Finish Line Sept 2014

T HE F INISH L INE Arizona’s Leader in Senior Fitness Deadline Extended for ASO Writing Contest 2014 Sponsors Senior Olympians are welcome to enter a • It must express the theme, “Why Arizona new essay contest that carries the theme of “Why Arizona Senior Olympics is Important to Me.” The new deadline is Oct. 1.

“The purpose in having the contest is to inspire our Senior Olympians to stay fit, based on their own experience and that of their peers,” says Irene Stillwell, director of Arizona Senior Olympics.

Don’t miss this opportunity to: • Read your article at the ASO Opening Ceremony.

• Have your article published in The Finish Line and on the ASO website • Have lunch with the ASO board chairman • Register for the 2015 games for free.

Here are the rules: • The writer must have been in the ASO games in the last two years • The essay must be between 500 and 750 words • The writer must pen the piece in its entirety

Senior Olympics is Important to Me.” Share your story! Inspire others!

Send to: Arizona Senior Olympics P.O. Box 33278 Phoenix, AZ 85067-3278.

Contestants can also email their entries to arizonagames@gmail.com; Subject: Writing Contest.

Follow us!

Why Are These People Smiling?

It is often said that the happiest people are those who give back in life. The three people pictured here are in three different stages of life, but they all have one thing in common: They have discovered the joy of giving to others. These people love their sport and are willing to share their expertise with those who also love that sport.

Arizona Senior Olympics is privileged to work with some of the finest sports managers found anywhere. They are people with expertise in their sport, who plan and implement the 32 sports found on the ASO menu. They are not full-time athletes, or full-time sports managers. They are people from all walks of life who simply want our Senior Olympians to have the best experience possible.

Some of our commissioners have been with ASO for many years. Some have retired, or moved or are occupied with caring for a loved one. For whatever reason, ASO must replace

these fine people when they have to step down as ASO sports commissioners.

Do you know someone who has expertise in running a competitive sports event? We are looking for volunteers in the following sports: basketball, golf, horseshoes, track and field, road races and softball.

If you, or someone you know, would like more information about becoming an ASO sports commissioner, call Irene Stillwell at (602) 274-7742.

The Finish Line Newsletter is produced by Arizona Senior Olympics, founded by:

in partnership with the cities of Chandler, Glendale, Mesa, Peoria, Scottsdale, Tempe and the communities of Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand

Arizona Senior Olympics P.O. Box 33278 Phoenix, AZ 85067-3278

602-274-7742

web site: www.seniorgames.org

www.seniorgames.org

A Walk Can Help Protect Your Eyes

By Ellie Kallal I’m a big fan of walking. It’s low impact. It’s cheap. It’s easy to do even if you are away from home. You can do it almost anywhere. It has many benefits to our health. I recently found a new reason to get out of the house and enjoy the weather: my eyes! I had my eyes examined, and my doctor happened to mention that simple walking can help prevent macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can present in a variety of ways: blurry vision; wavy lines; fuzzy or dark spots in the center of your line of sight; straight lines start to slant.

If not caught, AMD can lead to blindness. There is both “wet” and “dry” AMD. While most people develop the dry form, 90 percent of those who develop the wet form experience blindness.

There is no known cause, but some risk factors are: Age: The risk increases with age.

Cigarette smoking Family history of AMD Excessive exposure to sunlight High blood pressure and/or cardiovascular disease

Being female and/or Caucasian. These groups tend to get the disease more than their counterparts.

While there is no known cure, there are things you can do to prevent the onset of this disease.

1. Don’t smoke. Studies show that it more than double your chances of developing AMD. 2. Wear sunglasses with 100 percent UV and hats with a brim.

3. Eat your veggies! Fruits and vegetables contain all those vitamins you need. Studies have shown that a diet rich in dark, leafy green vegetables will help decrease an individual’s risk of developing AMD and/or help delay progression of the disease once it has begun. You especially want to focus on those rich in carotenoids, especially lutein and zeaxanthin.

4. Limit dietary fat as found in ice cream, but look for those in vegetable oils and nuts.

5. Exercise and control your heart health and blood pressure.

Uncontrolled hypertension increases your chances threefold. Exercise reduces those

chances and slows down the rate of progression. A new study suggests that regular exercise can reduce the risk of AMD by up to 70 percent. According to a study recently published in the British Journal of Medicine, exercise is the most important thing you can do to prevent macular degeneration.

“After taking other risk factors for age-related macular degeneration into account, including weight, cholesterol levels and age, researchers found those with an active lifestyle were

70 percent less likely to develop wet AMD than those who had a sedentary lifestyle.

The risk of age-related macular degeneration was also 30 percent lower among people who walked more than 12 blocks regularly.

These guidelines are those we try to follow every day, but exercise is proving to be more important to so many areas of our lives that we really need to get out there and get moving.

Sources: Orlin Sorensen www.rebuildyourvision.com and WebMD.

They’re Back!

This is the most popular shirt offered by ASO. Many people were disappointed when they missed out, so we’re offering it again!

Calling All Ambassadors Arizona Senior Olympics will conduct its first ambassador orientation at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 13. The event will be held in the ASO offices’ board room and will include information about Arizona Senior Olympics, the Arizona Lifelong Fitness Foundation and training in the areas of vari-

ous kinds of promotion.

Anyone interested in becoming an ASO ambassador must attend an orientation prior to working as a volunteer in the program.

Registration is required by calling (602) 274-7742 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The program is free.

SLIMMING BLACK! BRIGHT MULTICOLOR DESIGN! COOL, COMFORTABLE COTTON 100-PERCENT PRE-SHRUNK S, M, L, XL, 2XL Limited quantities, get yours today!

www.seniorgames.org

2014 ASO PICKLEBALL REGISTRATION OPENS SEPTEMBER 3RD Once again Arizona Senior Olympics will kick off the 2014-15 Pickleball season with the

Qualifying Tournament for the 2015 National Senior Games to be held in Minneapolis/Saint Paul. ~ ARIZONA SENIOR OLYMPICS Tournament Dates: October 23 – 26 City of Surprise Pickleball Courts All Pickleball players are welcome to register in this 5 year age-group Open Tournament. Full details can be found on www.seniorgames.org by clicking on the 2014 Sports Information Sheet for Pickleball.

National Senior Games Workshop Offered A workshop about the National Senior Games will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Arizona Senior Olympics office, 4205 N. 7th Ave., Phoenix, 85013.

Participants will see an exciting video presentation about the event, which will be held July 3 through July 16. Learn about the venues, schedules, travel and more.

Reservations are required. Call (602) 2747742 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Tuesday through Thursday.

q Yes, I would like to be a friend of Arizona Senior Olympics Send your tax-deductible contribution by check, money order, credit card or go online to www.seniorgames.org.

Amount Enclosed $ I am paying by q Check/Money Order qVisa qMastercard qDiscover qAmerican Express. You will be charged by Senior Games Payment Services if paying by credit card. If paying by check, please make it out to the Arizona Lifelong Fitness Foundation.

Credit Card. #: Expiration Date: 3 digit code on back of card: Name as it appears on your credit card: Address: City/State/Zip: Signature:

Mail to: Arizona Lifelong Fitness Association P.O. Box 33278 Phoenix, AZ 85067-3278