The 25th annual Montana Senior Olympic Summer Games will be held at the Summit Medical Fitness Center and other Kalispell locations on June 10-13.
The deadline for registration is May 29. If participants register before May 26, the cost of entry is $10. After May 26, it is $20. Additional fees are $4 per event.
Even with the double fee for late registration, event director Kay Newman expects many participants to register at the last minute, as is usually the case. But she encourages folks to sign up ahead of time if possible.
Participants must be 50 years or older. Categories are broken down into men and women, in age brackets of five years, such as 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74 and so on. Athletes come from Montana, elsewhere in the country and Canada. Some are in their 80s.
“We welcome anybody,” Newman said.
The games were held in Kalispell last year as well. Newman said the event makes two-year stops in different Montana cities. It has previously been held in Billings, Butte, Bozeman and Missoula. Great Falls will host the games after Kalispell for the next two years. Bozeman and Missoula have hosted the games most often at four times each.
Newman is expecting up to 350 participants, a large number for the event. She said the addition of softball this year will bring in 100 of those 350 participants. The softball tournament has a separate registration and is being organized by Flathead County Parks and Recreation. Softball registration is $300 per team.
The Montana Senior Olympic Summer Games offer a variety of events, including archery, bowling, basketball, cycling, golf, horseshoes, race-walking, racquetball, road-racing, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and softball.
Newman said the most popular sports are usually swimming, bowling, track and field and cycling. Bowling will be held at Pick’s Bowling Center outside of Bigfork. Newman is hoping for more racquetball players. Last year, racquetball had to be canceled due to lack of players.
While some equipment may be available, athletes are responsible for bringing their own equipment. If the weather is bad, some events may be canceled. And participants are asked to provide their own transportation to and from events.
Check-in is scheduled at the Summit from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 10, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 11 and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on June 12.
Though the Summit hosts multiple events and serves as headquarters for the games, events are held at a variety of locations. Golf is at Village Greens, track and field events are at Legends Field, cycling is on Farm to Market Road and archery is at Lone Pine State Park.
Among the commissioners for the different events are Flathead High School track coach Dan Hodge, Village Greens golf pro Ryan Malby and Kalispell high school swimming coach Brandon Rannebarger.
The event is a qualifier for next year’s national games, Newman said, and medal winners can move on to the 2011 Summer National Senior Games on June 16-30 in Houston. An athlete must get first, second or third place in an event to qualify.
For more information on the games and how to register, log on to www.montanaseniorolympics.org or call Newman at (406) 586-5543.