Tooele UT Swim Meet

The next Olympic Swimmer----Jonah Hafen Cedar High School :) Picture of him after the State Finals in Provo UT at BYU campus. He is a SHY Swimmer.

Friday at 12:00 sharp Grandpa John or Pete as he is called by the Hafen family took me to Cedar City UT to meet Annette and Eliza and travel to Tooele for the swim meet. Jonah had two races on Friday and we wanted to see them but the weather delayed us and also the traffic in Lehi. We turned off there because it looked a little nicer to drive in. It was time for the buses to pick up the students and took us 40-45 minutes to go 5 miles. It was a riot. Cars were even letting the buses cross the streets before they continued down the road. We were about 11 miles fromTooele when we hit some ice packed snow and we were lucky enough to follow a snow plow. We drove right to the swim complex and saw a couple and ask about the meet and they said it was over for the day. We were disappointed but knew he had one race Saturday. We found Jonah at Wingers and also his team mates. The bus stops in the middle of the town square and everyone eats where they want and where they can afford it. Everyone seemed happy to see Annette and Eliza. They even called me Grandma Pearl and that was nice. I've gone to a few of their meets so they know I belong to the Hafen family.
We didn't go to Richfield to the swim meet. It didn't start until 2:30 I didn't get much information . so I'll post this now.

Two Swimmers on the Olympic Teams for the USA that I liked to watch and shared a little about them on this blog for Jonah and anyone else that is interested.

Rowdy Gaines. During the 1980's Rowdy Gaines was known as the fastest swimmer on the planet. The Olympic Boycott of 1980 came during the peak of his career. He had a brief retirement then came back and in 1984 in Los Angeles , no swimmer won more races than he did. In 1991 he announced that he had contacted Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves. The doctors told him that swimming had saved his life. I was at the 2008 Huntsman World Senior Games and Rowdy was a guest speaker. He was great. He told how he had tried out for several major high school sports and was cut from the teams so at the age of 17 he decided to swim. And swim he did. He told all the youth never to give up, there was something out there for them and he promised to be back for the games when he turns 50.
Then there is our Michael Phelps:During the Summer Games in Japan I began to watch a young man who had big hands and a heart to match. His name is Michael Phelps. I had just gotten into swimming because our grandson, Jonah Hafen had turned from football to swimming. You have to realize that I have been involved in sports since I married John 50 years ago and still don't understand the rules of the games and it is fun when I can see a touchdown. I was just beginning to think I could carry on a semi-normal conversation with our sons and grandsons when they discussed football. It was hard for me to see this but because they live in Cedar City and we are able to see some of his meets I became a believer. Michael won more medals than anyone for the United States in the Olympic Games, 8 in all. Jonah may never be an Olympian but I'm sure he'll go far. We were in Tooele the 19th and 20th of December and I saw Jonah put on the B relay team as the anchor swimmer.Jonah has improved his time in most of his events but what would happen in the relay? All of the swimmers had better time than Jonah, but Jonah stepped up to the plate, he was never behind after the lead was established by his teammates. It was a thrill for all of us there and now Tuesday the 30th we'll go to Richfield,UT, weather permitting. Jonah is built a little like Michael Phelps and he started swimming as a Junior so that is why I compare him to Rowdy and Michael. Keep up the good work Jonah.
Jonah's younger sister, Eliza swims also . She has lots of potential and it will be fun to see what she can do as she pursues swimming.

I didn't get much information so I'll post this now. The Spectrum predict that The RedMen from Cedar High have a good chance to be State Champions. We'll be there rooting for them.

