Palm Beach County Athletes to Compete at 2019 National Senior Games
Boca Raton, FL – Nearly 700 Florida Senior Athletes, including 14 from Palm Beach County, will compete in the 2019 National Senior Games, to be held in Albuquerque, N.M., June 14-25. The 2019 Games has broken a record with the most registered athletes in the organization’s history.
With all 50 states represented, a total of 13,712 athletes will participate in the 2019 National Senior Games, which is 30% higher than the games in 2017 and 14% higher than the previous 12,000-person games in Louisville, Ky. in 2007.
According to the National Senior Games registration database, 687 of the 13,712 athletes competing will represent the State of Florida. This representation is the fourth-highest participation rate among the 50 U.S. States. These athletes qualified at the 2018 Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana, held in Clearwater and Pinellas County in December 2018.
“The athletes traveling to the National Senior Games from Florida shows their dedication to having a better quality of life as they age,” said Marvin E. Green, Jr., Vice President of Amateur Sports & Events with the Florida Sports Foundation. “Whether they are going to compete against the top athletes from around the country in their age group, or if they are going for an extended vacation to New Mexico and make new friends from other states, we are extremely proud of their efforts.”
Florida athletes have once again placed the Sunshine State among the Top 5 of individual state participation at the 2019 National Senior Games. Since 2001, over 4,000 Florida athletes have competed in the biennial National Senior Games.
Among the Palm Beach County athletes competing at the 2019 National Senior Games is the 2016 Florida Senior Games Female Athlete of the Year, Kathy Petrillo, a cyclist from Jupiter. Petrillo set the National Senior Games 10K Time Trials record in the 50-54 age group in 2013 and is the Florida Senior Games 5K and 10K Time Trials record holder in both the 50-54 and 55-59 age groups.
Don Sperber, of Palm Beach, is an eight-time gold medal winning men’s singles racquetball player with golds in three different age groups. He won Men’s Singles silver medals in the 70-74 age group at the 2013 and 2011 National Senior Games and a men’s doubles bronze medal in 2011. Sperber will play in the Men’s Singles 75-79 age group in Albuquerque and team with Bruce Hollander in the 75-79 age group Men’s Doubles event
For more information about the 2019 National Senior Games, including a full schedule of events, visit www.nsga.com. Visitwww.floridaseniorgames.com for information about the remaining 2019 Florida Senior Games local qualifying events and the 2019 Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana, to be held December 7-15 in Broward County.
Below is a listing of the 14 Palm Beach County Athletes at the 2019 National Senior Games:
Cycling
+ Kathy Petrillo, Jupiter
+ Tamara Savage, Delray Beach
Pickleball
+ Pam Garcia, Boynton Beach
Power Walk
+ Janet Ratty, Wellington
Racquetball
+ Tony Guerriero, Boynton Beach
+ Donald Sperber, Palm Beach
Softball
+ Holly Starks, Jupiter
Swimming
+ Roger Parsons, Jupiter
+ Jerry Marchbanks, Tequesta
+ Eliot Winokur, Delray Beach
+ Carolynn Foley, Lake Worth
+ Barbara Haldeman, West Palm Beach
Tennis
+ Rebecca Albert, Tequesta
Track & Field
+ Dave Duden, Jupiter
