"The game ain't over till the game is over" were words attributed to the great Yogi Berra about baseball and perhaps to life itself.

Those same words can be used to define the attitude of the participants in our local Senior Games.

To qualify one must be 55 years young or better and must still have enough breath to blow out on simple candle (no upper limit on age). Gotta tell you folds our athletes and silver artists far surpass that meager requirement, and for them the game definitely ain't over.

Our local Senior Games were held April 24 through May 8. Parks and Recreation personnel did a terrific job judging and scoring athletic event and the volunteer judges for Silver Arts and the Performing Arts did a superlative job, but even before these events could be held there were many hours of planing and behind the scenes preparation and the difficult task of scheduling 45 to 50 events. Alicia Krout, Senior Games Coordinator is to be commended for her leading role and her organizational skills and all the sponsors and volunteers thanked profusely for their part in the success of the 2009 games.

Of course it is the athletes and artists themselves who are really the heart and soul of the games.

In this spot I fully intended to list both participants who turned in their most embarrassing performances and then all 85 of those really well trained athletes who breezed through their events and left with tons of gold, silver or bronze around their necks, but alas it's just a big job and would really take a lot of space.

Medals are earned in five year age groups beginning with 55-59 up to 90 and above. All 87 deserved accolades and can honestly be declared winners. You may be disappointed if you failed, but you would have missed a lot of fun if you had not tried. 96 gold medals were won by our men athletes and our women ended the games with 100 gold medals.

In the Silver Arts, 12 gold medals were awarded to women and 2 gold medallions to two very talented gentlemen.

All gold, silver and bronze medalists qualified to go to the North Carolina Senior games in September.

A couple of facts make our local games unique. Our oldest athlete is 95, legally blind and took the gold in three events this year. We have on totally blind athlete/artist who participated in three different field events earning one gold and one silver plus a gold medal in silver arts for an afghan she crocheted.

The last is an athlete/artist who uses a walker, yet consistently takes home the gold. They exhibit the true spirit of senior games.

A journey of a thousand miles may begin with a cash advance and end with a big debt, but a journey into athletic or artistic competition on the local level usually begins with self-doubt and hesitation and end with new friends, more confidence, happy memories and maybe even a bit of gold silver or bronze to hand around the neck.

The handshakes, hugs, laughter and fun begin new friendships and deepen older one. LIfe is meant to be lived. Words from James Michener, "Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today because if you enjoy it today you can do it again tomorrow."

Scotland County Senior Games is sanctioned by the North Carolina Senior games, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing year-round health promotion and education for adults 55 years of age and better. NCSG is sponsored statewide b the North Carolina Division of Aging.