Huntsman World Senior Games Active Life

Rob Henderson is dual-licensed recreation therapist and addiction counselor who specializes in behavioral health service delivery: both private practice and professional trainings and development. With a career spanning clinical, administrative, and academic roles, he has served communities across the South- and Mountain-West United States. Rob is the president and founder of four behavioral healt...

Rosemary “Rosy” Spraker is an accomplished marathoner, advocate, and mentor who found her passion for running in 2005 while raising funds for cancer research in honor of her late father. Growing up running in the Colorado mountains with six sisters and three brothers, she developed a love for endurance and competition. Inspired by Kathrine Switzer, Rosy is determined to complete 25 consecutive Bos...

This is part 2 of our conversation with Matt Blanchard. In this episode Matt describes what happened after a second car accident derailed his progress from the previous 15 years of recovery. He thrives in serving others in many ways, including through his organization St. George Adaptive Sports. Matt Blanchard is a Utah-based motivational speaker, devoted husband, and proud father of three. His jo...

Matt Blanchard is a Utah-based motivational speaker, devoted husband, and proud father of three. His journey is one of resilience, redemption, and the belief that life happens for him, not to him. In 2006, a rollover accident left Matt paralyzed from the waist down with a T-12 total spinal cord injury. Through relentless determination and daily therapy over a span of 15 years, he defied the odds a...

From as early as 6 years old, Paula Franetti had the dream to be in the Olympics to experience the thrill of being her very best. This far-reaching Olympic experience fostered an active childhood playing a variety of neighbor pick-up sports until women’s basketball became available in high school 10th grade. Paula’s life revolved around the pursuit of excelling at basketball both in high school an...

Sixty-six-year-old Yolanda Holder, also known as the “Walking Diva,” is a professional ultra-marathon walker and a two-time Guinness World Record holder for the “Most Marathons Completed in a Calendar Year.” She set her first record in 2010 by completing 106 marathons and ultras, then surpassed it in 2012 with 120. In 2019, she became the oldest person to achieve US Race Walk Centurion status (#94...

Former Army Ranger and member of the Special Forces, Dr. Alec Eror, is a cardiothoracic surgeon in St. George, Utah who is affiliated with multiple hospitals in Utah, including Intermountain Health St George Regional Hospital and Intermountain Health Utah Valley Hospital. He received his medical degree from Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine an...

Mort Friedman, 88, is a decorated senior athlete with an impressive career in bowling and softball. Over more than 30 years, he has earned 38 medals at the Michigan Senior Olympics, National Senior Games, and Huntsman World Senior Games. In 2023, he won three gold medals in bowling, setting a new state record in doubles. Despite his age, he competes at a high level, recently rolling a 227 game in...

Stan Swallow’s first bike race was in 1999 when 59 years old. He has been a dedicated cyclist since then.  He established a cycling group named the Utah Velo Club in 2003 at the request of a bike shop in American Fork, Utah.  He rides about 10,000 miles a year alone and with the club.  Rides range from 35 to 100 miles and include riders of all abilities, from teens to seniors.  Stan will chat with...

Carmen's 22-year journey in the Huntsman World Senior Games spans a wide variety of sports and teams, including softball, pickleball, bowling, and track and field. She has competed on multiple teams at the Games, and she has left a lasting impact on each one. Her track and field achievements include shot put, sprints, javelin, and standing long jump.  A pivotal 2010 moment, hitting a walk-off...

Starting her running journey in her early 20s, Elizabeth Bille signed up for a 5K charity race in Washington, D.C., despite never having run that far. The camaraderie and joy of the event hooked her, leading to her first half marathon with her husband, a triathlon in her mid-30s after her youngest child was born, 11 Ragnar races, numerous trail races, and one full marathon in her early 40s. Though...

Dr. Glynis Worthington redefined the concept of lifelong learning by earning a Doctor of Education from the University of Northern Iowa. Her groundbreaking dissertation explored the experience of adults aged 50 and older playing pickleball doubles, uncovering the sport's remarkable capacity to evoke flow—a state of complete immersion and enjoyment. Driven by curiosity, Dr. Worthington spent o...

