 Hi, this is Jan Reardon, and I have the honor of representing the Jennifer Reardon Foundation, and Jennifer is my sister-in-law, and thankfully we are able to carry on her legacy of being kind, loving, caring, and sharing, number one. But the four pillars of her foundation that I love to be able to focus in on for her and for all of the people that know and love her is the four things are women's empowerment, early childhood education, community vitality, which we are talking about today in a big way, and financial literacy. So anything that involves and revolves around those four pillars are areas of focus that my brother and our family focus in on and try to do, as I mentioned, keep Jen's legacy going. So today I have the absolute pleasure of being able to, I'm excited, I'm supporting my Jennifer Reardon sweatshirt just in case if I have to show off any pickleball moves for anybody. But I have the pleasure of meeting here with people from Vermont Senior Games, and what I have seen of Vermont Senior Games is just heartwarming, to see people in their 90s that do circles around me, and I think I've been active my whole life, and to know that you can have that quality of life into, you know, 100 years of age in Vermont with so much beauty is heartwarming. So Kevin, I just want to thank you for being here, Betsy, thank you for being here. We'll talk a little bit more about your roles and what you're doing with the community through Vermont Senior Games. But I just wanted to start by welcoming you, thanking you both for being here. And perhaps we can start with you, Kevin, just giving us a little background on when you became involved with Vermont Senior Games, and a little bit of the history on the games themselves when that began and how things have evolved. Okay. Okay. Again, my name is Kevin Plead. I'm the president of the Vermont Senior Games. Congratulations. And I have a nice board that's very active. I've been involved probably more than 10 years. I started as an official. I was a middle school teacher and coach of track, and they needed somebody to run the discus at that. That's how it all began. That's what I was wondering how it all began. Barb Jordan, who was a Springfield College grad. Oh, yes. And we're a Springfield College grad. And I heard that you went back to college days, yes, that's beautiful. I'd get a group, and we'd come every year, and ... And where are the venues that you rely on for different activities? We offer 14 different events throughout the year. And you're in charge of events, Beth. Beth, you're right. Okay. With a group. From pickleball to running to track to swimming to cycling to power walking. So ... Tennis. Tennis is one of our bigger sports. And tennis stayed strong, even with pickleball, doing all that it's doing that has held its own. This year, we had a tremendous turnout. We were actually at the bridges up in Waitsfield. Wonderful, yes. So one of the things we like to do is actually move our venues around the state. Different communities. That's ... And people think we're Chittenden County-centric. Right. And only a third of our events are in Chittenden County. Interesting. I wouldn't have known that. And you go everything from Springfield to Kasselton to Rutland to Middlebury to Montpelier. Which is great to hear because, unfortunately, you hear from people throughout the state that everything happens in Chittenden County. And it's so nice to know that such an organization as this that is so beneficial for the community is throughout the state. And we also have increased our participation, not only in numbers, but in where they're coming from. Wonderful. And what are their numbers? It used to be like 60 different towns were represented in a certain year at Vermont Senior Games. There was over 120. So over half of the towns send some kind of representation to the games. That is absolutely wonderful. For Vermont being ... That's the reach that we want. Right. Exactly. And that you have accomplished. Yeah. Still accomplishing. Yes. There's 252 towns in Vermont. Now that Essex is ... A city. I know. I had to come in for the city today. Added to the role. Used to be 251 club, right? You're right. Now it's got to change everything. That's right. That's right. All those patches. All those things. So obviously year round you're going strong. Is there such a thing as a peak season for you? Sure. I'll let Betsy speak a little bit on the event. Good. We'll talk about the events, Betsy. And thank you for ... This season, sure. Thanks. It's great to be here. The season is pretty much spring, summer, fall. Right. So in the winter we're planning for next year's event. Okay. I see. Which you would think would happen pretty quickly, but it always takes us two or three months to get everything confirmed and ... Of course. Especially with moving venues and things like that throughout the state. That's ongoing. Yep. And we partner with Parks and Rec departments. We partner with the USTA for Tennis. Makes sense, sure. Which is giant. They have a whole contact list. And so we work together with a lot of different groups to make it all happen. And I was wondering, as far as from the funding side of things, how do you get donations? I know you have great sponsorships