MSG Spring Season To Begin This Weekend

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

A full schedule of activities awaits the participants in the Mesquite Senior Games (MSG) 22nd spring season starting this week. The games begin this weekend with Target Pistol shooting and Shotgun Sports. The lineup will continue over the next two months, with many different events, and ending in a Bocce Ball tournament scheduled for April 17-20.

More than 15 events are scheduled including a major pickleball tournament, both singles and doubles bowling, track and field, women’s softball, golf skills, cornhole and more.

The demand for the games throughout the region is high, according to Sandy Tudor, President of the MSG Board of Directors.
“The spring events have been filling up fast but registration is still open on most of them,” said MSG Board President Sandy Tudor.

Tudor explained that, because of a technical glitch on the MSG website earlier this year, registration for the Spring season got off to a late start this year. Instead of opening on January 1, as is customary, it took until the 15th to get up and running.

“We were having people contacting us wondering when we were going to open for registration,” Tudor said of the pent up demand. “When we were finally ready to go, there were more than 100 people who registered on the first day.”

The goal of the MSG is to provide events to keep seniors active and fit, while having fun and making new friends. Those competing in the games must be at least 50 years old. For each event, competition is divided between mens and womens divisions, and further divided in five year age groups starting with 50-54 and so on.

“We have competitors who compete that are over 85-years-old, and even a few in their 90s,” Tudor said. “In our bowling tournament we have a 91-year-old who is still competing. In track and field we have had a pole vaulter from Overton compete in his 80s. And there are plenty more of those examples.”

But there has also been plenty of growth in the younger segment of the games. “We have had people in the past who just weren’t old enough to participate in our events, but they wanted to,” Tudor said. “So we are gaining a lot of those through aging into our eligiblity. It is fun to see them come in and compete.”

The very popular MSG spring bowling tournament will take place on Saturday, Mar. 11. The tournament will include a singles tournament in the morning and doubles in the afternoon.
“I know that we have pretty much maxed out registration on the doubles,” Tudor said. “But we still have a few slots open for singles in the morning.”

The very next week will be the popular three-day MSG Pickleball tournament on March 13-15.
Two non-competitive activities will follow that. The Mesquite History Tour will take place on Friday, Mar. 17 beginning at 10 am. The Fitness Hike is being offered on Saturday, Mar. 18 beginning at 8:30 am.

A Table Tennis tournament is also taking place on March 18.

A chance to show off basketball skills will include contests in free throws, hot-shot and 3-point shooting. That event will take place on Friday, Mar. 24.

The big Track and Field meet is held on Saturday, Mar. 25 on the Virgin Valley High School field. Offering a whole series of competitive events, it will include sprints, distance runs, power walks, long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault and various throwing skills in a variety of different age divisions. Assisting in the details of putting on this meet will be volunteers from the VVHS Track and Field team.

“It is a huge event and it only goes until about 1:00 pm,” Tudor said. “So there is an awful lot going on all at once in those five hours in the morning. We appreciate the help of those high school athletes and their coach in making it possible.”

A golf skills event will be held on Monday, March 27 at the Sports and Event Complex. This will include long drive, closest to pin and putting contests.

A poker tournament will take place on Thursday, Mar. 30. And cornhole competition will be held on Friday, March 31.

The final two events will be Women’s Softball on April 1-2 and 4-5; and Bocce Ball which will take place over four days on April 17-20. Both of these are official State of Nevada Senior Games qualifiers.
“That means if you play here and place in those events, you have also placed in the Nevada State games and are eligible to go on to the national games,” Tudor said. “It is just for those two sports. But it is kind of a big deal for us.”

Tudor also emphasized that the MSG is always looking for volunteers to help with the logistics of these events. Volunteers are welcome to help with whatever time they can spare whether it is just for a few hours, an entire event or the whole season, Tudor added.

“Most of our volunteers are seniors, too, and we have found that many of them in turn become senior games athletes themselves,” Tudor said. “They see how much fun the athletes are having and want to try it out.”

To learn more about volunteering, email volunteers.mesquiteseniorgames@gmail.com or call 702-206-7097.

For more information about participating in the MSG Spring Season or to register, visit www.mesquiteseniorgames.org/