Cold Colorado December 3, 2008-December 10-2008

WOW!!! What an exciting life I've led for the past few weeks. Vegas Tournament, home for bowling, Phoenix AZ via Hoover Dam, Kingman AZ and then to Phoenix. We had a great time and then hurried back to go to Paul and Rabecca's for Thanksgiving. That was an experience also, read in the blog. Lots of fun and on the way back Jane called and found a great price for a flight to Colorado. Pam and I left for the Texas Station after bowling Tuesday night, December 3rd. John opted to play softball the next three days so sweet Pam was my taxi. My flight left at 11:20 a.m. and we needed to be there early. Pam and Jane had arranged for me to have a wheel chair ride and that really saved the legs. Every once in a while they act like they want to slow down and it is quite a way to the gate. She stayed with me until we were about to board and her quarters were almost done. They still charge a quarter but it is for 10 minutes instead of 15 and that threw us for a curve, but we made it, thank goodness. Jane was waiting for me at the gate in
Den ver and that was a welcome sight but she couldn't push me, she was a tag along and this sweet lady took us to where she had parked her car and that was nice for both of us. When she got me in the car Jane said we were going to Sheila's house, pick her and Jan up and go to the Green Tomato for lunch. It was really nice. I've been trying to keep her supplied with coupons and it saved all of us some money. We took them home and everyone was there to say Hi and that was nice. Then we went to Molly's and the three of us went shopping for a real Christmas Tree. We found one in Wal-mart and got a stand for it. We went to her home and found out the trunk was too big and some branches needed trimed so we went to Randy;s house and together Jane, Molly and Randy had it ready to take back to her home and then she trimed the tree. I helped take the ornaments out of the package so all she had to do was decide where she wanted them. Isn't it beautiful !!! It smells so good . I'm glad she wanted a real tree and I was there to help a little.The next day we prepared for a sleep over in the basement. We went to the stake center to see a nativity set up, thinking it had over 1,000 pieces displayed like last year but they had changed it to only 50 pieces and then they had a theater in the round production. We heard a harpist, it was beautiful. Someone with that talent brings a lot of happiness as we listened to her selections of Christmas Carols.
We watched Bryson Guthrie that night while Melissa went to her cookie exchange party that was different than any exchange party I've been to. Sheila and Jane bathed Bryson while Jan and I visited down stairs.That night we watch The Debators with Denzel Washington, a true story filmed in Marshall, Texas where Iris Baadsgaard Best lives. It was very intense. I would highly recommend it to anyone. The next morning when we got up, had breakfast and went to A Santa Shop. What a delightful place. We were a little late getting started Jane had us on a time budget but we didn't co-operate too well. Melisa and Bryson went with us and it was fun but he got tired. We still came away with many fun gifts. Jan and Sheila made Taco Soup for us on Friday and it was the best I've tasted. It was warm and soo delicious. Then we decided we wanted to look at some lights so we found on the internet a "walking tour". It was really cold and we thought we might be able to see some of the lights but not so. It was a "walking tour" that cost each person $9.00 or $7.oo if you were a senior. We thought it was too much and too cold so we turned around and looked at a few as we traveled back to Jane's home again. Friday afternoon we met Rudi at his favorite restaurant , Helga's, a German Resturant I brought some home for the 2nd day and it was delicious, especially the mushrooms. We watch True Grit with John Wayne and went to bed. The next morning, Saturday, Jane was going to take me to Sheila's because Randy and Jane were going to their annual Microsoft dinner dance party. Jarom was going to bring me home because of the late hour and church was in at 9:30 a.m. Before we went to Sheila's we decided to go see Australia . What a great movie, many people think it is better than Gone With The Wind. Jan and Sheila had seen it before but they enjoyed it the second time, maybe even more. I'm hoping to take John,Pam and Annette to see it if at all possible. The Dinner dance was close to Sheila's so Jane and Randy picked me up. Rudi took this picture of "The Girls", Jan, Pearl and Sheila. I'm not sure where the one went with Jane and us but I was glad to see this one. They came after me earlier than they thought they would be because the music was too loud and it wasn't as exciting as in the past. Church started at 9:30 and we decided to go home and have a good night sleep before the day started.
