NATIONAL SENIOR GAMES
Florida senior
athletes win 450 medals
at the 2019 National
Senior Games
Florida’s senior athletes made themselves known at the 2019
National Senior Games in Albuquerque, N.M., June 15-24, winning
a total of 450 medals, the third highest total of all 50 states.
The distance between Florida and New Mexico did not deter
Florida athletes, as 687 made the trip west for competition in 20
sports.
Florida swimmers climbed onto the medal stand 90 times at the
West Mesa Aquatic Center, winning 29 gold medals, 28 silver and
33 bronze.
A pair of former Florida Senior Games Athletes of the Year
combined for 11 medal-winning performances. Patrice Hirr, the
2009 Female Athlete of the Year, from The Villages, won six gold
medals in six events and Rudy Vazmina, the 2015 Male Athlete of
the Year, from Sarasota, won five medals (4 gold, 1 silver).
Included among Hirr’s medal winning performances in the 70-74
age group was a National Senior Games record time in her age
group in the 50 Yard Butterfly with a time of 37.60. Her time also
established a new all-time best for the event in the 70-74 age
group.
With Vazmina’s five medals, in the 65-69 age group, at the 2019
Games, he has now won a total of 20 National Senior Games
medals (13 gold, four silver, three bronze), since 2013.
22 2019 FLORIDA SENIOR GAMES REGISTRATION BOOK
Another highlight of swimming competition saw two of Florida’s
90+ athletes in the water. Shirley Chase and William Mitchell,
both of St. Augustine, combined to win seven medals with Chase
winning a gold and three bronze and Mitchell won a gold and
two bronze.
In winning her gold medal, Chase was the most experienced of
all swimmers, at 94-years old, in the 500-Yard Freestyle, an event
requiring swimmers to complete 20 laps in the 25-yard pool.
After shooting an 87 in the first of three rounds, William Jones
Jr. from The Villages, climbed up from fifth place to win the Golf
gold medal in the 80-84 age group. Jones found himself seven
strokes behind the leader after day one, but had the overall low
score for the second and third days (78 and 81),
“It was just tough going there,” Jones said of playing at the Sandia
Golf Course. “Those greens were like nothing we ever play here in
Florida. They were super slick. The first day, I couldn’t get a handle
on it. I couldn’t get my brain to hit the ball that easy and my putts
would go past the hole. I had seven three-putts the first day and
RIGHT: Rudy Vazmina (left in photo with
Allen Cope) won five medals to bring his
National Senior Games total to 20 since
2013. BELOW: Garth Jordan (left) and
Winston Dowridge (right) won a Men’s
Doubles Table Tennis Gold Medal.