On Monday, October 3, 2022, the Brightspire Olympics kicked off at River Landing at Sandy Ridge with great enthusiasm. Each community in the Brightspire family were represented by teams in their respective color shirts and were welcomed warmly to River Landing. During the opening ceremony, the Southwest Guilford High School band paraded into the room with spirited music, bringing festive cheers from attendees. The communities were also able to enjoy a performance from the River Landing chorus, and many joined in singing and dancing to a collection of spirited songs.
Beginning in 2008, the Brightspire Olympics engages residents to participate in physical activity and friendly competition. This year events ranged from chair volleyball, Bocce, corn toss, golf, billiards, walking and more. Throughout the week, participants at River Landing traveled to Scotia Village and Glenaire to continuing competing.
“It felt wonderful to be able to resume our Olympics this year; we haven’t been able to have one since 2019! There were so many residents who had never experienced an Olympics with Brightspire before and they were really in for a treat,” stated Whitney Ariza, Wellness Director here at River Landing. “The competition, camaraderie and fellowship are the things we all look forward to and this year did not disappoint! I am amazed every year to see the skill and talent that our residents display.”
River Landing participants claimed quite a few top prizes. The men’s and women’s teams competing in chair volleyball claimed the first-place spot. Others won places in the top three in billiards and Bocce. While visiting Scotia Village and Glenaire, River Landing was able to bring home a few more trophies in the women’s and men’s 1 mile walk, walk relay, and the quiz bowl.
"Brightspire Olympics is one of my favorite events at River Landing,” says resident and participant, Libby Leonard. “It is a time when the entire community can come together to celebrate each other's talents and accomplishments. As a cheerleader, it is great fun to build a sense of community pride and to encourage others to have fun and excel. I think seeing the creativity and capabilities of our Olympians helps us all feel young (or at least younger) again. And while the competition is serious, it is also a wonderful opportunity to visit with friends living in the other Brightspire communities."
A few other participants wanted to share their thoughts on the Olympics experience. “We love living at River Landing and participating in the Brightspire Olympics for the first time has been one of the highlights of the year for us,” shared from Tom and Becky Talbott. “We enjoy getting involved with the many activities that River Landing offers, and this year’s Olympic games afforded us the opportunity to meet new people not only at River Landing but at Glenaire and Scotia Village as well. We competed in several events (swimming, water & chair volleyball, water walking, corn toss, table tennis, 300-piece puzzle and duplicate bridge), and we encourage more residents from all the Brightspire communities to participate next year – it’s great fun, it keeps you active, and you make some wonderful new friends!”
Athlete, Nelda Tawse, enjoyed the events, and praises the team of staff who help with organizing the Olympics. “It was an entire week of excitement, fellowship, friendly competition, exhilaration, and one new adventure after another for this newcomer. I was delighted to get the opportunity to visit our ‘sister’ communities. What a welcome we received at Scotia and Glenaire! The organization and execution of this event was incredible. Kudos to our Wellness teams and the many, many others who spearheaded this year's Olympics. It seemed to me that everything from the buses to the stopwatches ran like a charm.”
A true highlight in the community, the Brightspire Olympics brought a lot of joy and spirited competition. With so many ways to participate, the community will have a lot to look forward to for the next round of Olympic events in 2023.