Sunday we got up and went to church. I went with Jane to her new little Sunday School class and she is such a great teacher. They all seemed to love her and she had some handouts to reinforce her lesson. The church is the same today as in the days when Jesus organized it, Joseph Smith was the prophet that organized the church in this last dispensation.
Seth had a concert in the afternoon and then we went to Firestone,CO where Allie and James Thornnbrue live. After we took Marie and Tessa to school we traveled about 8 more miles to Johnstown, CO There we looked at the house that James and Allie are buying. It was a repo and the people had taken all the fans, the fridge, the dishwasher,and even the light switches. Really a sad deal but they aren't too worried about that. They are trying to find someone to take over their old lease. They are to move into the new home December 31-31. They went to their new ward Sunday so the Primary could be expecting their children and Ben will be in the Sunbeam class. I think they are all excited and that makes life easier for all concerned.
After seeing the house we went to Wal-mart and bought a gingerbread kit for the children to decorate when they came home from school. Jane and I took a short nap while Allie made her famous Candy Cane Bread. A tradatation from Jame's mother and it was so good. This is a favorite place for Grace as long as she is eating and visiting with everyone. We woke up and ate some good chicken soup and started the gingerbread house. All the children were so good. Ben wanted to eat the house before we were through.Grace was so good in th high chair. She had been eating. Randy called, "said it was snowing and we needed to get home ASAP." We weren't quite through so we finished and before we started out Allie took this picture of me and the four great grandchildren. I'm holding Grace,Then there is Ben, Marie, and Tessa. Beautiful and loved to do different activities. Sunday we played their favorite game, SPOONS. I was the slow one but finally won one game. YA! What a fun time we had.
As we got into the car and got gas at the service station we said a prayer and drove home via the Toll Road. It took us 2 hours and I was proud of Jane. She was a good driver and when we stopped for a break we were warm and started out again and both of us were relieved to get in the house, put our p.j.'s on and go to bed.
We had a full day Tuesday, the last full day before I was to go home. :) We wrapped presents, washed clothes, hemmed pants and tried on tops that needed some lace to make them a little more modest. It was lots of fun.
Wednesday, we made a quick trip to Sheila's to say good by before she went to her Dr's appoinment and I wanted to tell Jan good by also. She was planning on leaving for Payson, UT Thursday the 11. We came back to Janes and I had some pictures taken of me and Bryson.
Jarom was making a ginger bread cake. He had seen one in Seattle and wanted tocreate one like it.
He got ideas from the internet and here is what he had made while I was there. I hope he finishes it and puts it on his blog. Check out the stain glass effect on the windows. They are so much fun to do. They take a lot of time and a lot of patience which Jarom seemed to have while he was working so hard at it.
Before I knew it it was time to go. Jane stayed with me all the time and the worst thing that happened was she lost her favorite hand lotion. I felt so bad. I hope she can get somemore, Sheila seemes to think she can.
The flight to Vegas was very smooth and John was there to meet me and I was glad for that. We had planned on staying all night becaause it was too dark to drive home. John had been waking up every morning at 5:00 while I was gone so he really slept in. I wasn't sure we were going to get out of the room without paying for another day.We made it home intime for me to attend our ward Relief Society Chrtistmas Party and it was a lot of fun.
I hope I have remembered everything and I know it isn't in order but everything we did was fun and I had a great time. Thanks to everyone who made me feel so welcome. Love, Grandma Pearl