that have been on board, but where does the money ... A couple different ways. We have two major affiliates and sponsors, and one is the National Senior Games itself. Wonderful. Which doesn't provide us nationally financing, but all the organizational pieces. A lot of great exposure. And then the other piece is the Vermont Governors Council on Sport and Fitness. Of course. Right. And we're sort of actually started as an umbrella under them. And we're still tied to them, but we're more of a separate entity. Right. What budget does that represent? What are you looking for, or need of, or what does the budget look like as far as what the expenses are over the course of a year with all of these new events? Right. We do require a registration fee instead of a membership. And does that sustain the programs? It covers about half of our operating costs. Wonderful. Vermont Governors Council also will kick in a large piece of that. And then the rest is sponsorships. Right. Vermont Blue is a big sponsor, which is wonderful to see. AARP, Hall of Communications. Fantastic. And we're looking at... And we're looking at... Hall of Communications is great. Yeah. Yeah. Anything with the community, they are all about it. They really are. We really appreciate our association with Dan Dubinay and that whole group. Yes, definitely. Yeah. They are a wonderful group. There's a lot of history there. They've been around for a lot of changes in our community. And now that things continue to grow like this, it's just so nice. What I love about the show in general is we get to talk about all the good things that are going on. Because when you watch the news, regardless of what state you're in, there's so much negativity and you can always dwell on all the things that are going wrong and all the things that you wish you could change. But here we are in such a healthy environment talking about wonderful things. And many states have really stepped up and they're doing so many more things, whether it is about community vitality or just in general what their focus is to just try to get past all the bad and the terrible things that are going on with drugs. And just... I mean, it's heartbreaking when you hear some of the stories and the sadness that goes on within families. And to see something like this where we can truly get that vibrancy back into the community, even for children to see that this is going on just helps the future so much. Our challenge really was during COVID. I can only imagine. You're losing a couple of seasons of events. Sure. And then to get that momentum going again. But you picked up quickly, it seems, like... We were also one of the only New England states that hosted some games. During that time. So if we could hold them outdoors, like swimming... You still did. Or track and field. We... Or tennis could be an outdoor sport and we did it that year outdoors. That helps a lot, just to keep... Whatever was capable of doing. And it kept our name out there and two offered an avenue for people to get out. Right. It would have been easy to just back off. So that was really smart, just to keep that momentum going at some degree. People were so happy. Oh, I know. They were so happy. That's what I... The only good thing about the pandemic was just that once people could get out there was this... I wish it would still feel that way. It does for me. I'm still... I look around and it's like I'm just so thankful to be out here with people instead of everybody being stuck at home and especially the senior community. A lot of people are alone. And then they don't have anybody to talk to and it can really deteriorate things very quickly. So I mean, this is like the extreme of that, which is great. So what's the first event coming up in 23? Probably swimming. Okay. And we've gone back and forth with swimming from... It's usually been indoors. It was at the Edge in Williston for so many years. Which was great. It's really nice when we partnered with a master's program because we introduced new people. Exactly. And their connections. Yes. And so we were thankful that Essex Parks and Recreation with their outdoor pool took us on the last couple of years. And that's a nice facility. It's a great facility. It really is. Wonderful staff, yeah. Yeah, very much so. They were wonderful. And one of the nice things about swimming is the youth teams usually serve as timers. Oh, I love it. And the masters join in and it is so fun watching those young kids cheering on the 89-year-old. Exactly. So much for thinking somebody's old and not able to do anything. They're probably... I mean, that's inspirational for anybody. And someone can be a lap behind and it doesn't matter. Oh, it doesn't matter. They're in the water. They're in the water. And they're moving. It's just all of it. It's really nice. Good. So that's where your first real focus will be as far as swimming. And then, well, I'm sure you have so many things going on at the same time. Track and Field is usually early in the year. So that's in June. So how many participants in Track and Field events? It can be anywhere from 70 to 95. Wonderful. Depending on the year. And where will Track and Field be held this in 23? We're finalizing Burlington High School, which has hosted