WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Pickleball may be a more recent sensation for many people, but it’s been part of the Florida Senior Games for two decades.
There is a mother-daughter duo among 2,500 athletes competing in the Florida Senior Games, an event established more than 30 years ago to, among other things, promote a healthy lifestyle.
Jimmie Stokes, 82 years old, used to play tennis, but said when that court got too big, she switched to pickleball.
“The most important thing is to keep going, get out there and run around because then you aren’t sitting in a chair," Stokes said. "Once you sit down, I think you tend to kind of disintegrate."
This is the third straight year the Florida Senior Games have come to Pasco County. There are all kinds of sports for athletes 50 years old and up.
“The athletes competing stay in hotels, visit the stores and restaurants," said Nick Gandy, Sports Information Director with the Florida Senior Games. "Once they are done here, they get out and explore the community. We have athletes come from all over the state."
There are lots of medals getting handed out over the next couple of weeks.
Although Stokes and her daughter Terri Tracy will not be going head to head, they both complemented their different styles of play.
“The younger one is the better one, but her mother taught her," Stokes said.
“She has better control and technique," Tracy said. "I’m a little faster, but she beats me sometimes."
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