After a long day of work, there is nothing better to look forward to than going home to scroll on your phone. Kidding – there is nothing exciting about that.
The good news is that all over the Basin there are opportunities for adults to play. From gardening to speed puzzling to water aerobics and team sports, there are low-cost and high-reward activities to join. For some, these activities have rewarded the participants with a lifetime of health, community, fun and even careers.
Delinda Harmon moved to Ephrata over 25 years ago from the west side of Washington State. She had taken water aerobics, martial arts classes and lifted weights, but soon after moving to the area she earned her Personal Trainer certificate and began teaching the classes instead of taking them. Her first job as an exercise teacher was water aerobics at the Swim & Gym (now the Quincy Athletic Club), then at the Best Western in Ephrata for the City of Ephrata. She now teaches water aerobics, Sit and Fit, and Tonification classes for the cities of Ephrata and Moses Lake.
The transformative power of a group exercise class should not be underestimated, in Delinda’s telling. Physical benefits of her classes, which are low impact and focus on movements that gently strengthen the body, can change someone’s life. “When you think you can’t do anything or aren’t strong enough to do anything, there’s a starting point… it doesn’t matter how old or big you are, you can still put on muscle,” she said. Water aerobics is a particularly gentle way to make big changes. “Water adds buoyancy and compression to your muscles. It can help with blood flow, mobility, stability, heart health, blood pressure, arthritis and osteoporosis,” she said.
Besides the physical benefits, Delinda celebrates the social and emotional benefits, as well. “I think people stay at home and get lonely, depressed, with anxiety issues… and then you come into a group and exercise, and it becomes a way to manage the depression,” Delinda said she has managed her own depression and anxiety through physical activity for many years. “And, you make friends who look forward to seeing you!” she said. It’s those relationships that help fight the feeling of isolation for many who do not have family close by or who have lost their partners, and can be the motivation to show up at the class every day and achieve physical results.
“During the summer it’s up to three days a week with our kids, friends and parents all together at the ball fields. We laugh and joke and try to win… but at the end of the day, it’s just about being together,” said Seli Verduzco. team sports enthusiast and Moses Lake resident. She, along with her extended family and friends meet several seasons throughout the year on the field, the court or on the road… to play. “All sports are lifetime sports,” she said, “people think it’s weird I play sports… softball, volleyball, dodgeball… but I have a bunch of friends that I grew up with who all play sports – and now, we have families and our kids that play sports, too. It’s a big community that does it.”
Seli mostly plays on “city leagues” through the City of Moses Lake, along with her mom and stepdad Reyna and Eddie Gonzales, and their friends, and her friends. Occasionally, her partner, Spencer Biallas, plays along, too. “We’re just a bunch of adults playing kids sports. We enjoy it and the community brings us together!” she said.
Her passion for sports comes from within, and she describes herself as “super competitive.” She started sports at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, where the new PE teacher organized basketball and track and field practices and games, both of which she continued to compete in through high school. She said there were some barriers for her participation in her first (and most recent favorite), softball, due to costs and the cliquiness of girls sports.
Softball continued to be her passion, thanks in large part she said, to Eddie who, when she turned old enough to compete in the City leagues, invited her to join the team. “He was the one playing these adult sports. I never knew that was a thing,” she said, “Since that, since I was 19, we’ve been playing. My mom, stepdad, brother, little sister, other brother and myself – almost a full team!” have played together. What’s more, if Eddie’s not playing, he’s still showing up to watch her games, like many other parents of the players. “A lot of my friends all kind of grew up the same, and now their parents come to watch us play, make us breakfast and watch our kids! It’s part of our [Mexican/American] culture,” she said.
But activity isn’t all just fun, family and games for Seli. “I’m a substance abuse counselor,” she said, “I’m 100% about using physical health to relieve mental health stress. I preach it to my clients – I’ve been there. Start walking, start working out and you’re going to notice and feel better.”. It also “gives me something to look forward to. Gives me something to do!” she said.