Thanksgiving in Oceanside, CA

Wednesday, November 26, we headed for Oceanside CA in a rainstorm. It rained all the way, if Thanksgiving wasn't the next day we would off stopped. We "seniors" have a hard time seeing at night with rain and headlights in our eyes but we felt we were protected and we arrived safe and sound. The children, Garrett, Kayla, Nathan and Elsie were delighted to see us and that made the trip in the rain worth it all. Rabecca was home but Paul was still finishing up his UPS job in San Diego. We were glad when he came home, it was pretty wet for him also.
Thursday it was still raining and Garrett wasn't feeling good so Grandpa Pete stayed home with him. Grandpa put the turkey in the oven while we ran, walked in the race. This logo was on their shirt. Kayla # 1817 and Nathan was # 1818. The rest of us went to the 3rd annual Oceanside Turkey Trot race. Rabecca opted not to race so we went down to the starting place with Kayla and Nathan. It was really raining and boy did we get wet. I thought it had rained in St. George for the Mayors Walk in October but in reality it was dry. Paul tried to keep up with Kayla, Rabecca went with Nathan and I pushed Elsie in the stroller. She wasn't quite sure she wanted me to do that but we made it all the way. There were 4,100 runners. They had it divided in different categories and made it easier for the children to participate. Kayla and Nathan were in the 6 and under age group.
Kayla ran her mile in 10 minutes 49 seconds. and Nathan ran his in 16 minutes 58 seconds and there was no time for Elsie and I and I but we did make it. It was a lot of fun and this is a small picture of the medal they received.
The next day it was bright and sunny so we went to the pier. There were a lot of people fishing and walking around enjoying the sunshine. As we were coming back we were so close to this pelican.Well, this wasn't the actual Pelican, it is too clean and white. But it was fun to see and all of the people didn't seem to bother him at all. None of us had a camera so there wasn't a picture of the one we saw so I got this one off the internet. Somedays I'm pretty proud of what I can find and use. I had never seen one that close and it was neat. I am amazed that God has created animals such as these and they come in all shapes and sizesThere were a lot of seagull's also. The seagull is Utah's state bird so I have seen many of them. The three you are looking are gossiping according to the internet. I guess we humans aren't the only ones that like to talk.
Afterward we went to Paul and Rabecca's favorite eating place, The Soup Plantation.
We also went to the beach the next day. Garrett brought a friend, he was a lot of fun. I can't remember his name, help anyone??? When it was time to go everyone showered off in the cold water and I held up a towel while they changed. Sunday we started home and when we got to the CA / NV border there was a grid lock, traffic wasn't moving at all. By the time they got it moving it, it was dark and we knew we couldn't go any farther so we stopped at the Texas Station and stayed all night. While we were there Jane called and got me a terrific price on Southwest Airlines so on the 3rd of December I flew to Denver. I was glad Jane caught up with me and we booked the flight that night. We had fun with the Peter's family and Nathan, Rabecca, John and I enjoyed a short trip to Lego Land. If you've never been there you should make it on your" to do list". It was expecially nice at Christmas time. I think that covers the Oceanside Trip, if I get pictures of the children running I'll post them or maybe Rabecca and Paul will. They were as exciting to watch when they were through as it was to see Allie and pictures of Melissaa in their Marathon. Will there be someone in our family next year ? I hope so but I'll stick to the Mayor's Walk.

PHOENIX ARIZONA

We finished the HWSG's(Huntsman World Senior Games) on Friday and headed to Phoenix on Saturday. Our plans were to drive as far as Kingman AZ and spend the night. We love the drive and I had forgotten we traveled by Hoover Dam or Boulder Dam as it is sometimes called. I 'm not sure any of our family have seen the dam or know a little about it so I'm going to show a few pictures and tell a little of it's history.

Hoover Dam, is sometimes known as Boulder Dam, it is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. Construction began 1931 and was completed 1935. Two years ahead of schedule and was opened to the public 1936. It is maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Hoover Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. President Herbert Hoover was instrumental in the dam's construction, he was Secretary of Commerce and later president of the United States.

The dam is 726 feet tall and is 144 feet in length.
The Colorado River Compact was signed November 24, 1922. The state governors of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada , and New Mexico helped to work out an equitable arrangement
ELWOOD MEAD: He was the overseer of the construction of the dam.
for apportioning the water of the Colorado River for their state's use.In 1922 two bills were introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate for approval for the dam to be built. In December 1928 the bill was approved and December 21,1928 President Calvin Coolidge signed and approved the Boulder Canyon Project. Lake Mead is the reservoir created behind the dam and is named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction of the dam.
During the first year of the dam's construction a town called Ragtown was constructed to house the workers. A temporary city that wasn't very desirable and the workers went on strike. Ragtown was deserted and Boulder City was built and there was no gambling, drinking alcohol,and prostitution permitted. Boulder City is the only town in Nevada that dose not allow gambling to this day and alcohol was illegal until 1969.


There are two inner diversion tunnels that have concrete plugs in them. These large spillway tunnels have only been used 3 times. The first one during the second half of 1941 for testing, the second one was for about 6 weeks during the summer of 1983 when record precipitation and snow-melt in the Colorado River basin drained into Lake Mead. The last one in 1999, again when heavy precipitation filled Lake Med. I think, if I remember correctly my sister Luana and her husband Ray Baadsgaard traveled from SALT Lake City, UT to see the sight. They said it was "awesome." The dam crosses the borders between two time zones, Pacific Time and mountain Time. There are two lanes of traffic across the top of the dam. By the year 2010 a new Hoover Dam Bypass will be completed and it will divert the U.S. 93 traffic 1,500 feet downstream from the dam. I can't describe how the construction looked as we were crossing the bridge. It is very scary to me and I hope I'm brave enough to cross it when the time comes.
Some transportation is diverted and large trucks and different types of vehicles are subject to being search. Since September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks are a large security concern. They are diverted to a bridge near Laughlin, Nevada.
There were 112 deaths associated with the construction of the dam. A true story that J.G.Tierney, was the first person to die during the construction site. He was drowned and his son, Patrick W. Tierney was the last man to die working on the dam. 13 years to the day. These statistics do not include heat stroke, heart failure, etc deaths during the construction.