us for the last 24 years. Yes. And their outdoor facilities, you know, thankfully are intact. And everything is... That's a nice track and everything over there. We have a lot of support from not only the teams, but the coaches too in the area. Fantastic. Several of the high school coaches come and will work as volunteers. I didn't realize that, which is fabulous. That's what I love about Burlington. You were talking about the good things, and I was thinking about just getting together today. And a big part of a healthy society is people contributing in ways beyond their work and volunteering. And the truth is, there's so much of that going on. That is just really nice to highlight. It brings it out. That's exactly what's going on. Right. That's why I thought, oh, it would be wonderful to be able to have you here representing Vermont's New Games, because it is community vitality at its finest. And a lot of people aren't aware of so many of the things. And you talk about volunteer opportunities. When you volunteer, people don't realize how good it feels. Oh, yeah. And it's addicting. And it's so nice to be a part of that. And again, I think those opportunities have to present themselves to somebody, and then they realize it can open up a whole new world, new friendships, and on and on. And it does. Oh, absolutely. In one year at our track and field event, we had athletes from 12 states. Our events are all open to athletes from other states. So typically, people are from other states in all the different events, or is it certain sports? It's mostly Vermonters. Right. But there are people from other states, and there are people who are doing national games in every single state in the country. That's their goal. That's their goal. Yes, of course. And you talked about, it felt like the Olympics, the national, every other year, our state event is a qualifier for the national games. Right. And the national games are held in different places around the state, around the country, and we have 12 to 14,000 athletes attending. So this is an opportunity to compete at a high level, at a very high level of competition. And that level that you provide and continues on throughout, you know, other states, that professionalism is so wonderful to have as we get older and know that there's so much caring and compassion and structure for events that we are a part of. You know, instead of it's not like, you know, years ago where you just kind of could throw something together and have fun, this is, you know, that the organized part of it allows you to really be competitive and feel good about what you can, your goals and what you can do next year and other opportunities that exist. So it just, it sounds like there's a chance for people to do. You have a lot of athletes that go with a few different events, sports, or is it typically people that stick with a pickleball player? No, for the most part, they're, for the national level, they're stuck, they're one or two sports. Some cycling, some swimming, some triathlon athletes will cross. Over into some swimming, into both. And they've done very well. Vermont will typically send 65 to 75 athletes to the nationals. Or actually go. Great representation. Most of them, most of them, and it's all. They're competitive. I mean, I've seen the headlines. Yeah, we're, I think we've got 20, 20 goals. For such a small state, I mean, we have probably as many people in the whole state as some people have in their city. Oh, absolutely. I mean, you think about Albuquerque. I mean, there are a million people and we don't even have that in the entire state. And then we're out there, you know, representing for a pickleball and everything is just incredible, as far as the competition. So I have to put in a word for one of our board members. Please do. And this is Flo Meiler. Oh, yes. Just recently was the master's track and field athlete of the year. And they presented her that down in Orlando. Okay. And only because we're here talking to you, I can ask this, but how old is she? In her, she's 90. I wanted to tell a little bit of a story. Okay. 87. 87. I thought so. But she took her name forever. She took up track at 65. That's what I remember hearing. How remarkable. So what had she done prior to that? Was she always active? Tennis. Tennis? Oh, okay. She was a tennis player. She was actually a water skier down in Cyprus Gardens as a youth with her husband. Oh, my goodness. You know, the people that stack on top. Yes, yes. That was Flo. She grew up on a dairy farm, didn't she? Yeah, over in Platsburg area. But I mean, a wonderful spokesperson, willing to do everything. And the athletes that come in, like, I was at the track this year officiating. And of course, Flo will do 10 different events at 87 years old. But she's also more than willing to help any athlete try a different event. Isn't that beautiful to have? The same thing that Barb Jordan did for her, she does for everybody else. And that's the beauty of... Whether it's pole vaulting at 87, or javelin, and it said, you've never thrown a javelin? Come here. I'll show you how it's done. What an opportunity, though. Oh, yeah. And life-altering. I mean, it truly is. I think about, you know, the fact, as I mentioned, I'd really love