North Dakota Senior Games Brings Crowd To Fargo
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Here at the North Dakota Senior Games both men and women 50 and up are competing to have a chance to win to go to Nationals.
“Yeah, we have a ton of doubles this year so I’m just excited to see. We have like over a hundred pickleball athletes. So seeing those doubles players, especially those mixed doubles, I think it’s so fun to see men and women play against each other and be competitive. I think that is a lot of fun.”
While it is also known as the Senior Games, they want you to know that this is something that you can celebrate being active for.
“So I think sometimes people are like oooh, Senior Games. I don’t want to be called a senior and really that just means 50 and older. So if you are 50 and older, we would love for you to come out and participate. It’s just a great way to stay active, stay in shape and to keep our bodies healthy. “
Alice Tym, a former college and amateur tennis player who was ranked No. 13 in the world in the mid-1960s, is one of the many players playing pickleball today. Her goal is to win Gold.
“I’ve come to North Dakota because I want to win a Gold Medal in every state. And I’m down to five states and North Dakota was one of them.”
Tym has played all over the world including in Spain and Germany. She takes playing sports as her daily part of her life.
“This is part of a lifestyle. Otherwise you just sit around and watch TV and talk to your friends about your bowels and that sort of thing. And you know you don’t really want to be that old person that isn’t getting the most out of life.”
Now that the North Dakota Senior Games are back, the games’ popularity seems to be stronger than ever.
“Quite a few years ago, North Dakota was the only state that did not have a Senior Games. So a group of people worked really hard to find a group of people that was willing to put it on.”
The North Dakota Senior Games will continue until tomorrow with pickleball, a 5k race, and swimming. The winners of these games will qualify to go to the National Senior Games in Des Moines, Iowa on July 24-August 4, 2025.
