Sarasota swimmers set records on opening day of 2015 Florida Senior Games
CLEARWATER – A pair of Sarasota swimmers each established three age group records on the opening day of the 2015 Florida Senior Games in Clearwater. Rudy Vazmina and Keefe Lodwig glided through the Long Center Pool with Vazmina winning setting records in the 65-69 age group and Lodwig in the 70-74 age group.
Vazmina, who is swimming in the 65-69 age group for the first time in the 2015 Games, set records in the 50 and 100 breaststroke and 100 butterfly. His times in the 50 and 100 yard breast, topped records set by Melbourne’s Edward Nessel, who set new marks in the same two events in the 70-74 age group.
Lodwig, who bested the previous 500 yard freestyle record by over a minute, earned All-American status for the Nebraska Cornhuskers swim team in the 1965-66 year and was named the 2008 Cornhusker State Games Male Athlete of the Year. He also set records in the 200 freestyle and 100 IM.
Roxanne Olmstead, of The Villages, broke a 20 year old record in the 100 yard butterfly with a time of 1:38.47 to win the 65-69 age group gold medal. Her time topped Jean Troy’s record set in 1996. While Troy, from Sun City Center, was being knocked out of the record book for her two decade old mark, she set records in the 85-89 age group in the 200 freestyle and 100 IM.
Swimming continues Sunday at 10:00 a.m. with eight events at the Long Center in Clearwater.
Roy Packard led a trio of Lakeland shuffleboard gold medal winners, claiming his fifth gold medal since 2008 in men’s singles. His first gold in 2008 was in the 50-54 age group and he won the 60-64 age group medal today. Packard was men’s singles silver medalist at the 2015 National Senior Games.
Stan Tredway and Craig Stein also won gold medals for the second consecutive year, Tredway in the 55-59 age group and Stein in the 70-74 age group. Packard and Stein paired to win a 2015 National Senior Games men’s doubles gold medal in the 60-64 age group.
Also joining the shuffleboard gold medal winners was 94-year old, Paul Allaire, of Clearwater. Shuffleboard continues with doubles competition Sunday at the Clearwater Shuffleboard Club beginning at 9:00 a.m.
With an easterly gusting wind blowing across the field at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex, St. Petersburg’s Jack Cason, set a new record in the 80-84 age group in the compound release event with a score of 808. Steve Snider, of Vero Beach, fought off the wind to record the day’s highest score of 851 to win the compound release gold medal in the 50-54 age group.
The Clearwater Aces 70+ Men’s Volleyball team won their 17th consecutive Florida Senior Games gold medal winning four matches in a span of six hours at the Long Center. The Aces defeated the Florida Fun Volleyball team for the 70+ gold medal and also beat two 65+ teams in pool play.
The Men’s Singles Tennis 70-74 age group has a talented group remaining in the semifinal matches to be played Sunday at The Innisbrook Resort and Spa. The 2013 and 2014 gold medalists remain along with the 70-74 Men’s Doubles champions from 2014. The 2013 gold medalist James Robertson, of The Villages, meets doubles champion Jay Bortner, of Valrico, in one semifinal while the 2014 gold medalist Julian Rainwater, of Jacksonville, meets Bortner’s doubles partner Barry Shollenberger, also of Valrico. The semifinals begin at 10:00 a.m. with the gold medal match scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
Schedule for Sunday, December 6
Bowling (Singles) – Seminole Lanes, 9:00 a.m.
Racquetball – Richey Racquet, 9:00 a.m.
Shuffleboard (Doubles) – Clearwater Lawn Bowls & Shuffleboard Complex, 9:00 a.m.
Tennis (Singles) – Innisbrook Resort, 9:00 a.m.
Volleyball (Women) – The Long Center, 9:00 a.m.
Swimming – The Long Center, 10:00 a.m.
Team Bowling (M/W Teams) – Seminole Lanes, 12 Noon
Results from the 2015 Florida Senior Games will be updated daily and can be found at https://events.clearthunder.com/FSG2015. Click the “Results” link at the bottom of the page and choose from the events and sports. Individual athletes can be searched by name and by city and county. A daily wrapup of featuring athlete accomplishments will be sent out daily.
The 2015 Florida Senior Games are a program of the Florida Sports Foundation, which serves as the state’s lead organization in promoting and developing Florida’s Sports Industry. The 2015 Games are being held in conjunction with the St. Pete/Clearwater Sports Commission and the City of Clearwater Parks and Recreation Department.
