Editor’s note: second in a four-part series.
PITTSBORO — Helen Farrar didn’t fancy herself as an athlete growing up, or even in her working years.
But the lifelong Pittsboro resident had zero interest in just sitting on the couch once retirement came in 2013. She simply had to find an outlet to keep moving.
At that time, the Chatham County Senior Games were in their infancy. When Farrar came to exercise classes, staff members at the Chatham County Council on Aging started the recruitment process to find athletes.
The 78-year-old Farrar knew she wanted to be active in some capacity, making her response to the queries rather simple.
“At that time, when they started mentioning the Senior Games, they just asked if I would participate,” Farrar said. “Most of the people I was exercising with did participate.”
That’s not to say Farrar was completely new to physical activity. Growing up, she would take in the occasional game of baseball or volleyball. However, the most demanding form of physical conditioning came in the daily walk from her downtown home to the site of what is now Horton Middle School. From what was her home roughly a quarter-mile behind Elizabeth’s Pizza, Farrar walked to and from school — in all forms of weather conditions. Since she barely lived inside town limits, busing was not an option, and the round-trip from her home to the Horton site each day was two miles.
Farrar started her Senior Games journey with bocce, cornhole, and later, bowling. She also participates in the Fun Walk, another element of the Games.
“In school I did not participate in hardly any sports,” Farrar recalled. “It’s something I picked up. I wanted to be able to stay moving, to be able to continue moving, and it helped me connect to other people. It began to be fun.”
Farrar began to discover her competitive nature — one that focused on herself rather than other athletes.
“I call it challenging,” she said. “I try to meet the challenge, to see how well I can do. I don’t think, at this point in my life, I call it being a competitor as much as it is challenging myself to see how well I can do.”
In bocce, teams or individual competitors are given four balls to throw as close to a target, known as the pallina, as possible. Knocking opponents off course or further away from the pallina is encouraged and passes as a regular cost of doing bocce business. Farrar’s mastery of bocce was enough to earn a gold medal in the event during the 2022 Chatham County Senior Games.
As far as bowling is concerned, Farrar is still deciding whether to participate. During the 2022 competition, Farrar traveled to the site thinking that she would be taking part in a practice session — only to discover that it was actually the day of the event.
“I thought we were going to practice, and that was the day of the competition!” she said. “I had not had any practice, but I did get a (bronze) medal.”
While Farrar admits she’s never been a strong athlete and the Senior Games represents the most she has participated in sports, the benefits of taking part are multifold.
“It keeps me motivated, energized and connected to other senior citizens,” Farrar summarized. “It’s fun, and it’s good to be able to see some of the competitors from the year before. All the competitors are not people who I exercise with every day. Maybe, I just see them during that time.”
For more information about the Council on Aging and the Senior Games, go to https://chathamcouncilonaging.org.