John and I traveled as far as Kingman AZ that night. We were really tired. The next morning we found several addresses where we could attend Sacrament Meeting for the LDS church. It was on North Avenue and there were several wards listed and we thought we could follow the address with out any problems. Wrong, if you have ever been in Kingman you know the street starts, stops and winds around like a Jojo. We finally went back and started over with another directions. They forgot to tell us it was like going out of town almost before we found the Steak House (eating resturant) and turned right. We finally made it and was glad we did.

We attended church in the HUALAPAI Foothills Ward Kingman, AZ. The meeting was great and 12 of their sisters sang this song, and introduced their Family Home Evening Ward Service Project Idea.
In This Very Room Words and Music by Ron Harris

Matthew 28: 20 "and, lo, I am with you always.
Even unto the end of the world.

In this very room there 's quite enough love for one like me.
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for one like me.
And there's quite enough hope and quiet enough power to chase away any gloom.
For Jesus, Lord Jesus...is in this very room.
And in this very room there's quite enough love for all of us,
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for all of us,
And there is quite enough hope and quite enough power to chase away any gloom,
For Jesus, Lord Jesus...is in this very room.
In this very room there's quite enough love for all the world,
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for all the world,
And there's quite enough hope and quite enough power to chase away any gloom,
For Jesus, Lord Jesus...is in this very room

It was just beautiful and each sister was given a d.c.r to share with their families and friends as we left Sacrament Meeting. I was so happy to receive one. I wanted to do the same but haven't been able to rip copies but I'll keep trying. They were accompanied by a violin and a flute. ( I have memories of Allie and Staci when they play those instruments together.), our granddaughters Girls, keep it up. you have a wonderful talent and share it with others please G. Pearl

They had a service like our ward, serving needy families in our own ward and making Christmas one of giving joy hope and love to others who may need it especially this Christmas Season.
It is my wish to all of you that you'll remember the true meaning of Christmas and have a wonderful Holiday season.

HUNTSMAN WORLD SENIOR GAMES-BOWLING

I want to tell you a little about the bowling event that is associated with the Huntsman World Senior Games. BOWLING !!!!!

Bowling started at the same time softball did. There was only one bowling alley,"Dixie Bowl" just off main street. They had 12 lanes and they still have only 12 lanes today. Bowling has grown and grown. This year, in 2008, they had 335 bowlers. 25 more than last year.

We have always been interested in bowling. I bowled with the PTA in Buena Park, CA and John has always been on one or two leagues for years. I'm not positive when they built the other alley but I think it was around 1994, it's named "Sunset West". They have 20 lanes.

When you bowl in the Huntsman Games you can sign up for Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles and Team. If you qualify for the finals you can bowl as many as many as 24 games during the competition. I have done that before and felt like my legs were never going to be the same.

We have had many great bowlers within our own town and many from different states. Here are some photos of different items you have to bowl with. Every league bowler has his own shoes, ball and some times a bowling bag. If your really good you can have 2 or 3 balls for different ways you want to make the pins go down.

The perfect ball and the way the pins are lined up.See how the ball is hitting the pins. The object is to get a strike and all of the pins go over.
WOOPS !!!!!! That is not what we wanted. :( picture below :(
This is like my ball, but it is a green color. I wanted a "Pearl Ball" but they didn't have it in my weight. But I love what I have.Rolling Bowling Bag. Really a must when your no longer a "teenager and if you have more than one ball you bowl with. They can be heavy and hard to carry if they aren't on rollers.Shoes are nice so you can slide better and they come in all colors and makes. Mine are white and black. They are a Dexter brand.These funny looking covers fit over your bowling shoes so you can walk around and not collect dust when your off the alley, waiting for your turn to bowl. They now have one that fits over your sliding foot and you don't take it off, I think.

NECESSARY ITEMS TO HAVE WHEN YOUR BOWLING ON A LEAGUE. These items are shown above. Also some of the crazy way the ball hits the pins.This is a picture of our bowling shirts for the mixed doubles and also for our Tuesday Mixed League.

