Activities Keep Some Feeling Young at Heart
Shuffleboard?
Ho hum.
Checkers?
Gimme a break.
Well, how about softball, tennis and volleyball?
Orange County seniors can choose from among a wide variety of activities. Senior centers offer summer outdoor activities for everyone’s taste, whether looking to get some exercise or socialize.
“This is the way the world goes now,” said Nancy Herrmann, community services supervisor at the Mission Viejo Recreation Center. “Everything is so outdoor-oriented in Southern California and people are much more health conscious. We need to be aware of the choices available out there for seniors today. Many don’t realize what is available. “
For those not interested in lawn bowling, croquet or horseshoes, information on skydiving, bungee jumping or mountain climbing lessons is as close as the nearest Yellow Pages. For people looking to get outdoors, exercise and make new friends, help is only a phone call to the local senior or community center away.
Most cities now have recreation centers with planned outdoor activities for seniors and are getting bigger and more popular each day, Herrmann says. Activities are expanding, giving people choices from light exercise to competitive team sports.
“People today are more active than ever,” Herrmann said. “As people become seniors they will start to look for more activities that fit their lifestyle. They want to continue what they have been doing, but it may be necessary for them to decrease the level a bit.”
One of the most popular organized trends throughout the county, is walking. Large groups get together a few times a week and walk. It’s a good workout and enables people to socialize.
In Corona del Mar walkers get together every Friday morning for a three-mile trek. Some days they carpool to different areas to vary the routes. In Mission Viejo, seniors walk Wednesday mornings in Oso Park.
“It has the ambience of a natural setting,” Herrmann said. “There is a creek that runs through the park and it makes for a very beautiful, pleasant setting.”
For seniors who want to stay indoors, numerous malls throughout the county open their doors early, enabling walkers to window shop while they walk.
Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, Brea and the Mall of Orange, are open for early morning walks. They are available seven days a week, with no charge and most offer discounts in mall stores, as well as prizes for regular walkers. On occasion, guest speakers on health and nutrition visit.
“Although it’s opened up to everyone, over 85% of the participants are seniors,” said Jennifer Toth, the organizer for the Mall of Orange. “We have over 500 people signed up, but we get anywhere from 30 to 70 a day.”
As the temperatures rise, so does the urge to get in the pool and cool down. Swimming classes are available at recreation centers throughout the county, as well as aqua aerobics. Corona del Mar, Huntington Beach and Mission Viejo are among cities that offer water activities.
“Water aerobics give me a lot of exercise and I don’t have to worry about falling down,” joked Huntington Beach resident Mary Robart, 73. “I have always loved the water and this lets me enjoy the water and work out at the same time.”
Team sports are also popping up all over the county. Softball and volleyball leagues are available for seniors looking for the competitive spirit.
In Fullerton, Pat Trotter boasts two volleyball teams that compete with teams around Southern California, including Tustin, Buena Park and Cerritos. Rick Jennings, who organizes volleyball leagues around the county, coordinates the league for the county’s senior centers. Trotter hopes they will be able to include more teams this year.
“We have two different levels,” Trotter said. “There is one for those just interested in getting exercise and then we have a higher level for those who play competitively and still are active players.”
Corona del Mar has one of the larger senior centers in the county and offers everything from tennis to swimming, to oh yeah, shuffleboard.
Seniors can get together from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to play tennis at a nearby park. Or they can play shuffleboard at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays.
No matter what activity you’re looking for, no matter what age or physical ability, it’s out there. Local senior centers or city recreation departments have the information to find the activity that appeals to you.
Most centers welcome families or out-of-town visitors and the cost is usually minimal, if any.
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Senior Centers in Orange County
* ANAHEIM
Anaheim Independencia
10841 Garza
821-0460
Anaheim Senior Center
280 E. Lincoln
533-1981
Brookhurst Senior Center
2271 W. Crescent
535-8210
* BREA
Brea Senior Center
500 S. Sievers St.
990-7754
* BUENA PARK
Buena Park Senior Center
8150 Knott Ave.
562-3898
* CORONA DEL MAR
Oasis Senior Center
800 Marguerite
644-3244
* COSTA MESA
Costa Mesa Senior Center
695 W. 19th St.
645-2356
Jewish Community Center
250 E. Baker
755-0340
* CYPRESS
Cypress Senior Center
9031 Grindlay
229-6776
* DANA POINT
Dana Point Senior Center
34052 Del Obispo Rd.
496-4252
* FOUNTAIN VALLEY
Fountain Valley Seniors Club
16400 Brookhurst St.
775-2400
* FULLERTON
Fullerton Senior Center
340 Commonwealth Ave.
738-6305
Maple Senior Center
701 S. Lemon St.
738-3161
* GARDEN GROVE
H. Louis Lake Senior Center
11300 Stanford Ave.
741-5253
Indian Senior Center
12755 Brookhurst
530-0221
* HUNTINGTON BEACH
Rogers Senior Center
1706 Orange
724-6900
* IRVINE
Lakeview Senior Center
20 Lake
724-6900
Rancho Senior Center
3 Sandburg Way
724-6800
* LAGUNA BEACH
Senior Friendship Club
547 Catalina
494-6097
Laguna Beach Senior Center
384 Legion
497-2441
* LAGUNA HILLS
Laguna Hills Senior Center
24671 Via Iglesia
380-0155
* LAGUNA NIGUEL
Laguna Niguel Senior Club
27261 La Paz Rd.
362-2937
* LA HABRA
La Habra Senior Center
165 E. La Habra
(310) 905-9746
* LA PALMA
La Palma Seniors Club
7821 Walker
522-6740
* LOS ALAMITOS
Los Alamitos Seniors Club
10911 Oak St.
827-9010
* MISSION VIEJO
Oso Viejo Senior Center
24932 Oso Viejo Rd.
470-3063
* ORANGE
Friendly Center
147 W. Rose
771-5300
North Orange Senior Center
16561 E. Lincoln
998-4010
Orange Senior Center
170 S. Olive
538-9633
XYZ Club (Extra Years of Zest)
1616 S. Orange St.
532-6363
* PLACENTIA
Placentia Senior Citizens Club
143 S. Bradford
993-6084
* SAN CLEMENTE
San Clemente Senior Center
242 Avienda Del Mar
498-3322
* SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
San Juan Senior Club
32506 Paseo Adelanto
493-1171
* SANTA ANA
Asian American Senior Center
1720 Garry Ave., Ste. 203
660-0919
Santa Ana Senior Center
424 W. 3rd St.
547-5671
Southwest Senior Center
2201 W. McFadden
647-5306
Vietnamese Senior Center
1618 W. First St.
558-6009
* STANTON
Stanton Seniors Club
7800 Katella Ave.
379-9222
* TUSTIN
Tustin Senior Center
200 South C. St.
573-3340
* WESTMINSTER
Abrazar Senior Center
7107 Wyoming
893-3581
O.C. Japanese-American Assn.
9144 W. McFadden
893-1472
Westminster Senior Center
8200 Westminster Ave.
895-2878
* YORBA LINDA
Yorba Linda Senior Center
4701 Casa Loma Ave.
961-7185
Note: Phone numbers are 714 area code unless noted.
Compiled by MELANIE NEFF
