Photo courtesy of National Senior Games/Zachary A.M. Kelly.
More than 330 archers age 50 and older are scheduled to compete in the 2017 National Senior Games archery events at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex June 4-11.
Nearly 500 athletes age 50 and older from across the country are headed to Hoover in June to participate in the 2017 National Senior Games.
Birmingham is the primary host city for the June 2-15 national games, but some of the events are in Hoover, Columbiana, Homewood, Pelham, Vestavia Hills and unincorporated north Shelby County. More than 10,000 senior athletes are expected in total.
The Hoover Metropolitan Complex is the site for two events — archery and race walking.
Around 250 men and 75 women are expected to pull back their bows in archery contests on the soccer fields next to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. They’re coming from 42 states and participating in five events: barebow compound, barebow recurve, compound fingers, compound release and recurve.
Practice for the archery events is June 3, and the competitions run June 4-11.
More than 85 men and at least 60 women from 36 states and the District of Columbia are registered for the 5,000-meter race walk in the stadium’s parking lot June 6. Senior Games organizers have laid out a 0.62-mile course, with walkers making five rounds on the loop, which goes back-and-forth in front of the stadium.
“It’s going to be fantastic,” said Michael McGreevey, chairman of the local organizing committee for this year’s Senior Games. The fields next to the Hoover Met will make a great setting for the archery, and the parking lot provides plenty of space for race walking, he said.
There also is a 1,500-meter race walk on the track at Samford University June 8. Most of the events are in Birmingham at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, Uptown District, Birmingham CrossPlex, Linn Park and Birmingham-Southern College. Admission is free.
For a complete list of events with dates, times and locations, go to nsga.com.
‒ Jesse Chambers contributed to this report.