Erik and I recently judged the 19th Anaheim Senior Olympics, an event we’ve been invited to for about 8 years. The city of Anaheim sponsors the Senior Olympics for a large range of activities, from archery to surfing to billiards, and of course ballroom dancing. It’s a wonderful way to promote staying healthy and active for seniors. In conjunction with the city, Mrs. Barbara Wally, former USA Dance president of the Orange County chapter and professional Ms. Samantha Potter organize the event each year. The program is so well planned, it really makes the couples feel the excitement of dancesport competition. There is a professional ballroom DJ, as well as beautiful medals for those placing 1st-3rd, and our judging panel is rounded out by the fantastic veteran judge and dancer, Nick Cotton, former 4 times U.S. 10 Dance Champion and World 10 Dance Finalist. Family and friends are in the audience cheering on the dancers during their performances providing an energetic atmosphere in the ballroom.  Rudy Hernandez, professional instructor and owner of RMH Dance along with his wife Maria, was the outstanding DJ for this evening’s competition. Their studio brought several couples who danced in the rounds, scoring many of the top placements. Dale Emerman, was the MC and scrutineer. Dale is well known in the ballroom world not only as a former U.S. Pro-Am Latin champ, but also as the owner of Notably Unique, supplier of ballroom goods. The evening ended with demonstrations from three West Coast Swing couples who will be competing in the Master’s Division at the U.S. Swing Open Thanksgiving weekend.

Year after year, we see many of the same faces, and it is an accomplishment in itself to see that these couples are maintaining their fitness level and vitality. Impressively, some of the couples enter in 10 or more events--enough to give younger folks a run for their money in the endurance department! The most rewarding part of observing these seniors is watching how much they are enjoying ballroom dancing. There are two ages categories: the Senior division for ages 50-64 and the Grand Senior for 65+. One of the winning dancers of the night was in her 90s!

In the younger “Senior” division, one of the stand out couples of the was Kevin & Cheryl White. The Whites were cheered on by their coaches, Joe & Sarah Swallow, with whom they’ve been studying for 3 years. They danced in both the rhythm and smooth division and took first in their events. Making their achievement even more impressive is that Kevin received a hip replacement only 6 months ago!

In the Grand Senior division were veteran competitive couple, Donald and Joyce Radesky. One would hardly believe they would be considered “Grand Seniors” by watching their graceful and fluid movements and challenging choreography. The Radeskys compete in both styles, but their focus is on the smooth dances, which they’ve been studying together for over a decade. We’ve seen them at other competitions before and their dedication to their refining and polishing their presentation is evident in improvement we see each year.

Taking dance lessons is not a requirement in preparing for the Senior Olympics. Some of the participants clearly learned to dance in their younger years and have enjoyed this skill throughout their lives. Even without formal lessons, these dancers still approach the event with a competitive spirit and desire for fun. Dressed in their finest dance apparel, having practiced together frequently in the weeks before the event, they take to the floor, spinning and gliding with smiles, radiating the joy they feel from dancing to all the spectators. Admittedly, it is sometimes a challenge to judge this group, as often timing and proper technique are less defined but rather style and ease of movement are strong suits. Nevertheless, the genuine enjoyment the dancers show from being on the floor makes one realize that ballroom dancing is an activity to for all ages and stages of life. We are looking forward to next year’s 20th anniversary of celebrating seniors who dance!