Tidewater Physical Therapy's Own Janice Gomoke Earns Two Silver Medals in Senior Games
Newport News, Va. (PRWEB) May 27, 2014 -- The 2014 Virginia Senior Games, held May 14-17 in Newport News, weren’t so much about competition as they were about celebrating being fit at an older age, as Janice Gomoke, PT, can testify.
Gomoke, a physical therapist at the Western Branch Tidewater Physical Therapy clinic in Chesapeake, earned two silver medals in the 50 and 100 meter dash and qualified for the National Senior Games held in Minnesota in 2015.
But if you ask her, the greater victory was being able to say she raced while in her sixties.
“That’s the goal being older active adults,” she said. “Keeping on moving whenever you can move.”
More than 800 athletes participated in this year’s Virginia Senior Games, an annual athletic competition open to residents of Virginia 50 years of age or older that allows senior athletes an opportunity to showcase their athletic talent in various sports and games.
Gomoke won the state title on her high school track and field team in Montana more than 40 years ago.
“I could’ve gone again,” she said of the two races she ran Saturday morning on Christopher Newport University’s track. “I could’ve run just a little bit harder.”
Gomoke was 0.03 seconds away from first place in the 100 m, taking second place to the same woman in both the 50 and the 100 meter distances.
“Everybody was competitive, but they were supportive of whoever won,” she said, reflecting on the spirit and camaraderie of her fellow athletes.
Her greatest support for her races came in the form of a coworker and her family, who spent the morning cheering for her with signs that read “Go Grandma Shoes.”
She wasn't always "Grandma Shoes," though.
“Back in the day,” as she lovingly refers to her high school time, Gomoke ran on their first female track team in Montana.
After high school and college, in 1984, Gomoke followed her U.S. Coast Guard husband and moved to Virginia where she’s a practicing physical therapist helping patients of all ages live their most active lives.
“I like to practice what I preach and teach—fitness through the ages,” she said of her treatment philosophy.
Now in her sixties, Gomoke still works out every day, participating in boot camp and interval training classes at her local gym.
Although she said she didn’t train for the Senior Games, she’s on a running club and while she’ll tell you she’s not a distance runner, enjoys running 5, 8 and 10K races.
“I want to be a good example to seniors,” Gomoke said. “Just because you’re older, you can still be an active, older person and keep yourself together.”
As she prepares for the national competition, she continues to work out every day, taking classes such as Tabata and boot camp.
ABOUT TIDEWATER PHYSICAL THERAPY:
Tidewater Physical Therapy is an independent, outpatient physical therapy practice with more than 30 clinics and three Performance Centers in Southeast and Central Virginia.
To see Tidewater Physical Therapy locations and make an appointment, visit here.
Stephanie Heinatz, Tidewater Physical Therapy, http://www.tpti.com, +1 757.713.2199, [email protected]
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