Heron Point: The 2017 OlympiActs!

The Olympics, we know, come every four years. But at Heron Point, the Olympics come every year! On Thursday morning, June 8, buses began arriving early with the senior athletes from five other communities. Heron Point was the host for the 2017 OlympiActs, sponsored this year by BB&T.

The five traveling teams were from Lima Estates, Granite Farms Estates, Cokesbury Village, Country House, and Manor House. With Heron Point, that made six teams competing for the gold! There were eight sports plus one “brain game” for a total of nine events.

Wearing their “crab hats” with their clackers at the ready, Heron Point residents wait for the results at the closing ceremonies.

Spirits were high! Many people carried clackers or pom poms. Every athlete wore an OlympiActs t-shirt in their team colors. Heron Point’s shirts were blue while staff wore black t-shirts. Lima Estates even had a lion mascot to cheer for its team!

The sports (with Heron Point competitors) :

Walking Relay Race (John Henderson & Nancy Henderson),

Wii bowling (Cole Taylor)

Bocce (Jack Stenger & Tom Blum)

Billiards (Tom Fisher)

Anything Goes in the Pool (swimming) (Kent Kerbel & Bill Mohan)

Trivia (Mary Jane Mitchell & Sandy Durfee)

Corn Hole (Ed Tinucci & Wendy Johnson)

Table Shuffleboard (Pam Fisher)

Golf Putting (Bill Trakat)

The Walking Relay had a beautiful setting. Participants race-walked out and back Heron Point’s long dock. It’s a wonder that the contestants didn’t get distracted by the beautiful views of the Chester River. There’s even a shady gazebo with benches to further tempt them. But the relay teams were focused.

Each community could send two participants per sport, although in some of the events, some communities fielded only one athlete. The chosen athletes had already gone though various competitions and try-outs in their home communities.

The spirit of fun was obvious throughout the day. Everyone commented on how much this event brought back happy memories of Field Day from their school days. This was the second year that Heron Point has participated and Executive Director Garret Falcone said that it was already one of his favorite days. The participants, he said, were laughing and joking but became very serious when it was their turn to compete. They take it seriously, he said, then laughed and added, “It’s cut-throat out there!”

Heron Point has a new 6-hole course for golf putting. The course was installed just a few weeks before the OlympiActs. They already had a pool, Bocce field, and a billiards room.

OlumpiAct medals await the winning competitors.

The day began with opening ceremonies where the Olympic “flame” was lit. (It was a clever mini-fan concealed in a base that blew wind onto the gold paper “flame”, making it flutter. The day ended with a traditional awards presentations. Medals on blue ribbons – just like the Olympics! – were hung around each winner’s neck. Falcone was pleased that every community had a winner in at least one of the nine events.

Brian Donathan Communications Manager), Garret Falcone Executive Director of Heron Point), Kim

Heron Point opened in 1991 and, since 2010, has been an affiliate of Acts Retirement-Life Communities, headquartered in Philadelphia. Acts-Retirement-Life communities is the world’s largest not-for-profit organization of residential continuing care organizations. It runs 22 senior communities in eight states with over 9000 residents.