Navy Veteran rolls high women’s singles bowling score at 2015 Florida Senior Games
CLEARWATER – Prior to the start of the 2015 Florida Senior Games singles bowling competition at Seminole Lanes Sunday morning, tournament director Bob Peters asked all military veterans to step onto the bowling platform to be recognized for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Only three women among the 124 on the lanes stepped on the platform.
Nancy Wroe, a Navy veteran from Port Charlotte, was one of the three and went on to roll the highest women’s score of the day to win the gold medal in the 60-64 age group.
Wroe’s three game total of 676 was 87 pins higher than the silver medalist and included game scores of 203, 205 and 268. During her seven years in the Navy, Wroe earned the All-Service Bowler of the Year in 1984, an award that spanned all branches of the military.
The high men’s score of the day was posted by Lakeland’s Stan Sprow with a 734 to win the 55-59 age group gold medal. He began the day with seven consecutive strikes in the first of three games, en route to a 277 in game one.
Sprow and his wife, Pam, each won three gold medals over the weekend, winning doubles medals yesterday and pairing together for a mixed doubles gold medal. Pam won the women’s singles 55-59 age group gold medal with a three game score of 646.
The final day of swimming at the Clearwater Long Center concluded with 16 Florida Senior Games age group records being broken and a total of 47 in the two days of swimming.
Sarasota’s Keefe Lodwig completed his sweep of six age group records in six events over the course of both days. The 72-year old former Nebraska University All-American swimmer swam the 100 yard freestyle in 58.74 to set the new record and become the first 70-74 age group swimmer to post a time under one minute. Lodwig also set new records in the 50 freestyle and 50 butterfly.
Pam Falcigno, of Naples, set records in the three events she swam Sunday to bring her weekend total to five in the 60-64 age group. Her record-setting time in the 200 IM was eight seconds faster than the previous record, set in 2011 by Patrice Hirr, of The Villages. Falcigno also set new marks in the 50 freestyle and 50 butterfly.
Larry Ardito, of Bonita Springs, won gold medals in all three racquetball events at Richey Racquet and won his fifth consecutive men’s singles gold medal winning the 65-69 age group. He teamed with Ken Drew, of Winter Haven, to win the 65-69 men’s doubles gold and with Lucy Ramsay, of Naples, for a mixed doubles gold.
Don Sperber, of Palm Beach, won his fifth men’s singles gold medal in six years, in the 75-79 age group. Sperber has now won gold medals in three different age groups dating back to a gold medal in the 65-69 in 2006.
Two Men’s Tennis singles age group gold medal matches went to tie-breaking sets and an age group champion won a second consecutive gold medal at the Innisbrook Golf Club and Resort. Daniel Beck, of Clearwater, defeated Alan Holden, of Winter Haven, 5-7, 7-5, 10-5 to win the 55-59 gold medal and John Steineman, of Ponte Vedra Beach, beat Jim Norfolk, of Kissimmee, 6-4, 3-6, 10-7, for the 60-64 gold medal.
Julian Rainwater, of Jacksonville, won his second consecutive 70-74 age group gold medal, defeating the 2013 gold medalist, John Robertson, of The Villages, 6-2, 6-2 in the finals. Rainwater was consistent in his winning ways, winning all three of his matches on the way to the gold medal by scores of 6-2, 6-2.
After a full weekend of sports, only two will be in action Monday as Table Tennis begins two days of competition at the Long Center with the 50-69 age groups. Men’s and women’s doubles tennis begins at the Innisbrook Golf Course and Resort for two days of matches.
Schedule for Monday, December 7
Table Tennis (50-69 age groups), The Long Center, 9:00 a.m.
Tennis (Doubles), Innisbrook Resort, 9:00 a.m.
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.