We have always been interested in bowling. I bowled with the PTA in Buena Park CA and John has always been on one or two leagues for years.

21 years ago The Huntsman Senior Games were organized. John Morgan and his wife Daisy were behind the idea.

Bowling is one of the "fun but very competitive sports. To date we have 25 different sports. Every event is exciting for the participants.

We have had many friends from all over the country and still our "St.George Teams have come out on top. John's team was with Ted Kezos, Bill Hukill, Russell Walter(s) . There have been many others but these teams stick out in my mind.

We had a Bowling Legend come to The Huntsman World Senior Games . John said he was here two or three years. I'll try to find out for sure but until then just know that he was here and bowled with our friend Pat Guckenburg in 2000.His name was Joe Norris.

I could not find his actual birthday or death date but I do know he was born in Springfield and reared in Detroit. Joseph is a source of Yosel, a Hebrew name being " The Lord's addition.

He shot a perfect game, 300 at the age of 18.

His first Open Championship appearance was in 1926, an event in Toledo, Ohio. The only year he missed besides 1943-45 when the tournament was not being held because of World War 11, was in 1942 because of an emergency appendectomy.

During his 71 -year Open Championship s career, he posted a 192.78 average for 642 games He had three titles, Regular Team in 1934 and 1954 and Team All-Events in 1954.

He was a prankster and pin punster. He was lovable, witty, had a impish side that matched his gift of gab and the love of people. He also loved water because he was always had a thing for old, smelly fish, and would place them in the oddest places, like in the locker room beneath the massage table or near a star's locker.

In 1934 he captained the Stroh's All-American team to the A.B.C. team title and two international triumphs in the famous 1936 Berlin Olympic bowling exhibition witnessed by Adolph Hitler.

He was the first bowler to be inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions.

Joe Norris was a foreman and salesman for Brunswick and Director of Bowling Balls Sales He retired from there at age 55.

1994, he became the oldest Champion bowler in A.B.C. Tournament history to roll a 300 game.

He died on a Monday at the age of 93. ( If anyone can find the correct information on this great bowler I would appreciate it.) Pearl

Back to the Huntsman Games. I met and bowled beside Norris. He was a perfect gentlemen and was always willing to give you pointers after or before you bowled. It was a great honor to know this impressive man, as a bowler and as a friend.

Bowling has grown since the humble beginning of the games and this year 2009 we had 335 bowlers. 25 more than last year. We had a week long bowling tournament, Monday through Saturday. This is the first time and I'm sure it won't be the last.
Like the other events, you can bowl at age 50. Here are some of the older bowlers that were pareticipants this year at the games.
The age group is wonderful. Bette Jensen, 88, Eva McHale, 88, Jessie Seminious 87, Mary Villanueva, 82, average 166, Mike Mickelson, 87, Gordon Sorensen, 89, and Len Gilbert, 90 with a 161 average. There were 5358 games bowled in 6 days.

I hope I'm still bowling at that age and my average is better than 137 or still that high. :)
The friendship that have been formed through out the years are lasting and we are all glad to see each other another year.

BOWING 10 YEARS

I started to bowl for the PTA in Buena Park CA. We had a sitter at the alley for our children and it was fun. I throw a backup ball and that sometimes can be a disadvantage for me and then it can be an advantage too.

