McMinnville Central High School’s Lady Bulldogs are still going strong after all these years.
After winning their second Senior Olympic gold medal, they were honored by the city of McMinnville on Tuesday night.
McMinnville Mayor Norman Rone presented the Lady Bulldogs with special awards in recognition of their “great accomplishments” in the National Senior Olympics.
“It’s a lot of fun to do this,” said Rone. “I’m honoring people from my generation. Maybe I shouldn’t say this with the ladies present, but it was from the late 1940s and mid-1950s.”
The Lady Bulldogs defended their National Senior Olympics 2009 championship in June of this year in Houston, Texas and once again walked away gold medalists.
“These ladies are an inspiration, not only to the younger generation, but to this one,” said Rone. “They are a shining example of how important exercise is to people of all ages. As long as you stay active, you can accomplish anything.”
After presenting teams members Blanche Cook, Carolyn Lance, Wanda Shanks and JoAn Cantrell with certificates, Rone presented coach Dewey Cantrell with one as well.
“We couldn’t forget about the coach,” Rone said.
JoAn says team members enjoy playing basketball together and competing against teams from across the nation.
“They enjoy playing against us, too,” she said. “The people we play against like our team because we don’t get aggressive when we play.”
To the statement, Rone said, “So, no elbowing?”
“They did, but we didn’t,” said JoAn. “Carolyn comes home bruised up every time.”
Lady Bulldogs compete in the 75-year-old division of the National Senior Olympics. This year’s event attracted over 10,000 athletes competing in various age groups and sports.