Georgia Golden Olympics
If you are over 50 and enjoy any sort of sport or activity that gets you moving then you may want to check out the Golden Olympics. Most states have their own version and the winners at the State Level in most cases qualify to go on and compete in the Nationals. The Nationals coming up in 2013 will be held in Cleveland, Ohio.
There are numerous events included in the Georgia Golden Olympics but as you might expect my own favorite is cycling. There are 4 events in cycling I participate in 3 of them. The 4 events are the 40 K Road Race, 5 K Time Trial, 20 K Road Race and 10 K Time Trial. The cycling events for the Georgia Golden Olympics are held on the roads around Grovania. Grovania is a small town in Georgia about 5 or 6 miles South of Perry and near Hawkinsville.
Ruth, our 2 handicapped sons and I usually stay in a Motel in Perry right off I-75. We stay in Motels maybe 2 or 3 times a year at most, this is sort of a treat for Ruth and the boys. We try to make the 2 days like a mini vacation. We will take I-75 North to Warner-Robbins and check out the Air Museum. Most of it is free but you can give a donation if you like and there are parts where you have to pay. The people at the Air Museum are always helpful. The boys seem to really like that. We can also head down to Andersonville, Georgia which I believe was both a Confederate and a Union POW camp during the Civil War.
I will race the 5 K Time Trial on Wednesday about 2 PM, then we will head for the Motel. I am guessing I will probably need a little rest before doing much. I will be working Tuesday night from 8PM until 6:30 Wednesday morning, then I have to drive back to Moultrie, pick up the family and head to Grovania. It should only take a couple of hours to get there but if I get home at 7:30 and head right back out we will get to Grovania about 9:30 or 10:00 AM. I will not have slept since 5 PM on Tuesday. Maybe I can get a couple hours of sleep before the race that would be wonderful. I don’t really expect to do that well this year as I have had virtually no time to actually do any real hard training. I have a cot as well as portable Hammock that I could take with me in the race trailer, so I would have a place to sleep. We have a tent with walls so I would not be bothered by the bugs or the sun.
Wednesday is just the Time Trial for me most of the other racers will have raced a 40 K Road Race earlier that same day. I tried that a few years back but realized I could not keep the speed up that long and was wasted after the race. With the new schedule me working nights the 40 K is not even a possibility.
Thursday the 20 K Road Race starts at 10 AM and takes about an hour for all the riders to get in. 20 K is about 12.4 Miles, I think when I checked the route it was 13 miles, so actually slightly over 20 K. No problem since it is the same distance for every racer. I will have to check the actual schedule but I believe the 10 K Time Trial is at 1PM and then it will be time for lunch and awards. The top 3 finishers qualify for the Nationals Automatically so if you get a Medal you can go to Ohio and compete. If you don’t get a medal you still may have a chance to go to Ohio to compete. I have raced in 2 qualifiers so far and have qualified to race in the Nationals both times. Unfortunately for me though is that the Nationals are often in places that are far from Georgia. The first time I qualified the Nationals were to be held at Stanford University in California, the second time I qualified the Nationals were being held in Houston, Texas. The nationals are held in a different city every other year. The race we will be doing on September 19th and 20th will be the qualifier to go to Cleveland, Ohio in 2013. Ruth’s sister still lives in Ohio. Sara lives in the town of Minster, so Ruth is looking forward to visiting Sara while I go race. I will likely just stay in the trailer or a tent in a nearby campground in Cleveland until the races are over if I do qualify.
The Georgia Golden Olympics is a lot of fun for the athletes and their families, events include Clock Golf, Running, basketball, tennis, bowling, dancing and more. Most people will find something that they like to do. While some people are very competitive with a must win spirit, many are simply there for fun and exercise and all get together for a nice party after the event. They have opening ceremonies much like the regular Olympics as well as closing ceremonies.
If you happen to be anywhere near Warner-Robbins Georgia during the events or if by chance you have a friend or relative competing in the Georgia Games why not stop by and offer your support or just watch your athlete compete, win or lose the particular event these people are all winners. They still go out and compete at age 50, 60, 70 and older. Age is nothing but a number.
Dr. John Taylor will almost assuredly be there to receive his Gold Medal in whatever he participates in. John is 90 I think and if memory serves correctly is the oldest man to ever complete a Triathlon. I believe Joann Pope from Albany Georgia may very well be the oldest woman to ever do the same. I spoke with Joann last week at the Nut Roll and she is selling her Cervelo Tri-bike for 500.00. I hope to see John next week and get some inspiration from him. He says his wife is his “performance enhancement’ drug she is always at the events to cheer him on.
Y’all Have a GREAT DAY
Jerry “The Bicycle Nut” Goodwin
For more info on me click here
For answers to questions on cycling click here
For answers to questions on Fitness click here
For a program that is automatic and pays 100% Commissions click here
For Heritage Church Click here
No comments:
Post a Comment