CAL RYDER
Near their Western Montana home, the Ryders are avid bird watchers.
No one in the group was overweight. Bill Rammer said that years ago someone came into his office and asked for him. Pointing in Rammer's direction, one of the employ- ees responded, "That little, fat guy is right over there." "That was it. I didn't want to be considered fat," said Rammer. "I lost 20 pounds and have maintained my weight since."
All of these octogenarians volunteer. John Lewis is a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistant) representative who
IMPROVE YOUR WELL-BEING BY TRAINING FOR AND TAKING PART IN THE SENIOR OLYMPICS
Having a definable reason for staying fit helps a person roll out of bed to exercise on a dark morning or to head out the door for a run after a long day at work. For those who are age 50 or older, preparing for the Montana Senior Olympics might just be the reason to get going.
Julia Stevenson earned three golds and one bronze in bowling at the Senior Olympics.
The winter games with events in the Nordic 5K and 10K Classic and Free Style Races will be held February 9 at the Bohart Cross Country Ski Center near Bozeman. The Ice Hockey Tournament is tentatively scheduled to be held at the Haynes Pavilion on the Gallatin County Fairgrounds the last weekend of March. The summer games with a swath of events, such as table tennis, swimming, and track and field events, are usually held early in June. Along with the games, often there are social events for having fun.
Montana residency is not required, so participants often invite friends from out of state to join them. Every other year preceding the National Senior Games, people who earn qualifying times at the Montana games are invited to participate nationally. Learn about this organization by going to www.montanasenioro- lympics.org. Events, dates, and locations for events are posted at the Web site. George Geise, Executive Director, can be reached at ggeise4@gmail.com.
www.distinctlymontana.com 55
SUZANNE WARING
