Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation will once again host the Active Life Games in October. Exercise is great for the body and mind and is particularly important as we age. The Active Life Games help promote physical and mental fitness through an Olympics-style competition that attracts hundreds of adults ages 50 and older each year.
You can register for the 2023 Active Life Games by visiting www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/residents/recreation-and-culture/recreation/tampa-bay-active-life-games. Registration ends on Friday, September 22.
The Active Life Games began in the 1980s. They offer a variety of contests for all skills and fitness levels. This year’s Active Life Games will be held over a two-week period in October. Week one begins on Monday, October 2 and runs through Saturday, October 7. Week two begins on Sunday, October 8 and ends with a closing ceremony on Friday, October 13.
The Active Life Games’s events will include track and field, shuffleboard, pickleball, billiards and horseshoes. Individual competitions are held at a variety of locations throughout Hillsborough County.
In addition, the event includes new games and new venues this year. For the first time, basketball shoot-out and lawn bowling will be part of the competition. Lawn bowling will be held at the Eberhart building in Sun City Center. The Active Life Games closing ceremonies will be at the newly constructed New Tampa Performing Arts Center. Further, golf will be hosted at Summerfield Crossing and tennis will be at the Sun City Tennis Center.
Mikah Collins, program coordinator for Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation, said, “I love seeing the athleticism and camaraderie at Active Life Games. Seeing athletes, sometimes in their 90s, competing and pushing themselves is truly inspiring. Pickleball and table tennis have produced some of the most heated competitions I have witnessed.
The cost to participate is $25 for one event or $30 for unlimited events. There is an additional $30 charge for those participating in the golf competition, which includes a cart.
In addition to being a lot of fun and a great way to stay in shape, the Active Life Games serve as a regional qualifier for the Florida Senior Games. The Florida Senior Games will be held from Saturday, December 2 through Sunday, December 10.
