ANDERSON — Nearly a month of activities and events are planned for the 2009 Senior Games which kick off Tuesday at the Rangeline Community Center in Anderson. The kickoff will include games, lunch and comments by a champion cyclist who will share his story about health and fitness.

Senior Games have been a part of east central Indiana for more than 20 consecutive years.

Adults 50 and over can sign up for $15 which includes admission to all events. It also includes a T-shirt, lunch, snacks at events, competitive events fees (there are extra fees for bowling and golf) and all of the fitness events. Plus, the cost includes a special 3G (3 Generations) 5K event on Oct. 3.

The fun will get under way at 9 a.m. Tuesday when shuffleboard singles kick off.

The opening ceremony will begin at 11:45 a.m. at the Rangeline Center with lunch for all attending at noon. The opening program will feature Jim Cartwright, a Muncie native and champion cyclist, who will share how he has remained fit and healthy through decades of grueling races.

Cartwright, 71, has more than 400 trophies in his attic, but he says that a fire within is what motivates him. He finished in the top 10 at the Muncie Endurathon at age 42 (his first Endurathon). “I went in wondering if I could finish. I didn’t know I had the endurance gene,” he said in a press release.

That “gene” enabled him to complete and compete in 23 races that were 24 hours in duration. He won various 12-hour and 24-hour races in the John Marino Competition for six consecutive years. At the 1999 United States Ultra-Marathon Cycling Association in Eldridge, Iowa, a worldwide event, he placed first in his age group by cycling 388 miles in 24 hours. He can still cycle more than 100 miles a day, despite experiencing health problems in the last few years.

Cartwright has previously competed at the Senior Games nationals in Texas, and he will share his story with the 2009 Senior Games competitors.

Opening-day events continue at 1 p.m. with euchre and then bocce ball from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

The Rangeline Community Center is located at 1405 N. Rangeline Road.

The events continue on Wednesday with shuffleboard singles at 9 a.m. That event is also at the Rangeline Center in Anderson. At 4 p.m. on Wednesday competitive horseshoes will be played at 4 p.m. in Baker Park in New Castle.

The Games then continue the following Wednesday, Sept. 9, with tennis at 10 a.m. at the Anderson Sports Center, 2700 Indiana Ave. On Thursday, Sept. 10, participants can enjoy or watch cycling from 9 a.m. to noon near the Prairie Creek Lake Beach House, at 6700 S. Delaware County Road 560 East. That afternoon (Sept. 10), the bowling competition will be held at 1 p.m. at Liberty Bowl, 1115 S. Liberty St., Muncie.

Then on Friday, Sept. 11, golf will be played beginning at 9 a.m. at Maplewood Golf Course southeast of Muncie at 4661 S. Delaware County Road 700 South.

Basketball spot shot will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Northeast YMCA, 3501 N. Chadam Lane, Muncie. A pickup half-court basketball game will follow.    

The final event in September will be the track and field competitions at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, at Yorktown High School track, 1100 S. Tiger Drive, Yorktown. The competition will include a softball throw. A lunch at noon for participants is included.

The closing event will be a 5K fun walk/run on Oct. 3 at Morrow’s Meadow in Yorktown. Participants are encouraged to bring along their families and enjoy the walk. A Make & Take Healthy Snack Workshop will follow.

To register or receive more information, call or visit LifeStream at 1701 Pilgrim Blvd. in Yorktown, 759-1121. Participants can also register on site up to one hour prior to any event. More information is also available by calling (800) 589-1121.

Tara Gerber, Aging and Disability Resource Center coordinator, is heading up the games. She encourages adults to try new activities and bring along friends and neighbors to enjoy the many Senior Games events.

The low fees, she noted, are made possible through sponsorship support.