GeezerJock Magazine announces year age group winners

In its winter issue, GeezerJock, the first Masters sports and fitness magazine to cover the spectrum of competitive athletics for people 40 and over, unveils the winner of the inaugural Michelob ULTRA GeezerJock of the Year Award -- Bill Collins, a 54-year-old sprinter from Houston.  The award recognizes supreme achievement in Masters athletics, which is defined as organized athletics for men and women over 40 years of age.

Despite being at the older end of his age bracket, Collins swept the men's 50-54 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter races at both the 2005 USA Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Honolulu and the 2005 World Masters Games in Edmonton, Alberta. "The voters and the editorial staff at GeezerJock believe that Bill Collins represents the best that Masters sports has to offer," said Sean Callahan, the magazine's editor. "Not only is he a talented athlete, but he's a big believer in the Masters movement.  He has embraced his sport's camaraderie and is quick to offer advice and tips to his competitors."

Callahan added, "Selecting the GeezerJock of the Year was difficult, because there were so many deserving choices. How do you pick from nominees like Larry Raffaelli, a 62-year-old Los Angeles County lifeguard who not only is a remarkable distance swimmer but is still participating in life-saving rescues; or Ed Whitlock, a 74-year-old marathoner who has broken the magical three-hour barrier; or Haze Thompson, a woman who at age 60 discovered that

she has a talent for cycling and is breaking age group records left and right?"

In addition to honoring the best overall Masters athlete, the GeezerJock of the Year award program also recognizes the GeezerJock Executives of the Year as well as 10 age-group winners -- a male and female in each of five age categories: 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80-plus.

The GeezerJock Executives of the Year, the association leaders who have made the most significant contributions to Masters athletics during the past year, are:  Bill Bankhead, CEO of the National Senior Games Association (NSGA), Baton Rouge, La., and Phil Godfrey, COO of the NSGA.