Community Corner
Seniors Show Form, 'Metal' at Senior Olympics
A closing ceremony was held Friday after four days of events.
To the melody of the Olympic theme, they paraded to the front of the room, wearing their medals. The winners of 52 medals—gold, silver and bronze—displayed their “metal” Friday at the 2011 senior Olympics closing ceremony.
Olympic events at the included games like bocce and bowling and shuffleboard and card and word games from cribbage to whist. Seniors participated in events Monday through Thursday.
The events are based on activities offered at the center; activities that can be objectively scored, Judy Tanner, center director of programs and volunteers, explained Wednesday, just before three teams faced off on the shuffleboard court outside the center.
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Some 50 seniors entered one or more events, Tanner said. Recreation Department staff scored the events. Volunteers help register entrants and record event results. One volunteer even looked up bocce rules, Tanner said.
At the shuffleboard court, six seniors picked numbers to form two-person teams and set their order of play. Patrice Higgins and Jenna Fralick from the Recreation Department prepared to score the games. Two seniors sat in the shadow of the building, like spectators or cheerleaders.
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“I’m not ready to give it up yet,” said player Vincent Simeone. He’s 90. He took silver medals in shuffleboard and pool.
“You have six years more practice than me,” player Bud Fowle quipped to Simeone.
Barbara Ridley, who took bronze the day before in horseshoe competition with Bud as her partner, said she was participating in the shuffleboard competition Wednesday because “I’m involved here and it’s fun.” She is on the council board, she said.
“More people should come," she urged.
Nancy Matthews, who bowled her way to a bronze medal Tuesday, said she came to the center Wednesday to cheer on the shuffleboard teams. She gave her medal back, she said, so it could be used again next year.
At Friday’s senior Olympic closing ceremony, Tony DeStefano wore six medals he earned, a mix of gold, silver and bronze in bocce, bowling, cribbage, horseshoes, pool and shuffleboard.
At the ceremony, center Director Joanne Collins squelched a rumor that the senior Olympics would be cancelled next year. Not true, she told the audience of medal winners and other seniors who had gathered for the ceremony, ice cream and bingo.
“They’ll go on next year,” she said.
The names of all of the gold, silver and bronze medal winners in all events follow. The events are listed in the order in which they were held.
Monday
Putting
gold – Tony Brosca
silver – Jack Kelly
Scrabble
gold – Margaret Graney
silver – Lucille Ciampa
bronze – Jane Linn
Whist
gold – Joan Sweetser and Pat Litchfield
silver – Tom Mansour and Joe Frango
bronze – Mike Langone, Rose Angelo, Bill Campbell and Rhoda Frango
Tuesday
Horseshoes
gold – Lucille Ciampa and Tony DeStefano
silver – Joan Sweetser and Tom Mansour
bronze – Barbara Ridley and Alfred (“Bud”) Fowle
Pool
gold – John Voner
silver – Vinnie Simeone
bronze – Tony DeStefano
Bowling
men
gold – Peter Huxtable
silver – Richard Tyndall
bronze – Tony DeStefano
women
gold – Cynthia Tyndall
silver – Betty Anderson
bronze – Claire Mantica, Doris Coulter and Nancy Matthews
Wednesday
Shuffleboard
gold – Joan Sweetser and Alfred (“Bud”) Fowle
silver – Barbara Ridley and Vinnie Simeone
bronze – Tony DeStefano and Charles Bevilacqua
Cribbage
gold – Joan Sweetser
silver – Tony DeStefano
bronze – Edward Scholer
Thursday
Golf (played at Woburn Country Club)
gold – John Campbell
silver – Peter Fanara
bronze – Jack Kelly and Joe Donoghue
Hand and Foot card game
gold – Claire Gregory
silver – Jean D’Entremont
bronze – Bill Campbell
Bocce
gold – Lucille Ciampa and Charlie Bevilacqua
silver – Rose Mozzetta and Tony DeStefano
bronze – Jim O’Connor and Geno Giangregorio