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This month the Celadrin Tigerettes gathered in Baton Rouge at Loretta's house on Monday Dec. 12.  There's alway a good time when we get together...shopping, good food, hair appointments, but this time we also got picked up by a limousine and drove to New Orleans where our documentary, Age of Champions, was having a premiere showing at the University Auditorium.
We arrived early and finding that the reception wasn't until after the filming, we did a drive through at Popeye's Fried Chicken.  They have the best ever fried chicken!

People from Humana and from the Senior Games organizations were among the 250 people viewing the 90 minute film.  We were the only athletes from the documentary present, so we circulated amongst the crown and gave out packets of Celadrin.

I was impressed by their enthusiasm and by the questions they asked after the film, I could tell they enjoyed it.  t

They certainly enjoyed the great spread at the reception.

Wednesday was a  day off for our team.  Dot Hammack who was Nikki's high school basketball coach, hosted a classic formal lunch for our team at her beautiful home in Denham Springs, Louisiana.  Quite an inspiration to me to have this lovely lady in her 80's, spry and still a great fan on the game.

Thursday was an early morning.  We were at the gym at the Baton Rouge YMCA at 7 AM where we filmed for 3 hours with Jon La Pook an d the CBS News crew.  It all was distilled to two minutes which was aired on National CBS TV Evening News on Thursday December 28th.  To view click the link. 
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7393241n

On Friday I caught an early plane home, managing to get everything, including my purchases, into my carry-on.  With all the flight changes (Baton Rouge to Dallas, Dallas to Seattle, Seattle to Victoria) I didn't want to risk losing anything with a 2 hour drive home at the end.

This has been the best Christmas yet....in my own home,  nicely decorated inside and out,  my three children and their families with my grandkids,  lots of gifts, good food....too much chocolate...and my husband, Poul, just recently retired.  I finished renovating the cabin and the suite downstairs including the laundry room.  Poul is finally finishing the block wall in his amazing bathroom shower.   We are off for a week in Hawaii in January.  Life is good.

Senior Olympics-- Nationals and Huntsman Games

I really want to share my adventures.  Not every woman over 65 has the opportunity to travel and compete as I do.


In May my volleyball team, LEGACY, won another National title in the 65+ division at the US OPEN in Dallas. and two weeks later the CELADRIN TIGERETTES, my basketball team won their 7th US National Championship at the Senior National Games in Houston, Texas.  If you haven't seen it, check out THE AGE OF CHAMPIONS, the documentary about the athletes of the 2009 Sr. Games in California in which we are featured.


My homelife was also eventful this summer as Poul accepted a software engineering job at Electronic Arts in Burnaby.  The renovations to our home in Nanoose took a backseat as we focused on setting up headquarters in Burnaby.  But a broken foot and the unexpected return of Lyme Disease brought us back to the Island to recover.

The past two weeks have been exciting.  LEGACY won the 65+ division over 14 teams at the Huntsman Senior Games in St. George, Utah.  My 60+ team, FLOORPLAY60, placed 9th out of 18 teams which means more recruiting and reinforcements before the US OPEN which is in Salt Lake City, Utah in May.
LEGACY had good competition but managed to get through the winners bracket without a loss.  FLOORPLAY60 had several setbacks...Texas Crude, Friends, ServeAces and several challenging games to a large-in-numbers, but short-in-stature, Japanese team.  The style was very different from the North American style and they were very quick with nothing dropping to the floor.

On our Sunday off, Norm who played on one of the Men's teams, took a car cavalcade of athletes to explore the geological formations surrounding St. George.  We ended up hiking to a look-out in Zion Park saturated with facinating information .

I love competing in these games.  I love seeing friends with whom I have much in common. Sunny days in October are not too bad either.  But it is always great to come home.

I'm back now, playing basketball with a bunch of drop-in ladies on Monday night.  My daughter, Cori , plays there too as my granddaughters shoot hoops at the side baskets. I gave Talis a basketball for her 9th birthday and she LOVES to score.

On Thursday night I compete on a team in the Nanaimo women's volleyball league.  Monday, Wednesday and Friday offer aerobics classes just 5 minutes away.

But there isn't enough energy to go around sometimes.

June Rains Victories

The month of June was a busy one:

US Open National Volleyball Championships in Dallas, out of the medals in 60+ division (Brazil took Gold), but our Legacy 65 team went through undefeated for the Gold, though three teams took our matches to the third game and the score in the final was 15-13.  I was fortunate to make the All Star Team.

