More than 275 Allegheny County and City of Pittsburgh residents ranging in age from 50 to 96 recently participated in the 2016 Senior Games, sponsored by the CitiParks Healthy Active Living Program. A total of 191 females participated, with the oldest being 91; and 86 males joined in, the oldest being 96.
Congratulations to the top medal winners Rosemarie Wilczynski from the Lawrenceville Center and Jim Boyle from the Mt. Washington Center! Rosemarie won 11 medals, including eight gold and three bronze. Jim also earned 11 medals, including six gold, four silver and one bronze.
The Senior Games sponsor 15 events over a three-week period at various sites around the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Events include archery at the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club, bowling at Princess Lanes, billiards at Breaker’s Pool Hall, and a Frisbee toss, walk-a-thon and softball throw at the Schenley Park Oval SportsPlex. CitiParks Healthy Active Living Center venues include table tennis, shuffleboard and Kooshball at the Greenfield Center; basketball and darts at the South Side Market House Center; and Wii bowling at all of the Healthy Active Living Centers.
CitiParks also partnered with Venture Outdoors, who provided the training and equipment for kayaking and bicycling events. Two new events were added to this year’s games. Miniature golf was played at the course at the Brighton Heights Center, and 3-on-3 coed basketball was played at the West Penn Recreation Center. Pickleball, the highly popular and fastest growing sport in the country, was offered as a demonstration event prior to the games and gathered more than 25 interested participants.
Twenty-four seniors earned five or more medals: Dolores Stromberg (Mt. Washington) with ten; Bob Baker (South Side), Phyllis Haduch (Mt. Washington) and Robert Yee (Penn Hills) each earning nine; Bill Carey (Greenfield), Elizabeth Chambers (Hazelwood), Dorothy Cleis (Sheraden), Christel Krausse (Morningside), and John Werthman (South Side) earned eight medals. Winning seven medals were Monna Baker (South Side) and Oscar Coffman (Sheraden). Five seniors earned six medals including Joanne Haduch (South Side), Regina McDonald (Sheraden), Mary Reith (Morningside), Charlie Seay (Homewood) and Frances Sokol (South Side). Quintuple medal winners included Gretchen Bryant (Homewood), Barbara Coffman (Sheraden), Charles Gilbert (Hazelwood), Francis Grassel (West End), Giovanna Palmieri (Greenfield), Jenny Thompson (Homewood), Patricia Toney (South Side) and George Williams (Hazelwood).
Seniors earning four medals include Rosemary Arnold (West End), Joan Eisenbarth (South Side) and Jim Weaver (Sheraden). Triple Medal winners are Albert Cross (South Side), Helen Dennis (Hazelwood), John Gallagher (Sheraden), Carol Harper (Sheraden), Mary Ann Merville (Sheraden), Mae Norris (Hazelwood), Richard Ritter (South Hills), Barbara Robinson (Hazelwood), Kay Schutz (Lawrenceville), Yvonne Smith (Sheraden) and Eileen Werthman (South Side).
John Anselm (Sheraden), Veronica Bench (Sheraden), Grace Berard (Sheraden), Rudy Bocchicchio (Lawrenceville), Betty Callio (South Side), Rita Ernharth (Sheraden), Anna Gallagher (Sheraden), Georgia Immler (Lawrenceville), Catherine Jackson (Homewood), Alma Kuczynski (Morningside), John Kushner (Sheraden), Paul Mancarella (Greenfield), Josephine Manko (South Side), Carleen Matthews (Homewood), John Mazzarini (South Hills), Sue Schindler, Jo Alice Snow-Galloway (Morningside), Xue Fan Sun (Greenfield), Ted Szoch (Brighton Heights), Mary Szulborski (Lawrenceville), He Min Yu (Greenfield) and Marlene Zemler (Lawrenceville) were all double medal winners.
Single medal winners were Richard Adamser, Marion Allen (Homewood), Dick Barton (Lawrenceville), Arthur Bartrug (Carnegie), Fannie Bates (Homewood), Richard Bisiada (South Side), Joanne and Robert Boring (Morningside), James Bruce (Lifespan Mon Valley), Joseph Bullister (South Side), Eileen Cane (Morningside), Janice Carter (Sheraden), Phyllis Cook (South Side), Camille Crosby (Elderberry Junction), Robert D’Angelo (Carnegie), Mark Deer (South Side), Laura Dicola (Elderberry Junction), Emma Dimoff (Sheraden), Stacey Dorsey (Brighton Heights), Bill Ernharth (Sheraden), Robert Galloway, Jimmy Goldman (Greenfield), Dora Jackson (South Side), Shirley Jackson (Homewood), Mimi Johnson (South Side), Joseph Knorr (South Hills), Sue Kocyan (Sheraden), Paul Kodman (Greenfield), John Kopay (Hazelwood), Eileen Krachala (South Side), Marion Lincoln (South Side), Marion Martin (Lifespan Mon Valley), Janet McConahan (South Side), Leon McCray (McKinley Park), Helen Mehler (Sheraden), Marilyn and Richard Miller (South Hills), Tim Mitruski (South Hills), Timothy Mooney (Beechview), Alberta Mosco (Lawrenceville), Helen Nelson (Lifespan Mon Valley), Irene Niziol (South Side), Anna Marie O’Brien (Lawrenceville), Miroslav Pecman (Beechview), Anean Pesante (Lifespan Mon Valley), Walt Peterson (South Side), Michael Pillar (Penn Hills), Betty Rall (Lawrenceville), John Sjoman (Elderberry Junction), Kathy Sloan (Lifespan Mon Valley), Norberta Sobuta (Greenfield), Cenythia Strothers (Hazelwood), Tom Sullivan (Greenfield), Donna Taylor (Homewood), Eleanor Vistein (West End), Glenn Whittle (Homewood), Colleen Wilson, Irene Wolstoncroft (Sheraden), Elaine Wright (Brighton Heights) and Kenneth and Marlene Zirkle (Lifespan Mon Valley).
There were 127 medal winners overall representing 10 CitiParks Healthy Active Living Centers and six other Allegheny County centers. A special medal was crafted for this year’s games to celebrate the City of Pittsburgh Bicentennial. An awards ceremony was held at Riverview Park on July 20. All games participants were invited to attend a fun-filled day of lawn games, darts, music and socialization. The menu included morning doughnuts and coffee followed by a picnic lunch of hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans. Seniors were treated to special celebratory cupcakes for dessert. Following dessert, Mayor Bill Peduto congratulated each senior as he distributed the commemorative medals to the winners.
Thanks to all of the talented senior athletes who participated in the 2016 games!
To join in the games or to learn more about the CitiParks Healthy Active Living Program, call (412) 422-6401.