Senior matches reach the halfway point of the schedule

By Breven Honda

The 2024 Mesquite Senior Games are halfway through the schedule.

After nine events in March, the Senior Games have eight events left in the month of April to conclude the spring calendar.

Mesquite Senior Games President Sandy Tudor said the events that took place in March, such as track and field and pickleball, went well despite some obstacles.

“We've obviously had some weather-related issues,” Tudor said. We had to postpone two days of pickleball due to high winds a week ago.

We had athletics on (March 23). It was a little hectic because Virgin Valley High School had a softball tournament and we had high school track and field. Parking was a bit of a challenge on Saturday, but other than that it went very well.

During the track and field event, Virgin Valley High School girls track and field coach Gary Hartman recruited his players to volunteer.

We have track and field athletes who work with us and help with the scores, Tudor said of the Bulldog student athletes. There was an older woman who had a little trouble completing her first running event. All the children, there were at least ten of them, ran with her and walked at her pace. They ran at her pace and kept cheering her on, so that was nice to see and fun to watch.

From table tennis to bowling, the first two events were a great way to kick off this year's Spring Games.

Tudor said the bowling event was nearly full for both days of singles and doubles at the Virgin River Lanes.

Bowling is bowling. We are sold out every year. We had 88 people for doubles and 79 for singles. “88 (players) is the maximum we can have, so that was good,” she said.

About a week after the bowling event, the tennis senior challenge returned for the first time in five years.

Led by Duane Catania, the tennis event went smoothly as play began for nearly two dozen participants, lasting over four consecutive days of two-hour sessions in the morning and afternoon.

Additionally, Tudor said one of the positive responses she received came from a tennis player named Howard, who was fascinated by the amount of time he was getting on the court.

I left Mesquite Wednesday afternoon and didn't have a chance to say goodbye to all of you, Tudor said on behalf of Howard's letter. I was most impressed with the way everyone got along, and you consider tennis as a men's and women's soft sport. Also surprised how many diehard fans there are. My tennis friends in Vegas can't believe I played 120 matches in two and a half days.

Tudor added that playing so much tennis was the culmination of a lot of action, but it doesn't take as much time to make sure everyone is having fun, as Howard admired.

120 games in two and a half days, she said. That's a lot of tennis for these people. I think we can continue with the event next year. We brought it back this year for the first time (since 2019) and everyone who attended had a great time. The weather largely cooperated, because it was not really warm in the afternoon.

Looking ahead, there are eight events that will wrap up the 2024 Spring Games this month. These started with the Long Drive, Closest to the Pin golf events and the Putting Competition on April 2 and will conclude with the Boules event from April 22 to 25. .

Some of these events also include the women's softball and gun sports events.

Tudor, who coordinates the softball event, said it will reach capacity because the event is spread over a two-week period depending on age categories.

“It will be 34 (teams) because I had a commitment from a team that is playing and they were playing at Bullhead City this weekend,” Tudor said. And they said: Of course they will come. Well, I didn't know that. So I think I have 34 teams. That's pretty much all I can tolerate.

A day before the start of the softball event, the shotgun sports and target pistol events, led by Jim Armstrong, will take place at the Redcliffs Rifle and Pistol Range in Hurricane, Utah, near St. George and about an hour east of Mesquite.

The Redcliffs Rifle and Pistol Range is a new venue for the shotgun sports and target pistol events after the Smoking Gun Club closed last year, canceling these events during last year's fall schedule.

Armstrong, along with Marge Mongolo and Krista Kilpatrick, are among the newest board members who will or have organized an event during the spring games.

Kilpatrick hosted the basketball skills event and Mongolo hosted the table tennis and tennis skills challenge events.

Tudor said her newer board members have stepped up and stepped up both inside and outside the events they host.

It was great, she said. Marge and Krista both took on an event. Marge is our tennis queen and then Krista was the one who took care of all the athletics registration, forms and formats. So it's been great to see them organizing and running with these events, and they're both very organized, which is clearly what these events need. So it was perfect.

For some events later in April, such as bocce, cornhole and the second fitness walk, you can still submit your name to participate.

As the final events of this year's spring program arrive, Tudor hopes that all events will go well.

I think our expectation is that all of our events are successful and that participants stay healthy, Tudor said. We try to ensure that everyone stays healthy and has a good time. Our goal is for these participants to enjoy it, have a good time, have fun and get some exercise and activity.