Ballroom Dancing Makes Debut in the Florida Senior Games
The sparkling floors of the fabulous Ritz-Carlton hotel in Sarasota will be sight of the Inaugural FSG Ballroom Dancing Championships this weekend as dancers from throughout the Sunshine State ascend on the west shores of the Florida coast.
The three-day event will join Indiana’s Senior Games as the only other 50+ event in the country for the active Senior Athletics community. Competition will feature four disciplines including American Smooth and American Rhythm, International Latin, and International Ballroom dance styles.
“We are very excited to partner with the National Dance Council to feature this great event in the 2019 Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana,” said FSG Ballroom Dancing Sport Director Terry Cavanaugh. “The opportunity to showcase this event and also to do so while advocating an active lifestyle is a win-win for everyone.”
The 50+ Challenge kicks off Thursday night and will run through Saturday evening. For a complete schedule of the Ballroom Dancing Championships, click here.
2019 Florida Senior Games Softball Tournament Looking Ahead to Future Competitions
The 2019 Florida Senior Games Softball Tournament will be played, Saturday, August 3, at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex in Leesburg, with 10 women’s teams competing.
The 10 teams are spread out through five age groups with two teams each in the 50+, 55+, 60+, 65+ and 70+ groups.
Games begin at 8:45 a.m. with the final game of the day beginning at 4:15 p.m. Each team will play three games each in a round-robin format with one hour and 30-minute time limits.
Among the 10 teams competing are four “recreational teams,” along with six “tournament teams,” according to FSG Softball Sport Director Avis Vaught, of The Villages.
“The goal of this tournament is to get the recreational teams interested in playing softball in the Senior Games program,” said Vaught, a multiple sport Florida Senior Games athlete, who was the 2009 FSG Athlete of the Year. “We want them to start preparing now to present themselves at the 2021 National Senior Games, in Fort Lauderdale.”
With a mix of recreational and tournament teams, equalizer rules will be in effect. With each inning, the recreational teams will have a run added to their total for five innings allowing a total of five runs for the lesser experienced teams.
Teams competing in the 2019 Florida Senior Games Softball Tournament
Saturday, August 3 – Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex, Leesburg
50+
Gold Diamonds, The Villages
Sunny Beaches, Clearwater
55+
Players, The Villages
Sluggers, Clearwater
60+
Blue Diamonds, The Villages
Sunny Beaches, The Villages
65+
Silver Diamonds, The Villages
Golden Gals, The Villages
70+
Golden Gals, The Villages
Red Diamonds, The Villages
Sport Pages:
Ballroom Dancing
Softball
About the Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana
The Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana, are presented annually by the Florida Sports Foundation (FSF), the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization, and a division of Enterprise Florida, Inc. The Foundation works in conjunction with a variety of local sports industry partners to present the different competitions. The Florida Senior Games, presented by Humana, an annual amateur sports tradition in Florida, is part of the state’s $57.4 billion sports industry that accounts for 580,000 jobs statewide.