This year I received my 10 year participant identification with Huntsman World Senior Games. It was really exciting for me, seems like it was taking me forever but I guess as seniors, 10 years is a long time. It has been 10 years since I got my first GOLD MEDAL. I was bowling with John in mixed doubles. It was a real shock when I was told we had won the GOLD in our age category; 60-64. I don't remember all of the medals I've won but I do remember some of them.
John had a bowling case made for me one Christmas showing the first few medals . That is why I can remember some of the ones I received. 2000 Bronze Doubles and Bronze In the" All Event category" for my age group. I was shocked and very pleased. There were a lot of bowlers and I never dreamed that could happen to me. :) I also received a Bronze for mixed doubles that year. 2001 Silver in mixed doubles and Bronze in Doubles.
It got harder and harder for John to bowl with me because of his involvement in the softball division so last yer I was really heart broken when he decided he couldn't bowl with me so I picked my team members, Ted Kezos, Pat Guckenburg, Arlene Rammage and my self. What a shock when we took the GOLD. We really gave John a bad time, I don' t think he medaled last year. Ted has been a friend for may years and we've know Pat a long time also and Arlene was her friend so it was fun. It was Arlene's first time to bowl in the games also and that is just icing on the cake for those of us who are lucky enough to get a medal when we bowl for the first time and if you can walk away with the Gold then you are really happy. We have taken teams to Reno NV and bowled. One year Pam went with us. We bowl together on a Tues night Mixed League and it is fun. David, her husband use to bowl with us but the last two years he has been the 3rd man member and Annette was our 3rd women but with the price of gas this year she has opted not to bowl and we really miss her. Our daughter, Jane, will be old enough to bowl with me and that is my big desire, to bowl with my daughters in the games. We have had several mother daughters combination and they have so much fun and I know that we'd have fun if we can just convince her to do it one year. If I can find a picture of me with a medal I'll post it.
This year I bowled doubles with Marge Jones, a first time bowler with the games .
We won the Gold and she was so excited and I was also John and I bowled mixed doubles and took the bronze. I qualified for all the categories except for the team. Our third lady, , Vera Connor(s) pulled a ham string and wasn't able to bowl her usual score when we bowled the first time. All together I bowled a total of 21 games. I bowled better than I've bowled in two years. If you qualify in everything you can bowl 24 games and that is a lot of games and can be hard on your body. But what fun when you win!!!
The games have a new logo this year and I wanted a medal so bad. I had no idea we would get the Gold. I think this is the first time we haven't been to the awards ceremony, it was fun knowing we were getting a medal and made it easier for John and I to head out to Phoenix for a championship softball game and then another tournament. Busy busy life we lead at times. They tell me that is what keeps us young, and young I want to be so I'm glad we can still go and do different activities together.
Bowling is a fun sport and you get to meet a lot of friends and also get some different exercise with muscles you don't always use.

HUNTSMAN SENEIOR GAMES---SOFTBALL 65+ AND 70+

HUNTSMAN WORLD SENIOR GAMES : OCTOBER 6-18 2008

This year there were 535 teams registered. There were There were 57 women's teams Some 22 years ago John and Daisy Morgan started the Senior Games of St. George. They wanted to bring some revenue into the town this little town. They were at the Hilton Hotel. There were just a handful of participants and John wasn't sure he should keep it going but his sweet wife Daisy said yes.
In 1989 John Peters brought his team from players he had played with in CA. He had just turned 54. They had come from many different areas and some had never played ball after they had left the area, but Ted Kezos and John have been playing ball together for some 45 years. The year he came there were just 12 teams. It took John 13 years to win a medal. His granddaughter Sariah Hafen, age 4, ask him if he was ever going to win a game. My father, Alvie Russell Henline, use to ask him,"John if you're in charge why can't you put yourself on a winning team?" We've had many laughs about that statement over the years.
2005 was the year John turned 70 and had his two daughters came to help him as field directors on diamonds 6 and 7. They were a big help and posted games like as never have been posted since. John decided to play up with the 70's instead of down with the 65 team. They were in the 70 A division and advanced to the medal round .
On October 14, 2005 the Wintercrest Team was playing SO Cal Jets for the championship . We were on diamond 2 and it was 1:30 p.m. Our players were ready and anxious to play. Pam and David Munsterman, Jane Guthrie, Annette Hafen and I were there watching the game. The final score was Wintercrest 20 and So Cal Jets 9. John is still wondering how they won. We said "It was because we were all there cheering you on." This is the first Gold Medal he had won. We were so proud of him and we cried with joy and excitement.!!! Here is a photo of the team!!! This second picture of us -David who had to go back to work and didn't stay for the cheering section photo. The photo underneath is to prove to Sariah and Grandpa Pete that she was there for one of his games. 10/05/05 That was the first week, 65+ The second week was for the 70+teams.

