BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) -- No one is more excited that Birmingham has been selected as a host city for the National Senior Games in 2029 than 59-year-old Melissa White.
The swimmer from Hoover, along with her twin Melanie Coultas, first participated in the games when they were held in Birmingham back in 2017.
The National Senior Games are for those ages 50 and over and offer more than 25 type of sporting events, including everything from track and field to pickleball. White described the conversation she had over the phone with her sister after first learning about the games on Facebook.
“Good news is we can do it,” White said. “I said the bad news is we have to qualify in two weeks, and we haven’t been in the water in 30 years.”
After talking her twin sister into qualifying for the swimming events both women, who went on to swim at the Birmingham CrossPlex in 2017, walked away with gold medals at the age of 50.
“It is never too late to get started," White said. "Health and wellness is really the whole philosophy behind the senior games and fellowship with other athletes."
White said she and her sister became hooked and have since traveled to Albuquerque, Fort Lauderdale and Pittsburgh to compete in National Senior Games. They’re both excited about the opportunity to compete in Birmingham again.
“I think sometimes when we live here, we forget how special it is,” White said. “It’s a really good feeling to come back home.”
The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau announced Tuesday the Magic City had been selected to host the 2029 National Senior Games. John Oros, president and CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, explained why landing the event is so important.
“That two-week period that we had in there was the longest sustained period of high hotel occupancy for all of our hotels throughout the county," Oros said. "But also it means a lot for our restaurants and our retailers, all of our businesses that are related to the tourism industry, that support the tourism industry.”
In 2017, the GBCVB said it welcomed more than 10,500 participants and generated $38 million in economic impact for Jefferson County.