The Game Plan

A publication of the National Senior Games Association - January 2011

Below you'll find the full content from the newsletter, or click a link below to go straight to the story :

AnchorAnchorRegister now for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games to avoid late fees!

The registration deadline for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games is just around the corner. The registration deadline isFeb. 15. If you register after that date, you will have to pay a late fee. The late period extends from Feb. 16 – Mar. 31. The late fees are $50 for individual sports and $200 for team sports. We do not anticipate extending registration past Mar. 31.

For more information about registration, including pricing and detailed instructions about how to register, please visit the 2011 Summer National Senior Games registration information page at: http://www.nsga.com/2011-national-games/registration-info.

You can always find the most up-to-date schedule on the 2011 Summer National Senior Games competition schedule page: http://www.nsga.com/2011-national-games/competition-schedule.

And don’t forget to check out your Sport Specific information page: http://www.nsga.com/2011-national-games/sport-specific-info.

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AnchorAnchorUpdate on the Summer National Senior Games track and field venue

We have received many inquiries regarding the change of the track and field venue to Turner Stadium in Humble, Texas. This note from Sean Gomez, the Houston Local Organizing Committee Competition Director, will help clear up the reasons for the move:

“First, I want to thank all of the athletes who competed at the State Games level and who have qualified for the National event.

“Second, this venue change was made, because of a change in plans to a Metro Rail Construction Project, which would impact the field event areas. Because of this change, the track resurfacing project was cancelled at the original venue, and university officials could not guarantee that they would not be in full construction mode during our event.

“We took an extensive site visit of other venues; primarily Rice University and Humble's Turner Stadium.  Rice University Athletics and their track and field coaching staff worked extremely hard presenting their facility as a possible choice, but Rice has a limited field events area, lacks ADA compliance and other ancillary elements (i.e. parking, concessions and restrooms) that we know are important for a championship meet. 

Turner Stadium is an outstanding venue.  It has an amazing field events area (multiple High Jump, Long Jump, Pole Vault, Discus / Hammer rings). It is critical that we have two of each because of the high athlete numbers in the field events.  The multiple field event areas allow us to provide a more efficient schedule.

Turner Stadium has an adjacent four lane practice track and plenty of seating, concessions, restrooms, free parking, etc. We recommended this venue to NSGA only after an inspection by and recommendation from USA Track & Field.

Humble is a beautiful area and very close to Bush Intercontinental Airport. Anthony Travel has secured hotels that are affordable and close to the venue. Humble's Turner Stadium is going to host the 2012 AAU JO Games, the largest youth track and field meet in the United States.  The Humble ISD Athletic Department has been great to work with and is doing everything thinkable to ensure a successful event in accordance with NSGA, USA Track & Field and the Houston Local Organizing Committee.

Long Live the Challenge.

Regards,

Sean Gomez
Competition Director
info@2011seniorgames.com

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AnchorAnchorAthlete of the Month: Tamara Savage

Tamara Savage, of Boca Raton, Fla., won four cycling gold medals in the women’s 55-59 age group at the Florida State Senior Games in December. She won the 5k and 10k time trials as well as the 20k and 40k road races.

She set a new age-group record for the Games with her time of 8 minutes, 27.485 seconds in the 5k time trial. Her effort bested the previous time by nine seconds.

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AnchorAnchorStaying in Shape for Ice Hockey

By Vonda Wright, M.D.

There is a consensus out there that slowing down is an inevitable part of aging. It's not true. Lapses in athletic prowess have less to do with irreversible physical changes and more to do with settling for the myth of slowing down.

If you consistently challenge yourself with high-level modern training, disciplined nutrition and get smart about injury prevention you can continue to produce at the highest levels....in fact, you may outperform younger athletes who lack your experience, savvy and feel for your sport.

And you can excel at whatever sport you choose – even ice hockey. That’s why I helped develop the hockey training video, POWERPLAY, a sport-specific hockey training video featuring former NHL player and two-time Stanley Cup champion Peter Taglianetti. Focusing on dry land, total body cross-training, the video includes a 10-exercise hockey circult with demonstrations of the exercises performed in 45-second bursts. The exercises help build speed and agility, core stability and explosive power for hockey players of any age. 

Click here to visit Vonda's website.

Vonda Wright is an orthopaedic surgeon, author of Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age, and director of the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine.

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AnchorAnchorOff-season training advice

By Lisa Menninger

For many athletes, now is the "off season." This is a period where we want to maintain fitness yet still back off enough from our main sport to give ourselves a much needed mental and physical break. So what is the best approach?  I tell the athletes I coach that there are a few ways to determine how much and what to do.

