FORT SMITH (KFSM) - An estimated 200 seniors from across the River Valley will be competing in Fort Smith on Friday (July 17) as the 32nd annual senior olympics gets underway.
It's all about a little friendly competition between the athletes. A total of thirteen different nursing homes participate in this every year. Anywhere from five to twenty residents per nursing home come out and compete.
The senior athletes won't be caught wearing any old jersey, each nursing home dresses up in a theme.
They will compete for gold by doing a series of events that include wheel chair races, bean bag toss, and shot putt. Each participant earns a medal for attending, then a larger medal and trophy going to the lucky winners of each event and category.
The athletes have been hard at work getting ready for the big event by practicing the different events around home. "It's a fun way to get the community together and let them compete on everything they already do," said Brooke Whitworth with Pink Bud Nursing Home.
The event is free of charge.