In 2008, Lawrence Draeger made his way from Pensacola to Fort Myers for his first Florida Senior Games. After 17 years of traveling to the Games from the farthest northwestern part of Florida, to Fort Myers, Polk County, Clearwater, Fort Lauderdale and Pasco County, he earned the 2024 Florida Senior Games Male Athlete of the Year.
He received his well deserved honor at Pin Chasers in Zephyrhills, on Saturday, before competition began. His list of accomplishments over the years is impressive.
In 2011, Draeger (pictured at right) became the third of only seven Florida Senor Games bowlers to roll a perfect game. He has won numerous Florida Senior Games men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles gold medals and has represented Florida at the National Senior Games.
At the 2025 National Senior Games, in Des Moines, Iowa he won a bronze medal in the Men’s Singles 85-89 age group. On Saturday, Drager, won a gold medal in Men’s Doubles with Gary Harlan, also from Pensacola, in the 85-89 age group. He will bowl in Men’s Singles and Team Bowling on Sunday.
Nearly matching Draeger’s perfect game of 2011 on Saturday, was Lakeland’s Stan Sprow, who rolled 11 consecutive strikes in the second game of Mixed Doubles. His final roll on the 12th frame fell short of the perfect game and he finished with a 296.
James Murphy, of Fort Myers, navigated the 5K Road Race course at Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, in record time, as the first overall finisher in the wilderness of Pasco County. His time of 19:36 established a new record in the 65-69 age group, topping the previous mark by 12 seconds, set by Craig Anderson, in 2012.
The top overall women’s finisher was Sonja Friend-Uhl, of Boca Raton, who crossed the finish line with a time of 20:26, to win the gold medal in the 50-54 age group. She has been a member of six United States world teams and competed in the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials and holds four women’s Master’s (40 and above) records.
George Darwin, of Zephyrhills, became the fourth 100-year old athlete to compete in the Florida Senior Games and won a Shuffleboard gold medal in the 95+ age group. He will play doubles on Sunday.
In the Field Events of the Track and Field Meet, Florida Senior Games athletes seemed to have springs in their shoes as all records broken came in jumps events. Amy Hadded, of Bradenton, and Peggy Peck, of The Villages established new women’s High Jump records and Brian Hankerson, of Hollywood and Glenn Irion, of Abingdon, Virginia set new men’s marks.
In the Long Jump, Hankerson topped his own mark in the 65-69 age group by two inches. He holds the Long Jump records in four age groups from the 50-54 to 65-69 age groups.
Irion also set a new record in the Triple Jump in the 70-74 age group with a leap of 30 feet, nine inches. He also holds the Triple Jump record in the 65-69 age group.
The final day of the 2025 Florida Senior Games is Sunday with action in Men’s and Women’s Singles Bowling, Team Bowling, the Cycling 20K and 40K Road Races, Mixed Doubles Pickleball, Shuffleboard Doubles and Track and Field running events.
Sunday, December 14
Bowling (Men’s and Women’s Singles) –Pin Chasers, Zephyrhills
Bowling (Team) –Pin Chasers, Zephyrhills
Cycling (20K and 40K Road Race) – San Antonio Elementary School
Pickleball (Mixed Doubles) –Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, Wesley Chapel
Shuffleboard (Doubles) – Zephyrhills Shuffleboard Club
Track and Field (Running Events)/1500 Meter Power Walk/Race Walk – Cypress Creek High School
A total of 1,633 athletes are registered to compete, December 6-14, in Florida’s Sports Coast/Pasco County. Since the Games began in 1992, a total of 66,352 athletes have registered to compete in the Florida Senior Games. For complete results from the 2025 Florida Senior Games, please visit www.floridaseniorgames.com/results.
The 34th Annual Florida Senior Games are an annual program of the Florida Sports Foundation, the official sports promotion and development organization of the state of Florida, presented in conjunction with Florida’s Sports Coast