It’s win-win for older athletes in the Dallas Golden Games

When Kay Seamayer, 81, hears neighborhood kids in DeSoto outside her door, she has a good idea what they want.

“They know they can’t shoot my goal without me, so they say, ‘Can you play basketball with us?’ I teach them how to do free shots and rebounds, little things like that, ”she says.

A lifelong basketball player, Seamayer was one of 283 people from seven states who participated in the Dallas Golden Games, held in city parks and the Greenhill School in September.

The pandemic reduced the number of participants and sports to eight categories – basketball, cycling, golf, pickleball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, and athletics, says Lilean Harris, senior program division supervisor at the Dallas Park and Recreation Department.

Entrants are grouped by age in five-year increments, starting with 50 through 54. The oldest player that year was an 89-year-old shot putter.

Kay Seamayer, 81, wears American flag Converse shoes while shooting tires with younger neighbors outside their DeSoto home.(Ben Torres / special article)

The Dallas Games began in 1990, then stopped from 2008 to 2016 due to budget and staffing issues before resuming annually in 2017, Harris says.

They were called the Dallas Senior Games until they were renamed the Dallas Golden Games this year, and the competition still qualifies contestants for the National Senior Games.

Seamayer, who has won gold medals in women’s free throw and basketball around the world and double pickleball, will play basketball with a team of women aged 80 to 84 at the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in May.

“I’m looking forward to it and will help you stay mentally and physically healthy and active,” she says. “There are so many wonderful benefits to staying fit. It enables you to go on living and have a life. “

Participants range from leisurely postures to fierce competitors, Harris says.

“They know that being active is good for their quality of life, and they meet new people and have opportunities to socialize,” she says.

For example, Dallas-based Don Drummond is an international athletics star who has held seven gold medals and more than a dozen silver and bronze medals in the World Athletic Masters meetings he has attended since 2005.

Drummond, 52, started running in Atlanta high school when friends needed an extra pair of legs in a relay and has been competitive for 30 years.

Don Drummond, 52, warms up on the Greenhill School track in Addison. The Dallas resident specializes in hurdles and sprints.(Juan Figueroa / Employee Photographer)

“I fell in love with it,” he says.

Specializing in hurdles and sprints, Drummond began participating in the games at the age of 50. That year he won the 50-meter, 100-meter and 200-meter runs at the Dallas Golden Games between the ages of 50 and 54.

“For me, fitness is a lifestyle and the games are an opportunity to go out and show the effort you put into preparing,” he says. “I love the facility where they meet [at Greenhill] and camaraderie. “

Drummond also competed in the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah in October, finishing second in the 50-meter and standing long jump and third in the 100-meter run with a time of 12.64 seconds.

“It was cold with a strong headwind – that was my slowest time of the year,” he says. “I average 11.9 to 12.1” [seconds]. “

Don Drummond, 52, of Dallas holds seven gold medals and more than a dozen silver and bronze medals from World Athletic Masters meetings.(Juan Figueroa / Employee Photographer)

Incidentally, his fastest time would have won gold at the first Olympic Games in 1896, where the winning time was 12 seconds.

“I’m pretty serious,” says Drummond, describing a strict training plan. “This year I am preparing for the world meeting in Finland next summer. That’s my goal – to get this world title. It’s very, very competitive. “

Others, like Steven So, 50, discovered the thrill of the senior competition for the first time this year.

“It’s a great pleasure to meet people you’ve never met before,” says So, who between the ages of 50 and 54 made friends in table tennis singles and doubles that I knew 20 years ago. I really, really enjoyed it. “

He played table tennis when he was young and quit after the birth of his daughter, but now he wants to keep it up.

“As I get older, I want to become more confident in sports, so I spend more time playing table tennis,” he says. “It’s very safe, and if you play it well, you need to exercise and train your mind and eyes. You can play table tennis at an old age. I’ve seen people who are 70 years old and still very good. “

Seamayer, meanwhile, has a number of medals in the Texas Senior Games Hall of Fame. She is also one of the biggest fans of the event.

“I just pissed off everyone I’ve ever seen and said, ‘Are you into sports? Would you like to play in the Dallas Senior Games? ‘ The benefits are so great that I’m excited to be a part of it and to help in any way, ”she says.

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