to get involved in. I'm certainly not going to be, you know, Flo, you know, with the pole vaulting. But I still just have that camaraderie and the fun that comes with the competition and, you know, trying new things. At this age, you kind of think, oh, I do what I do, and this is it. Well, no. I mean, there's all sorts of opportunities. There is. It's never too late. And she lives it. Right. Yeah. She's walking proof that that can be done. She won more medals at the National Senior Games than any other athlete of the 12,000 athletes or 14,000 athletes. I mean, it just gives me chills. I mean, it's such a beautiful life. Yeah. What an example. It's hard. Oh. She works out six days a week. Right. So it's not easy. It's not as though she just shows up for any event, that's for sure. And that's Flo's thing. She likes doing that. We have other senior athletes that have never tried the javelin and, you know, haven't been active for 30 years since their high school or college days or whatever. Oh, good for them. Yeah. Or a friend just asked them to compete. Sure. They go up and they try it, but our eligibility is 50 and up. Okay. And then when they do their competitions, it's within your age range. So 50 to 54 is an age group. Okay. And is it always five-year increments? 55 to 59. So it's five years all the way up through. Great. And that's good too. It gives you, you know, certainly a great chance. It's not like a, you know, can you remember like when you're 50, you're thinking that you're sold, but I mean, a 50 competing, unless if it's Flo competing with a 75-year-old might be, you know, a little challenging. But to know that you truly have those age groups versus even 10-year span helps a lot. Right. But how exciting. I mean, what are the two of you involved in for the actual sports? Do you get a chance to participate in anything as well as run the show? I've done tennis, track and field and golf. Oh, wonderful. So in golf, again, that kind of rotates throughout the state. We're trying to pick, it has been. We try and pick a course that we can stay for two, three, four years so people sort of get used to it. Get to know the course. We were at Nesha Bay and they were very generous and it's a beautiful course. So beautiful. And last year we were at Middlebury and the head pro, his kids are actually national level quality golfers. It's impressive. And will it be back at Middlebury? Back at Middlebury. Wonderful. And will you be, are you going to be participating? Oh, good. Good, good. Our game, we have a sport coordinator for each sport. Yes. And Kevin is our golf sport coordinator and the sport has grown tremendously. We went from 11, 12 when I first entered it to we had 35 last time. Oh, that's fabulous. And that's only going to obviously continue to grow because, you know, golfing, it tends to, you know, there are a lot of people, thankfully, that are 50 and above that play a lot of golf. And Middlebury is a great experience. I mean, there are venues. Oh, yes. Try and pick venues one for the quality of the facility, but also the quality of the volunteers. Oh, good point. And the people that are involved. Right. It would be nice to move it around every year, but it's also very hard to have that continuity and create a real high quality event. Right. And there are moving parts about, you know, somebody traveling to that area, just the accommodations and everything if they are coming from another state. Right. We had a guy from Texas who had probably three or four other states represented in golf. That is just fabulous. I had no idea that it went out, you know, drew from outside the state. I didn't realize that. That's exciting. The only one that really draws big from out of state is basketball. So that sort of skews our out of state numbers. Right. Right. And it's also a team event. Yes. Probably less than 10% of it. But still, I mean, just the fact that that exists and that that, you know, can be done is, is helpful for the exposure for the state of Vermont. And Vermonters can go to New Hampshire or Massachusetts or New York. And is there a lot of that? A lot of the athletes that you know do travel. Yes. I mean, if I wanted to qualify in track and field and I was busy the weekend they had it at Burlington, I can go to New Hampshire or Mass, qualify at their state. Wonderful. Do all states have ... And the other pieces ... Oh, go ahead, Kevin. If a New Hampshire guy comes in Vermont and he finishes higher than me in golf, he gets to qualify for New Hampshire, but he doesn't display, displace a Vermonter in qualifying for Nationals. Oh, I see. So they would go down through and ... It's a great plan. Yeah. That, I think. Absolutely. And I didn't realize till just now, like the schedule here would be good if we could just show this because it ... Or the sports are. This is an old schedule, but it's ... But still, like a racquetball, I didn't know. Is that still ... We do that and it's not real popular, but there's a whole group that ... Maybe that's what I'll sign up for. And we do that in combination with New Hampshire. Oh, interesting. Is that River Valley Club? Do you go there or ... Don't remember where they go. We go wherever the New Hampshire senior games is. Oh, I see. Okay. Honestly, I'm