AVALON – Bonnie Sotire, 56, won three medals in the 2009 National Senior Olympics in Palo Alto, Ca. Aug. 1-5.
She took home a silver medal for the 200-yard freestyle swim and two bronze medals for the 50 and 500-yard freestyle swims in 55-plus age group competitions.
About 10,000 athletes participated in a range of events this year.
Games are held every-other year in a different location. Competitors must qualify at the state level in the prior year to be eligible to compete on a national level. Sotire, an Avalon homeowner, represents North Carolina where she has a home in Hilton Head.
This is her third time participating since she began in 2005, when games were held in her hometown of Pittsburg and she won three silver medals.
In 2007, Sotire won seven medals, one gold, three silver and three bronze medals in two events in the 50-plus age group in Louisville, Kentucky.
She plans to attend games in Houston in 2011.
There’s no cutoff age to participate. This year one competitor was 100-years-old.
“The cutoff is when you’re not breathing anymore,” Sotire said.
National Senior Olympics is no cakewalk though.
Sotire swam 2,000 yards every day for two full months at the Technical High School swimming pool in Crest Haven to train for this month’s events.
“It’s very competitive, there were several former Olympic swimmers,” she said noting Bruce Jenner and Gary Hall as examples.
“It’s a great satisfaction for me and keeps me in really good shape.”
For more information on Nation Senior Olympics visit: www.2009seniorgames.org
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck@cmcherald.com.
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