GeezerJock Magazine announces year age group winners
In
its winter issue, GeezerJock, the first Masters sports and
fitness magazine to cover the spectrum of competitive
athletics for people 40 and over, unveils the winner of the
inaugural Michelob ULTRA GeezerJock of the Year Award --
Bill Collins, a 54-year-old sprinter from Houston. The
award recognizes supreme achievement in Masters athletics,
which is defined as organized athletics for men and women
over 40 years of age.
Despite being at the older end of his age bracket, Collins
swept the men's 50-54 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter
races at both the 2005 USA Masters Outdoor Track and Field
Championships in Honolulu and the 2005 World Masters Games
in Edmonton, Alberta. "The voters and the editorial staff at
GeezerJock believe that Bill Collins represents the best
that Masters sports has to offer," said Sean Callahan, the
magazine's editor. "Not only is he a talented athlete, but
he's a big believer in the Masters movement. He has
embraced his sport's camaraderie and is quick to offer
advice and tips to his competitors."
Callahan added, "Selecting the GeezerJock of the Year was
difficult, because there were so many deserving choices. How
do you pick from nominees like Larry Raffaelli, a
62-year-old Los Angeles County lifeguard who not only is a
remarkable distance swimmer but is still participating in
life-saving rescues; or Ed Whitlock, a 74-year-old
marathoner who has broken the magical three-hour barrier; or
Haze Thompson, a woman who at age 60 discovered that
she has a talent for cycling and is breaking age group
records left and right?"
In addition to honoring the best overall Masters athlete,
the GeezerJock of the Year award program also recognizes the
GeezerJock Executives of the Year as well as 10 age-group
winners -- a male and female in each of five age categories:
40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80-plus.
The GeezerJock Executives of the Year, the association
leaders who have made the most significant contributions to
Masters athletics during the past year, are: Bill Bankhead,
CEO of the National Senior Games Association (NSGA), Baton
Rouge, La., and Phil Godfrey, COO of the NSGA.