New Mexico seniors lace up skates for Winter Games in Santa Fe

For athletes ages 50 and older, it's time to start limbering up in preparation for the New Mexico Senior Olympics Winter Games to be staged in Santa Fe on Feb. 23-26. And for some, it will be time to put on the pads and lace up the skates.

Although the state has conducted Summer Games since 1979, this is only the second edition of the winter version, the first occurring last year, also in Santa Fe.

Thirteen sports will be contested next month at five locations, winners qualifying to compete in the biennial National Senior Olympics in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2027. For athletes who don't qualify for nationals while in Santa Fe, the Summer Games in Las Cruces on June 17-21 will offer a mulligan.

Competitors have until Jan. 23 to register for next month's Winter Games, with a fee of $60 for up to five sports. Athletes will vie for gold medals in age brackets from 50-54 through 95-99, plus 100 and older. The list of sports and sign-up information is below.

This winter, a special emphasis is being placed on expanding interest in ice hockey, which will be played at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center.

"Last year in the Games we had two teams, mostly with players based in Santa Fe, and they played in an exhibition with the winner getting a gold medal," said Mark Randall, who competed in that exhibition with the gold-medal-winning No Regretskys and is helping to recruit others to play this year.

“We now have four teams registered — from Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Albuquerque team and Taos. There are about 35 players registered so far."

The format calls for Team 1 to play Team 2, and then for Team 3 to face Team 4 in a pair of games, each consisting of two 20-minute periods with a running clock. The winners will tangle in the final.

Randall said he expects to reach his goal of having 50 players on board "regardless of where they live" to help fill the benches. And the competition isn't just for men. There were four women on each team in last year's play.

Albuquerque's newly created squad will be known as the Wrinkled Wristers.

"We have just about a full roster; I am waiting on a couple of people to register and that could be tomorrow," Hal Halliday said Wednesday. He played in last year's exhibition and is in charge of rounding up skaters for Albuquerque's team.

"Right now we have four women on the team and possibly will have five. Some of them are really, really good. They have experience playing in college."

The team is sponsored by Taylor Garrett Whiskey, which is helping with jersey purchases.

“The four teams are made up of recreational adult league hockey players of diverse skills," Halliday said. "The games will be competitive, but they will be fun and recreational above all.”

And although checking is not allowed, that doesn't mean there won't be contact.

“We'll have some good players, but they won't exert their dominance," Halliday said. "They'll push around each other and it will be a competitive, fun game."

Winter Games sports

In addition to ice hockey, there will be air gun competition, badminton, billiards, cornhole, frisbee throw, pickleball, powerlifting, shuffleboard, swimming, table tennis, tai chi, and basketball skills (free-throw shooting and 3-point shooting).

To register online, go to nmseniorolympics.org or call 1-888-623-6676 for information. Also, in Albuquerque registration forms to mail in are available at the North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center on 3721 Carmel Ave NE.

For those who would like more information about joining one of the hockey teams, contact Randall at mrandall999@gmail.com.

Cody Martinez, sports director for the Winter Games, said: "I look forward to providing the seniors an opportunity to compete and connect with their fellow competitors. It is truly remarkable to watch seniors from all over the state of New Mexico and surrounding areas come together and compete at a high level."