First of all, you want to think about what you have coming up the next year.  In other words, if you have an event planned that will take some hard core training, make sure you take a big enough break at the end of this season, so that you are ready -- mentally and physically -- to start that training when the time comes. Too often we can limit our rest and get back into it all too soon, finding that we lose motivation sooner. 

So let your following year's schedule inform this year's rest schedule. And then start to work in alternative physical activity.  For example, let’s say that you are a runner who has just finished a fall marathon, you are used to running five or six days a week. You still plan on doing a winter marathon, so you want to maintain a certain level of fitness in your "downtime."

Once you have fully recovered from your marathon effort and want to get back into a schedule, replace two to three days of running with cross training. Cycling and swimming are very good alternatives. Then on the other two to three days, run -- but run with a plan. Do one shorter, easier day; one day of some fartlek or tempo work; and one run of about eight to 10 miles. This will allow your body to maintain some of your fitness. But including the cross training will help you develop other muscles and give the legs a well-needed rest. As you move closer to your training start date, you can replace one of the cross training days with a running day. But again, the goal during this time is to give mind and body a break, yet stay reasonably fit. So don't push the runs. Keep them shorter and put in the quality/harder work only on the designated day.

If you feel like taking extra days off, do so. This is the time to let how you feel really inform your exercise choices. This is the time we do it for fitness rather than for training per se. 

Keep an eye on your diet during these times. Poor food choices and reduced workout time tend to go hand in hand. We should actually be more vigilant about how we are fueling when we have cut back our activity.

This time at the end of a season is vital to the success we have in the next season. We need to honor our mind and body's desire to rest and regroup. If we handle that properly and rest enough, we will find ourselves actually excited and ready to get back to it when the time is right.

Lisa Menninger is a personal trainer for triathletes, runners, and cyclists. She has competed at an elite level in running, cycling and multisport. You can contact Lisa via her website at www.lisamenninger.com.

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AnchorAnchorAnthony Travel Info

Anthony Travel is a one-stop resource for athletes and guests for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games

Anthony Travel is the most convenient and knowledgeable resource for making your travel plans -- including hotel, air and rental car discounts --for the Summer National Senior Games in Houston. Athletes and guests who make reservations through Anthony Travel receive these benefits and more:

• Exclusive discounted rates at Official 2011 Summer National Senior Games Hotels

• New this year! A daily complimentary breakfast is available at all of the Official Hotels

To make your reservations or for more information, please visit AnthonyTravel.com (search Senior Games) or call (800) 736-6377.

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AnchorAnchorNSGA Briefs

Here’s the latest from the National Senior Games Association.

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Archery venue has been changed. Archery will now take place at Reliant Center which is still indoors and air conditioned.

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Need help finding a team/partner? Click here to visit the NSGA team/partner finder.

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Changes to cycling time trial dates

There have been scheduling changes in the 5K & 10K cycling events. Practice for both 5K and 10K is June 19. The 5K competition date is June 20, 2011. The 10K competition date is June 21, 2011. The rain date for both is still June 22. Changes were also made to the time trial course to provide additional safety. More information is available by clicking here.

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Demonstration Sports

Houstonwill conduct two demonstration sports during the 2011 Summer National Senior Games presented by Humana. Soccer 6-on-6 and Power Walking 1500M and 5K. Athletes may not participate in both Race Walk and Power Walk; therefore, they must choose one or the other sport, not both. Complete rules for these demonstration sports are available on the NSGA website under the tab “2011 National Games”. These are open sports so qualifying is not necessary. This is your chance to attend the Games and go for the gold. Power Walking is a great way to get your family and friends moving and into the spirit of the Games. Its fun and qualifying is not required. Anyone and everyone may enter. Go online at www.nsga.com to register today!

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Two new deadlines

The NSGA has announced two deadlines for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games. “Limited Event” forms for qualifying must be postmarked no later than April 15, 2011. Additionally, the deadline for partner changes is March 31, 2011. 

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Changes to softball qualifying, fees

The softball fee was reduced from $1,175 to $750. We’re expecting that an increased number of teams will make the national tournament even more competitive. ________________________________________

Check out the great venues in Houston

Below is a link to a video of the venues for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games in Houston, Texas. Many events, including badminton, basketball, horseshoes, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball will be held in the air-conditioned George R. Brown Convention Center. Bowling, racquetball and swimming will also be held in air-conditioned venues.

Click here for a video showing Houston venues

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AnchorAnchorState Senior Games Calendar: New Year, New Games

Take a look at the upcoming state senior games listed below. Arizona has the honor of holding the first state senior games this year. Now is the time to start making your plans to compete in your favorite state senior games in 2011.

 

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