For the first time in 15 years, the Thompsons will miss the games they love.
Gene, 71, and Judy, 68, from Kirkville, N.Y., compete in the ping-pong, track and field and golf divisions of the Empire State Games senior division. The two have taken home gold medals and, more importantly, forged new friendships with fellow athletes.
“It’s been a big part of our lives,” Gene Thompson said.
But now the Empire State Games organizers are cancelling the “senior division” for the 2009-10 season, blaming financial woes. The cut back leaves the Thompsons and an estimated 3,200 other athletes out of the state-funded amateur athletic competition. At the same time, recreation experts bemoan the loss of a program that helps keep senior citizens healthy.
The games’ $3-million budget is set to run out at the beginning of the fiscal year. On top of which, New York State will discontinue its funding to deal with the current economic downturn, according to a press release from the organization. That’s forcing the competition’s organizers to restructure the games, including the cut of the seniors’ division.
“In a time of unprecedented fiscal crisis, the unfortunate reality is that reductions have to be made,” the group said in its press release.
The cut backs are the first time the state games has had such large-scale financial trouble in its 31-year history. The group draws 90 percent of its budget from New York State. This year, the state is grappling with its own budget crunch and is cutting funding to the games.
Barclay Kruse, the president of the national congress of state games, blames the problem on this heavy reliance on state funding. Other state game organizations draw more money from independent fundraising, among other efforts.
“Of all the states in the country though, New York was the most dependent on state funding, because that’s a state game run entirely by the state — and you guys are the only ones in that situation,” Kruse said.
But advocates of the games say cutting the senior division is more than just a budget concern.
Joanne Spoto Decker is the director of community service at the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth. She expressed disappointment the seniors will lose a great way for staying healthy.
“Older adults, when they exercise and eat right their overall health improves. Their socialization improves,” Decker said. “There’s just no downside to physical activity and I think the games were a great way for people to make that connection.”
In the meantime, as the Empire State Games board reviews its plans to cut the seniors’ division, Gene and Judy Thompson are working to find another solution.
The Thompsons, and many other seniors across the region, began to lobby all their local politicians. One solution, the seniors say, is to let them pay to play — much like the junior division, which charges $285 per athlete.
“We weren’t approached for us to pay more, and I’m sure a lot of people would have been glad to pay more,” Gene Thompson said. “We paid before and I think a lot of people would be glad to pay that money.”
Meanwhile, the Thompsons are relishing their memories of games past. She’ll miss getting together with a lot of new people, Judy Thompson said. “It’s quite an experience to meet so many people that are so nice and talented,” she said. “I hate to see it let go.”
(Conor Orr is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and political science.)
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