By Matt Stout
Staff Writer

Weare’s Randi Whitney races to a silver medal in the Granite State Senior Games cycling 5K time trial on Saturday, Aug. 12, in Manchester. Whitney, who won four golds in last year’s cycling event, also won silver in this year’s 40K road race in her age group. (Goffstown News/Matt Stout)

After months of promoting them with public service announcements, television spots and countless fliers fanned out across the state’s health clubs, Charlie Houser got his wish: the Granite State Senior Games are bigger than ever before.

With a record 507 participants competing in 16 events over the past nine days, the Senior Games enjoyed their largest showing in their 19-year history, eclipsing the previous high of 413 set two years ago, said Houser, the Games’ state coordinator.

Thanks to increased publicity and the draw of earning a bid to the 2007 National Senior Games in Louisville, Ky., next July, Houser said several of the events drew record numbers.

Tennis drew 55, or 20 more than the average; table tennis catered to 37, seven more than most years; bowling doubled its usual field with 24; and cycling tied its previous high of 65 set three years ago.

Though Houser expects the numbers to dip next year ­ they usually do in odd-numbered years because they don’t serve as a qualifier to the national competition ­ he said he doesn’t imagine them falling too far.

“A year ago, I made a chart of our last seven or eight years, and in the odd-numbered years, we do go down a bit, but then we go up and we don’t go down as much the next year,” Houser said. “So it’s like a sawtooth pattern but every year we go up.

“I had predicted 475 for this year,” he continued, “so when we got close to that, I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I know we’ll do better than that.’ And we did.”

Houser’s ascent into the state coordinator role five years ago has also coincided with the Senior Games’ extreme growth. He said the competition drew roughly 240 people in 2000 while this year’s track and field event, held on Sunday, Aug. 13, attracted 140 alone.

“I don’t how much farther we can go,” Houser said, “but from the buzz I heard at the track meet, it’s going to be even bigger next year.”

Participation in the Senior Games is open to any athlete ­ resident or not ­ older than 50.

LOCAL RESULTS

On Wednesday, Bedford’s Ron Coble placed first in the male 70- to 74-year-old division, shooting an 89 in the golf tournament. Dunbarton’s Lucille Gage shot a 113, good for gold in the 55- to 59-year-old female group.

Bedford’s Richard Anderson earned a silver medal in the 10-pin bowling 80- to 84-year-old men’s division. Anderson bowled a 375 over three games at Stadium Lanes in Manchester on Friday, Aug. 11.

In candlepin action, Bedford’s Arlene Dupuis took gold in her 65- to 69-year-old age group, bowling a 226. Also on Friday, Dupuis earned a bronze medal in the singles shuffleboard competition. Senior Games coordinator Charlie Houser placed first.

On Saturday, Aug. 12, Dupuis took home a silver medal in singles horseshoes action and bronze in doubles. Bedford’s Doug Pryce, competing in the table tennis tournament, won gold in the 55- to 59-year-old mens division.