Going for the gold
Peter Becker Community holds Winter Olympics
Balloon volleyball was probably the most popular event at the Peter Becker Community Senior Winter Olympics 2018.
“They love balloon volleyball,” said Joe Monserrat, Peter Becker’s life enrichment coordinator.
This year’s Olympics included a balloon volleyball match between Ridgeview residents and residents of the personal care and health care sections, he said.
“It was a friendly competition. We had a lot of laughs. It didn’t really matter who won. There was a lot of laughter in this room.” Monserrat said. “Ridgeview got the gold,” he said, “although they did pop the balloon twice.”
Every two years, the Olympics are held at Peter Becker, turning the main auditorium into Olympic Terrace Stadium for a few weeks.
This year, opening ceremonies were Jan. 12 and closing ceremonies on Jan. 25.
A large net stretching from one side of the room to the other was used for balloon volleyball, Monserrat said.
Other activities included speed skating, Wii bowling, a snowball launch, curling, air hockey and a spelling bee.
The key idea behind the Olympics is engagement, not only in physical activities, but also intellectually, Monserrat said.
Another goal is uniting people of various abilities together, he said.
“We try to include everybody,” he said.
“Speed skating” doesn’t involve actual skating, he said.
“It’s a floor game,” he said.
The “skating” is done by poles with faces representing skiers. The participants roll a large dice and move their marker the number of spaces shown on the dice, Monserrat said.
“Curling” is done with a round disc on the floor, he said.
The snowball launch is done with catapults made by a Boy Scout troop, Monserrat said.
“You use rubber bands,” he said, “and the more rubber bands you use, the farther it goes.”
The “snowballs” are actually made of foam or fabric, he said.
“They look like snowballs, they feel like snowballs, but they’re not,” he said.
Wii bowling is another of the popular events, he said.
“They do that all the time,” Monserrat said.
About 40 Peter Becker residents took part in the Olympics, including dancers and others participating in the opening and closing ceremonies, he said.
There was also a balloon volleyball match against a team from Dock Meadows.
With this year’s Olympics being held in South Korea, the Becker Olympics included a chance to taste Korean and other ethnic foods, along with information about Korea.
At the start of the closing ceremonies, Monserrat pointed out each of the various country flags around the room, with audience members identifying the country represented by the flag.
“Good, you guys know your flags,” Monserrat said.
Although not a country on its own, Puerto Rico’s flag was also displayed. That was as a reminder of the devastation to the island from Hurricane Maria, Monserrat said.
With the close of the Winter Olympics, the kickoff for the annual Peter Becker Flower Show was taking place the next day, he said.
“We’re always doing something here,” Monserrat said. “Keeping busy, but they seem to really enjoy it.”
“Legendary Gardens” will be the theme for this year’s 35th annual Peter Becker Community Flower Show, which will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, March 15 and 16 and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 17.