Sports have also been an important legacy to pass down to her children. Her eldest son, Sonny Adamy, was competitive but didn’t love team sports so he rode dirt bikes. Her younger son, Frank Adamy, played baseball for a long time and has recently picked up golf, and is loving it. Her daughter, Gabriela Adamy, is making her mom proud as an enthusiastic softball player. As a parent, Seli has gone out of her way to make sure she has the resources available for her kids to pursue the sports of their choosing.
While there are all sorts benefits to sports, there can also be barriers experienced or perceived around sports, like cliques or cost, but Seli says there are ways around them. She said for less than $100 you can buy the mit and shoes you need to play softball. To find a team, head to the ‘Moses Lake Adult Softball’ Facebook group, where you can post about yourself and what you’re looking to join. “People are always looking for new players,” she said.
Location can also be a barrier to participate, but it doesn’t have to be – you might just have to spend a little more time getting there, or choose a different, more local sport. In the Basin, the cities of Quincy, Ephrata, Moses Lake, Mattawa and Royal City and Othello each have adult team sports – most commonly soccer, softball, volleyball and cornhole. Group exercise classes are also prevalent around the Basin, including water-based, senior-focused, yoga and jujitsu classes. Some of these programs are city-based, but many are through community leagues, tournament leagues and private businesses. You just have to look to find them. “You do have to have some sort of motivation,” Seli said.
The City of residents of Quincy in particular are making incredible investments in their recreation facilities, including a new public pool and the Q-Plex – an indoor, multi-sport complex. Russ Harrington, City of Quincy Recreation Director, said the pool has been in the planning process for many years, including careful budgeting within the City to make it feasible. “The ‘new’ addition of the pool was 25 years old, the original lap pool was 70 years old, and the whole thing needed structural and system updates,” which made it most efficient to build a new one, he said. “New programs will be announced once we get into the pool and see how the space feels and how it seems best to operate,” he said, “We’re hoping for Zuma and aquafit classes, with lunchtime and possible evening lap swimming.” He said the new outdoor overhead and in-pool lighting will make it possible to have the pool open later more often.
The Q-Plex, or Quincy Valley Regional Sportsplex as it is officially called, was inspired by a city-wide survey asking residents what kind of amenities they would like to see. After much planning, deliberation, and support by the community, a recreation district was established. That district then voted in favor of an approximately 50-cents tax per $1,000 in property value, which is helping fund the project. Russ said the complex is likely to include six full-size basketball courts which can be converted into 12 youth or volleyball courts, or 16 pickleball courts, plus a ¾ size turf soccer field that is completely contained with plexiglass and nets. They space could alternatively be used for large gatherings like conventions or trade fairs, he said.
City of Quincy website.
Russ is proud of the work he and others in the community are doing to create spaces and opportunities for people to get out and get moving. “Take a chance, any kind, whether it’s through the senior center… outdoor activities, walking paths… to get out, stay active and not just sit on your couch,” he said. For him, he takes a walk every day, often with his wife or his dog and it’s about getting out and letting, “the troubles of work melt away… it’s a good recharge. Get a little bit of sweat to open up and release the day’s toxins you get sitting and staring at a screen all day.”
Still not convinced sports are for you? Besides sports, this magazine is full of opportunities to get active in your community! Go fishing. Take a crafting class. Go shopping down main street! Try putting undies on a cow (this is real, check out the Cleatis Lacy Memorial Bull Riding Event on page 54)! Catch a show. Go see some fireworks. Go vote. Take a walk and take some pictures…. and send them to thevenuem@gmail.com or tag us on Facebook and Instagram @thevenuem. We want to see you active!
According to the Journal of Sport and Health Science, recent studies have also proven that not only does active, low-intensity sport-playing older individuals’ bone density outperforms their peers’, the density is better even compared to younger (inactive) individuals’ bone density. They also reported improved motivation and social satisfaction in study participants.
All the activities mentioned in this story are important to differentiate against going to the gym for individual workouts. There are undeniable benefits to that practice, but team sports are a different, arguably more wholesome approach to health. Seli goes to the gym for cardio (as an outfielder she has to be able to run), and weightlifting (as is recommended for everyone and especially women after 30, according to the National Institute of Health). But while she and others in the gym might say, “Hi,” and notice when each other are gone, there isn’t the same sense of knowing each other and growth of a community.