Sports

Bed-Stuy Senior Swimmers Win Big at Competing Games

The "Splashers" bring home 17 gold, silver and bronze medals at the Empire State Senior Games


It's not often you hear of someone past age 50 winning a gold medal in swimming.

But the Splashers, a group of senior swimmers from Bed-Stuy, just won several!

From June 2 - June 9, The Splashers headed north to Cortland, NY, to compete in the Empire State Senior Games. Sponsored by the Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA, the Splashers boarded a bus supplied to them by City Councilman Al Vann, to head to the annual games. And out of 40 total entrants in swimming, the Splashers brought home 5 medals!

But that's not all: They also won medals in bowling, track & field and orienteering -- that's 17 gold, silver and bronze medals total!  

We have been a very strong participating group," said Betty Jones, a senior who joined the Splashers 8 years ago, a year after the Splashers formed. "I've been wanting to learn how to swim, I couldn't swim. And my friend at the YMCA said, 'Come on down, you'll be swimming in two weeks!'

"We thought of the name 'Splashers,' because we weren't swimming at first, we were just splashing around!"

Then, most recently, this past winter the same group of swimmers enrolled in a 10-week bowling program through the Stuyvesant Senior Center.

"Everyone loved it," said Jones. "It was something anyone could do and we continued after the allotted time. So our group decided we could do this in competition. Everyone (hesitantly) agreed, and amidst lots of fun and cheering on, we brought home the medals!"  

Jones emphasized how the Bed-Stuy Y has been a great source of encouragement in healthy eating, exercising and just socializing with a great friendly group. As a part of the Y's programming the Splashers also raise money year-round to give back to the Strong Kids Campaign.

In fact, the Splashers' motto, written on the back of their black-and-yellow team jackets says, "Yesterday's Strong Kids." 

"Because we are yesterday's kids," said Jones with a chuckle.


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