BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
Martin County participants at this year’s Big Sandy Senior Games—the 38th—remembered how to win without a hashtag. They hauled home a truckload of metals, making sure everyone from Pikeville to Prestonsburg knew where Inez was on the map.
Hosted each spring by the Big Sandy Area Development District, the Senior Games invite amateur athletes aged 50 and up from Martin, Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, and Pike counties to show that age is just a number.
The 2025 Games got rolling on May 9 with a lively bowling tournament at Bowl Rite Bowling Center in Prestonsburg, where strikes were cheered and gutter balls taken in stride. Two weeks later, the competition moved outdoors to the Dewey Lake downstream area, where competitors tested their aim in horseshoes and cornhole, paced themselves through the mile walk, and gave it their all in softball, football tosses, and other events.
The season wrapped up in style June 4 with a celebratory awards banquet at the Jenny Wiley Convention Center—part reunion, part recognition ceremony and part victory lap.
“It was another successful year for the Senior Games,” said Jennifer Crum, director of the Martin County Senior Citizens Center. “Our participants competed hard, had a great time and represented Martin County with pride.”
Bill Zuidema, a multi-sport marvel from Martin County, turned the track, field and court into his personal playground. He snagged first in the mile walk, first in the softball toss and first in the football toss. Zuidema added a trio of second-place wins in basketball free throw, basketball shoot and horseshoes. Finally, the local grabbed a bronze in mini golf in a performance that makes one wonder if he is training in secret or just aging in reverse.
Esther Kirk dominated with gold in the mile walk, basketball free throw, softball toss and football toss. Plus, she brought home a respectable third-place finish in lawn bowling.
Norma Jarrell brought a quiet intensity to the field. While close counts in horseshoes, she prefers bullseyes. Jarrell swept up gold in horseshoes and lawn bowling and took silver in both the mile walk and football toss.
Meanwhile, Doug Goble proved that tenacity and variety win the day. He collected eight medals across as many events—from gold in basketball shoot and horseshoes to silver in softball toss and thirds in shuffleboard, lawn bowling, football toss, cornhole, and basketball free throw.
Loretta Dalton brought home a collection of podium finishes. She netted first in lawn bowling, second in shuffleboard and cornhole, and third in basketball shoot.
Dovie Crum, meanwhile, was everywhere: gold in basketball shoot and horseshoes, silver in lawn bowling and cornhole, plus bronze in softball toss and football toss.
Julia Chance, in the quieter, calmer (but no less competitive) world of mini golf, brought home third place.