SENIOR OLYMPICS Pittsburgh still needs volunteers

More than 10,000 athletes age 50 and older will compete in June.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- For the Senior Olympics to be a success, the event needs volunteers as much as competitors, organizers said.
More than 10,000 athletes age 50 and older are expected to compete in the games, formally called the Summer National Senior Games, during two weeks in June in Pittsburgh. But organizers need the help of 3,000 volunteers to make sure the events run smoothly.
Although thousands of volunteers have signed up for stints of four hours or more, the games' Pittsburgh Local Organizing Committee is still looking for an additional 500 volunteers.
Training sessions
Volunteers have already begun attending training sessions, where they're learning what to wear, where to report and how to greet and help athletes and visitors.
Volunteers who attended a training session Friday also learned what they shouldn't do, such as breaking up fights among competitors.
One year, female shuffleboard competitors began sparring, Kendra Winters, one of the leaders of the volunteer effort, told a room of laughing volunteers.
"You might see something like that during the medals round," Winters said.
Volunteers and competes
Mary "Ski" Olup, 51, of Pittsburgh, was one of the people who attended the training session. In addition to her volunteer work, Olup will compete on an age 50-54 women's softball team called the Steel Magnolias.
"I think this is just a great opportunity for our city," Olup said.
Local organizers plan to base most events -- including archery, basketball, swimming, volleyball, and track and field -- at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, while golf and softball would likely be played in county-owned parks.
PNC, Heinz Field to be used
PNC Park would likely be used for a ceremony, while Heinz Field could be used as the finish for long-distance running as it is for the city's marathon.
Although the National Senior Games Association predicts about 10,000 people will come to Pittsburgh to participate in the games, that's fewer than the 12,000 people they had projected and the 10,700 people who turned out for the 2003 games in Virginia.
The lower estimate has surprised officials and organizers said they couldn't explain why participants could be passing up the games.