Mesquite Senior Games Is Back

By AMY DAVIS

The Progress

Masked senior competitors were out in force for the Mesquite Senior Games Bowling Tournament held on Friday night at the Virgin River. PHOTO BY AMY DAVIS/The Progress.

After nearly six months, the games have begun again!

Mesquite Senior Games (MSG) hosted a doubles and singles bowling tournament at the Virgin River Hotel and Casino on Friday, Aug. 21. It was the first live competition since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis last March.

The competition included a three-game event in each age division to which first, second and third place medal were awarded. Raffle prizes and swag bags were also awarded during the event.

Due to current health restrictions, each participant wore a mask as they bowled; and every other lane was closed.

“It has been 156 days since we shut down and this is the first physical event we have had since,” said MSG Executive Director Amy Bradshaw. “We are super excited to be here!”

“We usually have 96 competitors, but we could only have 48 this time so it was a sellout.” Bradshaw added on Friday night. “I just got back from checking on every single team and they might have said they were bowling crummy, but boy were they having a good time! I just want everyone to enjoy themselves.”

Mesquite Senior Games board members l to r Sandy Tudor, Ruby Svionteka, Executive Director Amy Bradshaw, President of the Board of Directors John Rosen and his wife, Nancy Rosen, treasurer worked hard behind the scenes on Friday night to put on the group’s first live event since the pandemic hit. PHOTO BY AMY DAVIS/The Progress.

John Rosen, President of the MSG Board of Directors, created a new program able to announce winners immediately where it used to take two weeks to tally all the data to see who won events.

“It is absolutely wonderful to see everyone back together having fun,” said Rosen. “Obviously, everyone is ready to have this (COVID-19 pandemic) behind us and in the rearview mirror, but we are not there yet. So we are wearing masks and have health restrictions in place. But to be doing anything to get people moving and active again is just wonderful.”

Friends Phyllis Margolis and Susie Fehseke shared a bowling lane for the event. “It feels wonderful to be back to something normal,” said Fehseke. “We don’t really come to win, we come for the fellowship.”

“I have been bowling in the tournaments for a long time,” added Margolis. “I don’t bowl very well, but we like to donate our money to the cause.”

MSG Board member Ruby Svionteka looked around the bowling alley on Friday night and exclaimed, “There is so much joy and so much energy! We are so thankful we had so much interest and so sad we had to cut registration short.”

MSG Board member Sandy Tudor said that the organization really missed all of its spring games. But she was pleased to have so many seniors out and able to participate again.

“The fact that we can only be at 50% capacity is disappointing, but it is still 50%,” Tudor said. “We have people who have definitely not seen their friends in awhile, even at a 6 foot social distance. So, I am just thrilled that we are able to do something that will offer them a chance to get out and play games.”
MSG is planning to hold a pickleball tournament on October 27-29.

The group will then host a two-day golf season complete with an awards evening dinner on November 9-10. This will include long drive, putting and closest to the pin and a 9-hole tournament.

For other upcoming events and additional information visit mesquiteseniorgames.org.