Arizona’s Leader in Senior Fitness
Coach Morrison Retires
Long-time volunteer coach Hugh Morrison is retiring from Arizona Senior Olympics track and field team after 27 years of dedication to the program.
Morrison has seen ASO through the many changes that have taken place and has been a part of the growth in service to thousands of athletes. Track and field meet management is not as easy as it appears. Seventeen events must be managed for 10 age groups, and volunteers must be recruited and trained for nine field events and eight track races. Volunteers are needed to manage, measure and time.
Then there are the logistical necessities such as equipment, facilities and safety. There are thousands of details to ensure that the event will meet USATF standards. Morrison has overseen all of this with a calm, quiet spirit and the expertise of a true professional. He has worked with great athletes whose expectations were
high and not-so-great athletes who barely knew their way around the track. He has worked with gentlemen and unpleasant folks, but he has never lost his grace or temper. To the volunteers he has been grateful, to the athletes he has been helpful and understanding, and to the ASO staff he has been a dear friend.
Morrison spent his career as a high school coach in football and track. At one school he became known as “the hugger” because of his fondness for the young people and because he was always ready with a word of advice and guidance. The track and field athletes often heard “Say that you can or say that you can’t and you’ll be right.” He was a true encourager for the elite and the struggling athlete.
school, Morrison continued to serve in the area of track and field and is widely known throughout Arizona. He is in demand as a certified USATF official, always rendering fair and objective decisions. Athletes who arrive at the ASO track and field meet seek out the 90-year-old Morrison, whose physical limitations have kept him from running around the field as he did in his early years. He has been an effective and valuable leader.
“We’ve been dreading this day, not just because Hugh is such a great member of our team, but because he is a good friend and an example to everyone who knows him,” says Irene Stillwell, ASO executive director.
After he retired from coaching high
“He can’t be replaced, but as we look for a new track and field commissioner, we will try to find someone with the same great qualities.”
T-Shirt Design Contest
Here is an opportunity to have the 2015 Arizona Senior Olympics athlete T-shirt designed by you. Keep in mind that these shirts will be purchased by senior athletes to wear throughout the year. The deadline is Aug. 1, so get your pens, pencils or brushes out and start designing. Rules:
1. Design must include the words: Arizona Senior Olympics 2. No dates.
3. Can be full color or less. 4. Design for front of shirt only.
5. Can be on white or a colored shirt.
6. No obscenities or double entendres.
7. Design must be suitable for screen printing.
8. Design will be digitized for production.by screen print artist.
9. Judges’ decisions are final.
10. Designs cannot be returned. Winner will be notified by Aug. 10. The prize is free registration in the 2015 ASO Games and a free T-shirt of your design.
Send entries to: Arizona Senior Olympics, P.O. Box 33278, Phoenix, AZ, 85067-3278.
ASO Says Goodbye to Paul Hall
By Irene Stillwell, Executive Director
The following is an excerpt from an article I wrote several years ago for an appeal letter. My inspiration was Paul Hall:
“He’s old; 94 in fact, and yet he continues to run. He runs because he knows that stopping could be permanent. He runs because it makes him feel better. He runs because the camaraderie of the track feeds his soul and strengthens his selfesteem. He runs because life is worth celebrating, especially at 94.
Arizona Senior Olympics exists so that runners and swimmers and ball players can continue to be active; so that they will have a reason to put aside the aches and pains that accompany aging and get out there and do something that’s good for the
body, the mind and the soul.”
Hall died a few weeks ago at the age of 98. The last time he ran in the Senior Olympics track meet he was 97.
Many people did not know that Hall was an ordained minister and served his entire adult life in the ministry. When he finally retired, he continued to serve the church and groups such as Habitat for Humanity, where he got to know former President Jimmy Carter. He was a man of principle and passion. We are blessed that one of his passions was Arizona Senior Olympics. At his services on Saturday, May 10, his family proudly displayed his medals.
The words of St. Paul seem to fit his passing so well. He has “finished the course,” he has “run the race.” We’ll miss him.
Breathing Made Easy
Did you know that 12.7 million people in the United States have COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? Many people get out of breath and think that it’s probably because they’re out of shape and need to exercise more. Of course that can be true, but it’s also possible that they have COPD, which can be caused by allergies, smoking, family genetics or exposure to air pollutants. Simply put, COPD is a diminished ability to breathe efficiently due to damage to the lungs.
Although there is no cure for COPD, the symptoms can be managed so that you can breathe easier. Here are some tips to help:
• Stop smoking.
• Purify your indoor air. Keep doors and windows closed during high pollution (www.airnow.gov), keep your house clean.
• Avoid breathing in toxic chemicals.
• Get a flu shot to prevent further damage.
• Wash your hands often.
• Get a pneumonia shot.
• Take prescribed meds. Your lungs are a beautiful and necessary gift. Take care of them and breathe easy.
Volunteers Needed
Arizona Senior Olympics is looking for a few good men and women to volunteer. Although many people volunteer during the games, they are also needed throughout the year.
These are the volunteer positions we need to fill now:
Planning committee members. Attend a monthly meeting, help to plan the 2014 Games, give support to one or two sports.
Ambassadors for promotion:
Take fliers or brochures to various businesses and sports clubs or events. Speakers bureau: Give speeches to groups regarding the benefits of exercise, sports and Arizona Senior Olympics.
Sports mentors: Help people take up a sport.
For more information please call the ASO office and speak to Irene Stillwell at (602) 274-7742. Thank you!
Health Notes
Above-Normal Blood Sugar Linked to Dementia
According to HealthBeat Newsletter, there’s another reason to keep your blood sugar under control: preventing dementia, the loss of memory and thinking skills that afflicts many seniors. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that above-normal blood sugar is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia.
Beating Diabetes
A 15-minute walk after meals can help reduce the risk for diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels for hours, says a new study in Diabetes Care.
Tuesday thru Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(Mondays and Fridays are reserved for meetings and appointments).
www.seniorgames.org
HELP WANTED
Arizona Senior Olympics is looking for volunteer mentors from each of our sports who would be willing to be a resource to those who are new to the games or the sport. ASO will provide training.
QUALIFICATIONS
Experience in the sport Friendliness
Able to share your knowledge Willingness to be a resource
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN ASO VOLUNTEER MENTOR CALL (602) 274-7742
BETWEEN 9 A.M. AND 4 P.M. TUES. THROUGH THURS.
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