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The Jackson-Steele Community Center was packed nearly to capacity Wednesday for the sixth annual Lowndes County Senior Olympics, hosted by the Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension Program.
Despite its name, the Senior Olympics isn’t limiting the fun to the elderly exclusively.
William Hodge, director of county operations for the Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension Program, said that his aim for the Senior Olympics was to make it an event that the entire community can enjoy.
“The Lowndes County Senior Olympics is a unique opportunity to bring the community and the seniors together for a day of hopes and fun, and also educational activities,” Hodge said.
The hustle and bustle of physical activity was readily apparent from the very outset of the event.
“We started with a jazzercise that is sponsored by our partners at L.V. Stabler and the senior care unit,” Hodge added.
“Then we have physical activities that include a one-mile walk, basketball, softball, horseshoes, musical chairs, and then we get into arts and crafts, dominoes and checkers.”
The event was also an educational one for the numerous seniors involved, as they were educated on the principles of fitness, nutrition and other aspects of wellness.
“Our overall mission is to provide opportunities for life-long education,” Hodge added.
Lowndes County Extension Office agent Millicent Braxton has supervised the Lowndes County Senior Olympics each year since its inception, and she said that it’s been great to see the program blossom into a large event that draws participants from neighboring counties.
“It’s been a great impact here for the senior citizens locally in Lowndes County, but we have surrounding counties getting involved also, and I think it’s a great success and has made a tremendous impact,” Braxton said.
Seniors from Wilcox, Dallas and Montgomery counties rounded out the list of participants.
Annie Perkins, a Dallas County resident, came to the Senior Olympics at the request of her daughter.
She participated in a number of activities throughout the morning, including a game of horseshoes that earned her a first-place finish. But she walked away from the Senior Olympics with much more than a blue ribbon.
“I participated in horseshoe throwing and basketball,” Perkins said.
“I really enjoyed it. I had a great time.”