Believe it or not, elective classes are
part of the college curriculum and it
caused a problem since she didn’t have
any. She was called to the dean’s office,
where the two devised a plan for the
future scientist to graduate and bring
her talents into the evolving workforce
of the 1950s. She could take a music class
and discovered her talent with the violin.
Staying close to home following
graduation, she became a research
scientist with Goodyear at the
company’s Akron headquarters. She
was in charge of several projects at the
Goodyear Research Center, and of the
400 scientists on staff during that time,
Hildenbrand was definitely a minority.
“There may have been four women
on the staff,” she said. “There were no
women in my science classes in college,
either.”
With that college and professional
background in a field dominated by men,
Hildenbrand remains a very well-spoken
person. Her energy is endless as she plays
pickleball once a week and takes table
tennis lessons to increase her skills.
“Table tennis is very technical,” she
said. “It is difficult to be very good and
takes years to do it.
“I usually am one of the last to leave
the practice sessions and tournaments. I
usually help with putting away tables and
cleaning up or I’ll just stay to play against
as many people as possible. I have a lot of
energy and it works in my favor.”
It starts all over again after the turn
of the calendar year with the Good
Life Games of Pinellas County, where
she won the Gold Torch Award for four
consecutive years (2012-15). The award
is presented each year to participants, in
each age group, who compete in three
or more different events and collect the
most points based on their finish in each
event. She competed in 15 sports at the
2015 Good Life Games.
The minute Leurene Hildenbrand
shows for any Senior Games event, the
spotlight will find her.