Sports Couple finds senior games a ‘perfect fit’

Jim Anelle stays active and enjoys a social life partly through playing shuffleboard and cornhole at the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department’s community center.

Anelle retired about five years ago and went down to working part time for a while. Then his co-worker and fellow retiree introduced him to the activities that were offered.

“We started going to the community center and played shuffleboard, and we played cornhole in the winter. Then we saw they had those activities as part of the senior games,” he said.

Not long after, the gentlemen’s wives began getting into the act and joining them at the community center.

Anelle has been married to wife, Jill, for 37 years; their adult daughter, Hannah, lives in California. The couple primarily plays shuffleboard and cornhole.

Depending on how it’s arranged, they may play as singles when his wife competes in the women’s league and he competes with the men. However, they will also play doubles at times.

Anelle and his wife both ended up becoming more immersed in the community center when they started to volunteer and help out whenever needs arose. He admitted his wife is more actively involved as a volunteer than he is, not only at the center but elsewhere.

“Not only did we play but we began volunteering,” he said. “We volunteered to help