US Senior Olympics Nationals are held every other year and this year it was in Houston.  The teams must qualify in their region in alternate years.  There were 17 teams competing in the 65+ Women's Basketball tournament which spread over June 18-22.  Games are 12 minute halves with the clock stopped in the last 2 minutes of each half on dead balls.  We play 3 on 3 which means less running and more bruising.  The  Celadrin Tigerette scores follow with us going undefeated through the tournament:

Lady Ball Hawgs  45-25

Canyon Nets        33-6

Smokey Mt. Hot Shots-35-22

Classic Ok.                35-16

Texas All Stars           34-26

Smokey Mt. Hot Shots- 28-25

The last game had to be the most exciting of the event.  Obviously there was strong rivalry between our team and the Smokey Mt. Hot Shots which is the same team we played in the 2009 Nationals and is featured on the Age of Champions documentary which is coming out this Fall.  The coach of the Smokey Mt. team, as a response to me extending my hand and saying "Good Game, Coach", shook his cane in my face and vehemently declared "I'd rather hit you with this".  His wife apologized on his behalf later but since that was just following the pool play, we were to meet them twice more during the double elimination.  The final game was officiated by 3 referees with a fourth referee on the score table.  People from the head table came to watch our finals and the stands were packed.
The Smokey Mtn. team lead most of the game with excellent outside shooting and strong defense.  With seconds on the clock and us trailing by two, I scored from the three point line, and because my toe was on the line, it tied the game to force overtime.  In the three minute overtime, the lead went back and forth.  We scored to put us up one point but they stole the ball and released a successful shot....just after the buzzer had sounded. 39-38 How close was that!!!  Our record is now 195 wins 5 losses and 7 National titles covering every age division 50-65 in the last 15 years of our team existance.  Way to go Mavis, Kitty, Nicky, Loretta and Wannie!  " Thank You Celadrin for your support and encouragement."
Kitty and Nicky went directly on to Washington DC where the documentary, Age of Champions, was nominated for an award at Silverdocs which recognizes the best documentaries produced each year.

Returning home with my two heavy carry-ons, I fell going up a huge flight of stairs as we were directed to a different security gate in the Houston Airport.  I would have taken an elevator, but there was none evident and I didn't want to get lost as the directions were extensive....down here, turn right, up the stairs, turn left, down the corridor and turn right!  Having survived with only minor bruising from the tournament, I now had bruises on both knees as well.

The next day, when I should have been resting, I loaded all of our possessions out of the rented furnished Condo in Burnaby.  The owners were returning a month early so we were taking all of our stuff back to Nanoose.  Our Condo was on the 24th floor with the van parked at the far corner on the 3rd floor.  I made about 10 trips and just had a large wheeled suitcase, my backpack and two computer bags remaining.  I figured one more elevator trip when I went to pick up Poul from work, and collapsed to watch TV.   But when it was time to go, the elevator wasn't working.  I put on my backpack, settled the rest in the apartment and ran down the stairs to the third floor, locking the backpack in the van.  When I got to the 1st floor, I directed the elevator up to the 24th floor but couldn't get it to stay there while I loaded the rest of the bags.  It had disappeared again.  So one bag in each hand, I trudged down to the 3rd floor.  Now, not only did my knees hurt but so did my thighs!!! LOL

Our new Condo isn't available until August  but we booked their guest suite for the last two weeks of July.
I was so looking forward to two weeks back on the Island where I could line up some trades to complete our renovations, work in my garden and lie on the beach.  And Poul had made arrangements to work remotely from home for the first two weeks of July.  But when I picked him up with our last load of stuff on the way to the ferry he gave me the news!  He had changed assignments; they wanted him onsite; we had rented another furnished condo for two weeks and would be back to start a New Adventure in Coal Harbour on Monday July 4th.

The Team is in Tampa

New traveling outfits include jackets, 2 tops, 2 pants, shoes

What a busy weekend!  With Poul staying over in Vancouver, on Friday March 18th, I headed for Tampa, Florida to join my 65+ Basketball Team, the Celadrin Tigerettes, for a tournament, Media promotions and a Health Fair with the screening of the new documentary, Age of Champions which features our team and a few other outstanding senior athletes.

After 7.5 hours in the air, 3 hours in airports and 3 hour time difference, I took a cab to the Homewood Suites, which is a Hilton hotel.  Kitty and I shared a one bedroom suite with living room, kitchen and 2 queen beds.   Very fine. 

We drove to Clearwater where the Florida Senior Games were being held at the Long Center.  Various sports took up more than a month but the basketball was all on Saturday March 19th.  There were shooting competitions in the morning from 8-12 and the 3 on 3 games began at 1.  We played games against three 55+ teams which gave us good competition, but we won all three bringing our record to 188 wins and 5 loses.

We had dinner at OceanPrime, a fine steak house back in Tampa.  The girls compared it to the Capital Grill Steak House from the night before.  We eat well....probably that's why I'm 3 lbs up.