not even sure where it was last year. I thought it was Manchester. Right. That area is beautiful. But so basketball, table tennis, power walk, Cornhole, is that popular? We tried Cornhole twice last year and the year before. Yeah, not so much. And we didn't get enough to really run a tournament. No, good try on that one. There are way more than 14 events run at the national level. If a group comes to us and they really want us to get involved with offering a new sport, we'll totally work with them. We tried with Cornhole for a couple of years. And our sense is if there's not a real interest and a real ... You have a lot of other things you can be focused on. Right. When bowling and archery at different points, some of the more individual sports that ... It used to be pretty big. Yeah. And it's funny. I was just talking to somebody. A little plug here for spare time with the Provost family has done an amazing job over there as far as expanding. But they are book solid with leagues every night. I mean, they're ... Yeah. It's a big bowling community. It is. Right. And it's a funny ... I mean, that sport goes back 70 years for being a fun thing to do. Here it still is. All these years later is impressive, you know? It really is because so many other sports, as we know, they come and go. So ... There's fewer bowling facilities. Yes. I know. I'm sure they're ... Right there. Because I know I was involved in Special Olympics for a while and that bowling was a huge ... Piece of that. And then so many of the ... I know they don't like to call them bowling centers, but bowling alleys or whatever. But I mean, now it's more of an experience. But there are not that many, you're right, so many clothes during the last 50 years or so. A lot of them have come and gone. But it's a great game. It's a great sport. Oh, it is. It's a great social ... Exactly. I mean, it hits all the buttons. So just ... So you think that might come back at some point? We didn't get a great turnout for that. I think that was bowling at the national level. There is. Oh. And I think there might be candlepin and tenpin. Interesting. Candlepin. I've heard that a long time. All those people in Maine, you know? That's right. Or it used to be down at the Y back in the day where they have candlepins ... Set your own pins up. Yeah. Down in the basement. Yeah. Didn't they have candlepin at the St. John's Club? Or they had an ... Ethan Allen Club. Oh, okay. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, that was popular. I've never done that of you. I have. Oh. Massachusetts. I used to have them. No. Small ball. Oh, yeah, yeah. Chuck them. So what's your favorite sport, Betsy? Oh, I don't compete in any sport. No. And it's funny. I just got involved with this. You know, my background is in recreation. Exactly. You're so active. It started in the 80s. It used to be a one-day event at Castleton State University. Speaking of history. Yeah. Unbelievable. Yes. I mean, she was a prof there, and she had her students, her admin students, did this as part of their curriculum. Oh, what a great activity. All these different sports were happening. The governor would come. There'd be 250 athletes, and it was a one-day deal. So I've been doing that since the 80s, late 80s. So you have seen a lot of changes. I was doing horseshoes was my specialty at the senior games. And first, and I was going down to officiate horseshoes. I had to look it up. I had no idea. And I got down there, and they're shooting more than 50% ringers. I mean, a lot of our sponsors went to Arizona and Florida for the summers, and then they came back for the winters, and then they came back, and they would play, and they totally knew how to play horseshoes. So I had to up my game, and it was great. Watching those YouTube videos. Yeah. Same people come back every year. We have three guys that come from Montreal. Oh, beautiful. Of course, for two years they couldn't come. One of them was in the 90s. Yep. And it was so nice to see them. It's like, oh, you're back. Exactly. It's like a family. I mean, just one great big family, which is, you know, such a gift to be able to have it thriving, you know, in many states, but obviously a little partial to Vermont here in the sense of the percentage of people that are involved. And I know we have a large senior population, but for years and years, it wasn't as active as it obviously can be and is now. Well, it's interesting because in 19, in 2010 or 2009, I received a survey from the folks who were running senior games. So it's, we're talking 2010. They had been running them since 1983, right? So they had been running them for 40 years. And the survey was, we're getting real tired. We're thinking this isn't relevant anymore. And bless them truly for having been involved for that long to build that foundation. 