January, 2010, Cheer News & Views

DSO Sports News

By Marion Lisehora mlisehora@mchsi.com

Qualifying Year: 2010 is the qualifying year for the 2011 National Senior Games, which will be held in Houston, Texas, for 16 days in June and July of 2011. To qualify to participate in the games in Houston, an athlete must participate in a state’s Senior Games and in most cases earn a gold or silver medal in his or her age group. In Delaware the State Games are called the Senior Olympics, and they are held in September and October at many venues around the state in over two dozen individual and team sports. Almost every state holds Senior Olympics or Senior Games. Many of these states are open states, which means out-of-staters may also compete. Delaware is now an open state and welcomes athletes from around the country to participate in its fall games. To learn more about DSO visit http://www.delawareseniorolympics.org/

Baseball Update: The Tri-State 55+ Senior Baseball League, LLC had its winter organization meeting on Saturday, December 5. President, John DeBenedictis announced that the league is expanding to eight teams this year and hopes to provide additional Delaware Senior Olympics players for the baseball event next fall. Plans for 2010 include a Father/Son tournament over the Labor Weekend and a Charity game against a team from Long Island, NY the first Sunday in October. All-Star and/or playoffs games will likely be played at Frawley Stadium in Wilmington. League games are scheduled for Banning Park and Friends School on Saturdays and some selected week nights. The season starts in early April and runs into October for the playoffs. Anyone interested in playing for a team may contact John at 302-376-3739 or at johnadebenedictis@verizon.net.

Women’s Softball: Practices will start in April and Senior Women’s Softball League play will start after Memorial Day. Teams are looking for new members, and whole new teams are also welcome. Players must be at least 50 years old to play, and a team must play in the 5 year age group of its youngest player. Age groups are 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, etc. Players may play down into a younger age group, but they may not play up into an older one. Contact one of these captains if you would like to play. Debbie Estes (Delaware Diamonds 50s) 644-7220; Maureen White (Alley Cats 50s) 226-8080; Sue Brooker (Slammin’ 60s) 644-4094. Marion Lisehora, 934-9512, is the coordinator.

Women’s Volleyball Class: An instructional volleyball class for women 45-70+ will start January 5, 2010. Watch for the Indian River School District Community Education brochure that will come out in late December with registration information. The beginner’s class will be held at Georgetown Middle School from 7 - 9 p.m. on Tuesday evenings. It will run every Tuesday through the end of May. You may also register online at http://www.irsd-adulted.com/ Phone Marion Lisehora at 302-934-9512 for more information.

The Senior Lo-Del Volleyball League for women’s teams over age 50 will resume play on January 7, 2010. Currently there are six teams in the league. These teams will play every Thursday night at Georgetown Middle School from 7-9 p.m. New players must be on a team to register to play on Thursday nights. New teams are welcome. These teams also compete in Senior Olympic Tournaments. Teams play in the 5 year age group of the youngest player on the team. Call Marion Lisehora at 302-934-9512 for more information.

YMCA Fall Volleyball Leagues: The Rehoboth YMCA conducted two adult volleyball leagues during the fall of 2009. Play-offs and championship matches were held in November. Both leagues were open to adults of any age, but many of the participants were over 50, showing that the older players can hold their own with the younger adults. The championship team in the Women’s Division was Net Access, winning the title for the 6th season in a row! They defeated The Swat Team in the championship match. In the Co-ed Division the Irish Setters defeated Purple Parrot for the championship. Registration for the spring season will open February 1. Contact James Botti at 296-9622.

Net Access: Net Access won the volleyball championship in the YMCA Women’s Division for the 6th consecutive season. Team members wearing their championship shirts are: Back row: Mandy Bouvier, Dana Moore, Katie DelCampo. Front row: Amy Kuhlman, Marion Lisehora, Lucy Strauss.

The Swat Team: The Swat Team advanced to the volleyball championship match in the YMCA Women’s Division before losing to Net Access. Back row: Cindy Shea, Becky Simpson, Lynn Lambertson. Front row: Sheryll McPherson, Georgia Billger, Felicia Schembri.

Quick Chicks: The Quick Chicks advanced to the volleyball semi-finals in the YMCA Women’s Division before losing to The Swat Team. Back row: Cindy Anderson, Margaret Long, Willa Jones, Helen Chenoweth, Grace Pesikey, Sue West. Front: Judy Duerr.

Rough Edges: The Rough Edges advanced to the volleyball semi-finals in the YMCA Women’s Division before losing to Net Access. Back row: Judy Lesher, Janis Dillard, Maggie McNeil. Front row: Patty Jones, Kim Jones, Sue Pierson.