The “Harper Center Steppers†won the Golden Sneaker Award
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - The “Harper Center Steppers” won the Golden Sneaker Award in the recent Northern Berkshire Councils on Aging Great Spring Tune-up, created by REACH for Community Health’s Horizon program. Results from the four-week competition showed the Harper Center team averaged 549,287 steps per week. The Silver Sneaker award for individual performance went to Florence Armstrong of the “Florida Mountaineers.” She averaged 181,192 steps a week.REACH for Community Health revived the Great Spring Tune-Up walking competition in May of 2009. “Brian O’Grady of the Harper Center in Williamstown expressed interest in holding another Great Spring Tune-Up,” said Sharon Leary, Outreach and Communications Coordinator for REACH. “Under the auspices of Horizon, we designed a program for the Northern Berkshire Councils on Aging to challenge each other for the Golden Sneaker Award. We plan do it again in 2010.”
The Northern Berkshire Councils on Aging engaged in friendly competition geared to get members moving and to stay active. Six of the local COAs, including Clarksburg, Cheshire, Florida, North Adams, Savoy, and Williamstown, participated.
“We took this competition seriously,” said Donna Hartlage, Florida COA Director. “Each week we added just a little more to the previous week, and it was a great motivator to keep our seniors moving.”
Other top movers included Kathy Vareschi from the “Harper Center Steppers” who averaged 160,370 steps a week; Donald Bunting from the Clarksburg COA with 135,088; Joanna Blair from the “Young at Heart” team from the North Adams COA who averaged 90,513; and Sophie Buck from the “Savoy Hillbillies” who averaged 35,927.
In all there were 34 participants. “Originally we planned to average the top six walkers to determine the overall team winner,” said Leary. “We ended up using the top five walkers’ average weekly steps, but everyone who participated was still in the running for the Silver Sneaker award.”
Horizon offers programs, resources, and information for Northern Berkshire caregivers and seniors. Additional resources can be found in the Horizon collection located at the David and Joyce Milne Public Library in Williamstown.
REACH for Community Health is the community education department at North Adams Regional Hospital. Its mission is to improve the health and wellness of the Northern Berkshire community through education, outreach, programming, and advocacy in collaboration with community members and organizations. Other programs and education offered through REACH include fitness and nutrition initiatives, the REACH for Breast Health program, tobacco treatment programs, wellness screenings, and support groups.
For more information on Horizon or other REACH programs, please call (413) 664-5326.