On Sunday I expected to lounge by the pool while the rest of the girls went to church, but the service times didn't suit them for some reason and the pool was in the shade until the afternoon.  So we headed for the Mall and did one of the other things we do so well.  I bought a new piece of luggage to bring my purchases home.

Dinner was a Whisky Joes with a great view of the water sports in the Tampa Bay.  It was a bit noisy for my teammates, but I liked the music and buzz.

Nikki, Mary, Charley Belcher, Kitty, Wanda

Roger Gentilhomme

We broke into two groups for the morning.  Kitty, Nikki, Wanda and I went back to the Long Center and Charley Belcher from Fox News, Charley's World interviewed and filmed us from 7 AM-9 AM.  Mavis and Loretta went to do a radio interview and a TV interview in Tampa at the same time.  We had lunch at the Hilton and were off to the Strazz Performing Arts Center.  At the Health Fair I met Dr. Michael Garko who interviewed me for a half hour on the previous Monday and 45 minutes on Tuesday during his Let's Talk Nutrition show.  Dr. Michael Murray was also there talking
 about his new book, What the Doctors Won't Tell You. 
I really enjoyed meeting Roger Gentilhomme, who is almost 102 and as sharp as a tack.  He won the gold in the 100+ division of tennis at the National Olympic Games in 2009 and will be back competing in the singles in 100+ division and in the doubles in the 95+ division this summer in Houston, Texas.  They showed the film, Age of Champions, twice (3:30 and 6:30) but we left before the second showing to have dinner

Charley Belcher had recommended Charley's Steak House and the manager, Carl Parker.  We were treated royally with a tour of the steak house, free appetizers and desserts.  He also brought around Ronald McDonald, whose family founded the McDonald Restaurants and Ronald McDonald House.  He was fascinating.  He has written six books and though the McDonald chain has been sold, he is starting 2 new chains...one a gourmet burger similar to 5 Guys Burgers and a mexican burrito chain.  I know they will succeed.

Ronald MacDonald , Mary, Carl Parker

Of course on Tuesday I traveled another 12 hours to get home.  On Wednesday I cleaned house and hosted an Arbonne Party for my daughter, Sandi.  She stayed over with my grandson, Ethan.

Thursday I tiled the window casing in the Main Bathroom shower.  Poul gets home tonight and we have guests for the weekend.

I've decided to go back and live with him in Vancouver on Monday.  He's loving his job at Electronic Arts.  The renovation will move even more slowly.

Forty-Five Forever

Okay, so I've been busy.  I know it's a long time since last posting.  Renovations....STILL!!!  Bathroom update is optomistic.  My ensuite is coming along nicely with toilet and tub functioning.  I still need Poul to do a few things such as framing the window, installing the vanity and the shower and sink etc. etc.  Today I thought I would start tiling the main bathroom floor but we found that our new heavy duty tile-cutter won't cut 20x20 tiles without cracking them.  Too heavy I guess.  So Poul is off to Home Depot to get a scoring cutter for the straight cuts.  This gives me time to Blog...not all bad.


Between bathroom chores, I painted the kitchen cabinets and hung my pots in preparation for the new double oven stove which we bought.  It will be a while before the floor and counter get updated.

       The sports update is exciting....for me anyway.  I love my Thursday night women's open Volleyball League in Nanaimo.  Everyone is so supportive and don't seem to notice that I'm older than most of their mothers and some of their grandmothers.  Our team is one of the strongest in the group so it keeps me on my toes.  But last week I discovered a Monday night Basketball full court group.  My youngest daughter Cori came with me and it almost made me cry since I have been missing that in my life.

Of course I have the Celadrin Tigerettes which I join for tournaments and sponsor promotions about once a month.  On March 19th we are in Clearwater Florida for the Good Life Games playing 3 on 3 in the 65+ division.  On March 21st, we are honoured guests at the premier viewing of our new documentary, Age of Champions.  I just saw a preview and it is very well done.  Kudos to Keith Ochwat  and company who spent the last year and a half putting this together.  I think it will be in major city theatres this Fall and probably on TV too.

But all this pales compared to the news that Poul was just hired by Electronic Arts and starts on March 14th as an Engineer 3 (highest ranking).  This will possibly cause us to relocate.  He is so excited. You know... the "can't-sleep-at-night, ""I'm sorry, I was thinking about something else".  It's hard to get him to focus on renovating!  This reminds me of when I had just moved us into a new house (actually, I just had it tiled)  in Victoria and he got the job in Seattle which was only going to take us there for two years.  Ten years later we finally moved in here and now I'm tiling again.  Maybe that's the warning signal....don't tile.  You will have to move out of your dream house.