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Monday, October 10, 2016
Carroll qualifies for Senior Olympics events include swimming, cycling, archery, golf, weightlifting, volleyball among others. "It's really neat when you're looking at 85-year-old men and women running." said Carroll. "Not many of them do the jumping, but quite a few do the hammer throw or the discus. Javelin is huge. There's a ton of javelin throwers." Carroll had to travel to Louisiana for the event because the Texas meet took place in April while she Sharron Carroll recently turned was still 49. As it turns out, she 50,but the number is just that. says she still could have Carroll, the former Sharron Hodge, participated in that meet due to rule a triple jumper from Whitewright specifications. who once nearly qualified for regionals instead being out jumped "I'm learning more and more about in the final jump of the day by then this. There are people that show up Howe Lady Bulldog Leandra at nationals are in the masters Hixson. Some 32 years later, circuit that travel indoor tracks and Carroll is still determined to have do it, not professionally, because success as a triple jumper as she you can't be a professional athlete, recently qualified for nationals in but these are high competitors." the Senior Olympics. Sharron Carroll
Every other year is a national qualifying year and 2016 just so happens to be the year. In June of 2017, the national Senior Olympics events will take place in Birmingham, Alabama and Carroll will be making the trip. She's not only be competing in the triple jump, which is her favorite track event, but she also qualified in the 400 meters and the 100 meters. In most track and field events, athletes have to place in the top four of their age division to qualify for nationals. Carroll is in the 5054 year-old division and finished first in all categories in her age group including triple jump and the 100 and 400 meters - this while rehabbing a quadriceps injury. On October 15, she'll be traveling to Oklahoma to try and qualify for nationals in the long jump as well as the other three events. Senior Olympics is much more broad than just track and field. The
Carroll got the idea from a couple when her and her husband Shawn were camping at Beavers Bend. She began to tell this couple that she would love to still play basketball and sports and they shared with her the information of Senior Olympics. Running long distances is not Carroll's cup of tea. You won't find her seeking out 5K races to be a part of. But she says her best chance of obtaining a medal is in the triple jump event. "I want to do this instead of turning 50 and getting a senior card at Denny's." Carroll joked. "I feel blessed that I'm still healthy and God's given me the opportunity to still do this. I was fortunate to not be injured in high school." The national event will take place eight months from now which Carroll says will give her two continued on page 6
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