Tag Archive for: #seniorgames

TownTalk: Kerr-Tar Senior Games Coming Soon

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Did you know that North Carolina has the largest Senior Games competition in the country? Now’s the time for senior adults to sign up to be a part of the 2026 games, which has individuals 50 and older in friendly competition in such popular games as cornhole and table tennis, just to name a few.

For one registration fee – $15 Early Bird registration goes up to $20 after Feb. 16 – participants can play in as many of the games as they’d like, according to Michael Patterson, Kerr-Tar Region Senior Games co-coordinator.

Patterson is teaming up with Kerr-Tar COG’s Crystal Allen to make sure the five counties in the Kerr-Tar region have a great experience with the Senior Games, which take place Mar. 15-May 15 throughout the region. Vance, Granville, Warren, Franklin and Person counties comprise Kerr-Tar.

The culminating activity, which includes a Silver Arts showcase, will take place at Aycock Rec Center on May 15. Silver Arts gives craftspeople, writers and performing artists a chance to display their interests in everything from quilting and art to line dancing and cheerleading.

Patterson is the Kerr-Tar COG’s Family Caregiver Specialist, and he said the Senior Games is a great event for those in the 50-plus age bracket.

“It’s a holistic approach to keeping the body, mind and spirit fit while enjoying friendly competition,” Patterson said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

Participants must be 50 on Jan. 1, 2026, to be eligible to compete, so those who turn 50 during 2026 have to wait until next year to sign up, he explained.

A lot of people play for fun and to be in fellowship with others their age, he said.

And then there are those who take it to a more competitive level.

Whether you’re a former athlete who wants to stay active playing sports you love or whether you’re learning new games in retirement, the Senior Games has something for every level of participant.

Local winners can move to state competition that takes place in the fall, and every two years, there’s a national Senior Games.

Granville County’s Ronnie Norwood represented North Carolina at the most recent national event in Idaho to play cornhole. A two-time national champion, the Stovall resident brought home the bronze from the Idaho games.

“He had the opportunity to represent North Carolina on a national level,” Patterson said.

“He loved it so, he took the competition to the state and then to the national” level.

Any time people can come together to participate in physical activity and have some fun at the same time is wonderful, Patterson said.

Playing games, having fun and socializing with friends, he said, is just one way “to ignite and inspire that passion again.”

May 1 is the deadline to submit items for the Silver Arts competition; details are available in the registration packet, Patterson said. They will be judged before the May 15 showcase, so winning entries will be displayed with ribbons for all to enjoy.

Registration is available online at www.torch.ncseniorgames.org, and Patterson also suggests that individuals contact the senior center in their county to find out more about the Senior Games, but also about the various programs and classes that they can participate in at the various locations across the Kerr-Tar region.

Here’s a list of the eight Senior Centers in the Kerr-Tar region:

Vance County- 252.430.0257

Warren County – 252.257.3111

Granville County:

Creedmoor – 919.528.0848

Oxford – 919.603.1930 A

Stovall: – 919.693.3383

Franklin County:

Louisburg – 919.496.1131

Franklinton – 919.494.5611

Person County: 336.599.7484

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2026 Senior Games Registration Opens Feb. 2

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Senior athletes in the Kerr-Tar Region, it’s time to start thinking about which games you’d like to enter in the Senior Games 2026, which begin later this spring.

Early bird registration runs Feb. 2 through Feb. 16 and is $15; the registration goes up to $20 after Feb. 16. The registration deadline is Mar. 2, according to information from Michael Patterson, with the Kerr-Tar COG’s Family Caregiver Specialist.

The dates for the games are Mar. 20 – May 15, 2026. The Silver Arts date is scheduled for May 15, 2026.

The games include:

badminton, basketball, billiards, bocce, bowling, cornhole, croquet, cycling, disc golf, discus, running and standing long jumps, football throw, golf, horseshoes, mini golf pickleball, shuffleboard, softball throw, swimming, table tennis, tennis and track events.

Individuals compete for awards in their own gender and age category with 5-year increments.

50-54, 55-59, 60-64, etc.

There are additional fees for bowling ($5), mini golf ($3) and golf ($40)

Register at your local senior center or visit https://torch.ncseniorgames.org.

For more information, contact Michael Patterson at 252.436.2040 ext. 6072 or Crystal Allen at 252.436.2040 ext. 2036.

Find more information at www.kerrtarcog.org or www.facebook.com/KerrTarAAA/

Kerr-Tar COG Seeks Sponsors For 2025 N.C. Senior Games

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Local businesses and individuals still have time to become sponsors for the 2025 Kerr-Tar Regional Senior Games, held each spring across the five counties that comprise the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments.

Sponsorship levels include:

Gold – $1,500

Silver – $1,000

Bronze – $500

Family – $250

Friend – $100

Sponsors can choose to provide regionwide support or a specific county, according to information from KTCOG officials. Make checks payable to Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments to provide regionwide support or to your local Senior Center to support a particular county.

The Senior Games holds events in all five counties and involves adults 50 years and older in a variety of athletic events, as well as Silver Arts, which includes creative and performing arts.

In 2024, more than 223 local athletes participated in more than 50 sporting events and Silver Arts categories. Even more participants are expected for the 2025 games. First- and second-place winners qualify for the state finals, and state finals winners advance to the National Senior Games, held every two years.

For more information, contact local coordinator Michael Patterson or local co-coordinator Crystal Allen at 252.436.2040 or by email at mpatterson@kerrtarcog.org or callen@kerrtarcog.org.