October, 10, 2007, JOHN PETERS was inducted into the HUNTSMAN WORLD HALL OF FAME. As a participant for 19+ years and counting and 13 years as a coordinator for many sports but his real claim to fame is 4000+ players and 330 teams happy. Scheduling 1,000 games on 16 fields, with 40 divisions and all this in 11 days. This is like 42 mini tournaments within one huge tournaments. John does it all and does it well. "A little error in scheduling is a huge problem. That is why we have JOHN do this job" ! - Hall of Fame Committee.
The biggest surprise was having his daughter Jane Guthrie drive from Highlands Park, CO to attend this special event. Our daughters have a way of many great and wonderful surprises for special events such as this, and we are so grateful to them. Paul Peters, our son, who lives in Oceanside,CA was unable to attend but he was there in spirit. A special thanks to all of them. Love,Mom

HUNTSMAN SENIOR GAMES 2008
John played on two teams this year.65+ first week and the second week he played and coached the 70+ team. These teams were not his traveling team. He had players who were from here and there the first week and they didn't advance to the medal round but it was still fun??? The scond week he all his players were from St. George. Many of these players haven't really played in tournaments, but some had traveled to Mesquite for tournament play. These teams all practice twice a week, two games are played a day. They are there for the fellowship and exercise that they enjoy and need. They were thrilled to win in the round robin games. After they seeded they were playing for a birth in the medal round. They won and kept on winning. They ended up winning the Silver Medal and we were so proud of them. Below are pictures that were taken. We had a new photographer this year and he did photos a little different. We've never had a photo with our sponsors and the medal we won. Really neat. Thanks HWSG . :)
Can any of our family pick out people they know? Ted Kezos, John Peters, Gary Nelson? All together John played 14 games in two weeks.

Wheel chair and Marathon Race 2008 ST.George, Ut

The St. George Marathon began in 1977 with only 57 runners.

It is one of the largest Marathons and runners can qualify for the Boston Marathon ,which several local runners have participated in.

In 2004, our granddaughter Allie R.Guthrie Thornbrue ran her first Marathon in St. George. She was 26 years young, two children and ran the course in 4 hours, 43 minutes. She sprinted across the line so fast we didn't have time to hold up her sign. It was awesome. Jane and I decided to do the Mayors Walk to support her. I had trained a little but not too much and the 2.1 mile seemed to take forever. But we made it and when we saw the first wheelchair come in we were hooked and so was the rest of the family.

In 2005 I walked with Shaunna Mitchell and her friend from the post office. They were in great shape because of all the walking they did delivering mail.

2006 I walked with my friend Shelli Campbell. (She was my visiting teacher when we lived in the Ivins 3rd ward and we are still friends. She and our granddaughter Allie have helped me with my blog.) 2007 had no one to walk with but we did go see some of the runners and wheelchairs come in. We had another granddaughter Melissa K. Guthrie run the Logan Utah Marathon. She ran it September 26,2006. Her time was 5 hours,53 minutes and 44seconds. We were unable to see her run but her family from Washington was there to support her as well as her husband Jarom and many friends.

This year Salty walked the Mayors Walk with me. He went to make me happy and I couldn't find anyone who was that interested. He said, "It was harder walking then it is to run around the bases." He was happy he went and he even talked on the megaphone and said it was his first time and he was amazed at all of the people who were there in the rain.





Neil Harding of West Bountiful won in the hand crank division. He expressed thanks to the motorcycle police who shined their lights on the road because there were times when he really didn't know where he was.

Katie Terry of Highland was the first women hand crank participant in the race. She had been a athlete all her life and 6 years ago a automobile accident broke her back. She wanted to be an example to women to show them "There is life after an accident."

MARK CURRELL from Cedar City,Utah
Crossed the finish line first !!!!!
2 Hours, 22 Minutes, and 22 Seconds.

It was a wet rainy day for the 5,180 runners Saturday October 4,208. Despite the cold weather the faithful Marathon runners kept up a good pace. The course record is 16 minutes and 42 seconds. There were approximately 5,035 who finished the race. This marathon is always a challenge and it has been 25 years since it rained here. One lady from the Bay Area said she was glad it rained, she trained in the rain and was afraid it would be too hot to run. There were well wishers all along the course, along with plenty of water for the runners to keep them from dehydrating. There was a handful of runners still on the course at 2:30. One of the softball field directors ran for the first time. Her time was around 5 hours but she said she stuck to it and was glad she finished.

There are many hats worn the two weeks of activity in St. George. The Marathon runners leave on Sunday and the Huntsman World Senior Games start the following Monday. Many thanks to everyone who is a volunteer or a participant in both events.