Tom Simek, a 72-year-old Navy Submarine veteran, homebuilder, husband, father of 3 and grandfather of 2 inspires with his journey of resilience and determination. Like many of us, he has had his ups and downs with nutrition and fitness, but Tom embraced fitness seriously at 59 and hasn’t looked back. From track and field events to competing on American Ninja Warrior as its oldest competitor on sea...

Residing in Laguna Beach, California, Todd Miller works in Industrial Real Estate investing. A former USC volleyball setter in the early 1980s, Todd played in two NCAA Final Fours. His daughter also played for USC, competing in one Final Four. Since 2005, Todd has competed in USA Masters volleyball, earning four All-American honors and leading Western States Laguna to six National Championships. H...

Tiffany Gust holds an Applied Exercise Science and Sports Nutrition master’s degree and is a certified USAT triathlon coach, US Masters swim coach, and a certified exercise physiologist. She works as an exercise physiologist at Intermountain Sports Performance and owns TG Triathlon and Fitness Coaching. Tiffany developed the High-Performance Aging Program at Intermountain Healthcare and is a natio...

Dr. Kenton Brown, the older of two siblings, grew up during a time of war. While his father was a gifted athlete, he wasn't strongly encouraged to pursue sports. Ken played Little League baseball as a child, but his true passion for sports began with tennis, which he played extensively during his youth. He continued his tennis journey at the University of Notre Dame, but as he progressed thro...

Kathleen Fors is a health and well-being expert, author, and speaker who specializes in behavior change for high performance. With a Master’s Degree in Physical Education, a minor in Biology, and expertise in the mind-body connection for optimal health and success, Kathleen brings over three decades of experience in self-improvement, coaching, and advanced certifications. As a gold medal-winning s...

Alyssa Blue is a non-practicing aerospace engineer that found the human body more fascinating than rockets. After suffering a health crisis in her early 20's, she went on a decade-long journey learning how to heal herself. Today as an FDNP (Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner), her research background shines, taking a deep dive in investigating her clients’ bio-individuality and walk...

Daniela Barnea first joined a swim team at 13 through the YMCA, and she now teaches swimming to people aged 2-72! Daniela holds many Huntsman World Senior Games records since she began her journey with our Games 13 years ago, but her excellence extends to national and international stages as well, with numerous USMS national records and most recently setting 10 USA national records, 20 Pacific rec...

Dr. Robert Jamieson is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who is fellowship trained in Total Joint Replacement, focusing on the hip and knee. In 2014, he performed the first outpatient total joint replacement in northern California, where the patient had a knee replacement done in the morning and was recovering at home by that afternoon. Dr. Jamieson focuses on providing a comfortable and frict...

At age 14, humiliation from a PE teacher at Taipei First Girls' High School left a profound impact on May Chou, a young refugee from mainland China. Discouragement and self-doubt evolved to three decades of inactivity. At the age of 43, inspired by a colleague, she began jogging in her backyard and eventually on to joining a running group where she rediscovered her abilities and gained confid...

This week's podcast features several guests from our Huntsman World Senior Games staff. Each was asked to share a story of someone who epitomizes active aging to them. Tune in to hear some inspiring and heart-warming stories! Send us Fan Mail

Dori Tharp is a remarkable 73-year-old woman, originally from Salt Lake City and raised in Hollywood, CA. She lives a life rich in family, community, and service. Dori moved to St. George, where she and her husband raised eight children. She considers herself a professional volunteer, and just some of the organizations outside her church who benefit from her time are Historic St. George Live!, Dau...

Raised in the rugged landscapes of New Mexico and inspired by a tradition of faith, family, and frontier values, Kevin Shelley is a true pioneer whose career bridges technology, health, and service. Kevin’s journey began with a groundbreaking project in college, the "Virtual Human," which introduced medical simulations to education. His career then expanded to develop products like prote...

Dr. Arne Olsen, a Massachusetts native, graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and completed a general surgery residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire. He then completed a vascular surgery and endovascular therapy fellowship at the University of Florida in Gainesville. At Intermountain Health in St. George and Cedar City, Utah, Dr. Olsen has over 19 y...