40 years. But we're thinking that it's not really that important anymore and we should just let it go by itself. Sure. Oh, that. And I remember seeing that and thinking, how can that be? Because people are so much more active than they were 40 years ago. Exactly. And Don Shellerin came to town from Delaware. Yes, yes, sir. He had been running senior games in Delaware. I remember. And I ended up at the Charlotte Senior Center where my friend was the director for lunch and to talk about senior games. And Don was there with his wife. And after lunch, he said, well, I'll get involved with this and I'll do this if you do this. And that's how I got back involved in 2010. And we, the board was Rutland based at that point. And so we worked with them and they were all like, you want to do this? This is fabulous. So. What a turning point though. How pivotal. Yeah. It could have gone away. It could have gone away in 2010. That's heartwarming, truly. And thank you both. I mean, we're coming through. And there's still opportunities within that. You know, you look at the USDA in some of those things. But that's not necessarily for everybody either. Where I think the senior games really caters towards the whole range, not just the competitive piece. Right. And people like Flo that are willing to help some newbie come right in who hasn't been active in 30 or 40 years. You can't find that just anywhere. I mean, that feeling of being welcome and, you know, accepted and again, kind, loving, caring, sharing. It's all about, you know, thriving in a community. And what better way than what it does for you? I mean, the benefits are endless as we know. And again, as I mentioned, what a gift to be able to. Our motto is really fun, fitness and fellowship. Oh, I love it. I love it. Yeah. So not even the competition. Exactly. In terms of our motto. Sure. And yet we have very elite athletes. Oh, absolutely. But everyone's welcome. Right. So nobody would feel as though I'm not good enough for that by any means. Right. Right. Well, we are going to wrap up here in a minute, which I can't believe it just flies by. Is there anything in particular that you just want to be able to mention? Any call outs? I mean, four volunteers, perhaps, or would they go to the website? We can always use volunteers. Okay. And what is the website address? It's spelled out. RemindsSeniorGames.org. Spelled out. Okay. All lowercase doesn't matter. Should be at the bottom of your screen. Perfect. Perfect. Oh, there we go. There you go. Excellent. Who's that? It's Bernie Berg. He's in his 80s and playing tennis. Oh. It's Charlie Smith on the left. Yes. Officiating long jump. Oh, my goodness. There's sprints from the track and field that you see coming through at Burlington High School. Oh. This is a triathlete that do very, very well on the national level, as well as the state level. Castleton is one of our partners for cycling and for basketball. And they're one of the ones that integrate the student work for the PE majors. See that? That model is so perfect. Whether it's strong, it's good for them. Oh. This was golf at Nesha B a couple years ago. Nice. There's your pickleball. There it is. That could be your jam coming up soon. Hopefully I'm going to be on the next year when we're sitting here. I'd love to be able to say that that's me. If you're registering for pickleball, register early. That's what I can imagine. It's our largest event. We had over 160 competitors. Oh, I love it. And, you know, many of them doing multiple events. It's three days. It's run at Letty Park and Colchester Airport Park. I've seen Miller as well. Miller Center as well. Miller Center, yes. I did look at the Miller Center. It has some drop-ins in January. So I was going to try that. Oh, yeah. You can get a punch card, too, for that. That's what I was reading. Yeah, I love it. And so people, as far as the company's pickleball, they could just come in as themselves. They don't have to have a partner. They don't have to have a, you know. For pickleball and for tennis, we have singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Okay. So it's over three days. And so you can choose. In pickleball, there are lots more double players than singles. Yes. Both men and women singles. Right. On the first day of the event. So in terms of shouting out, I really wanted to mention that exponentially our exposure has improved with Vermont Blue Advantage. Yes. Commercials are good. Not only are the commercials, which is what you saw, but behind the scenes, financially. Oh. Board members. What a collaboration. Wonderful. Oh, how many on your board? It's a great fit. 12. Good question. 12. That's sizable. And it's grown. And we've had some athletes just volunteering and saying, you know, I'd like to be on the board. And that speaks volumes to the organization. And you don't have to be on the board. You can volunteer for your sport or something like that. There's different ways to be involved. Well, I'm spreading the word. Find a way. Yeah. I'm going pretty big mouth. So I'm going to try to get to be myself included. There's one of those ways. Yes. I know the. Oh, I'm so thankful that I know it's a busy time of year for everybody. And I can't thank you enough for being here with us. And as our season kicks off, we'd love to come back and have an athlete or two. Oh, absolutely. You can pick your brain and think. Okay. Absolutely. I would love that. Get Maggie back here too. We need to hear from her. Good. Well, again, thank you both so very much. And at least I know we'll be together again. You know, probably at a different event and back here again as well. Awesome. Thank you. My pleasure. Okay. Thank you.