Already Over 50, and They’re Gaining Speed

There’s an active group of fun-lovers in town who go snow skiing in New Zealand and Argentina, windsurfing on Mission Bay and hiking along Torrey Pines. They ride bikes and hold bocce ball tournaments. They have champagne brunches and do a little partying, and sometimes a little romance sneaks in. Recently, two members fell in love and got married.

Meet the “Over the Hill Gang,” for people 50 and over. Their motto is, “When you’re over the hill, you pick up speed.” The group’s logo is a doctored version of Grant Wood’s classic “American Gothic”--the pitchfork is replaced by a pair of skis, and the old man’s wearing a ski cap.

Who said growing old has to be a drag?

“It’s not so bad being 50,” said Gemma Parks, a Solana Beach activist who last year organized the San Diego chapter.

“This is the time in our lives where we can have fun. We’ve had our children and now they’re out on their own--and this is our reward. We’re living our dreams. We’re doing all the things we always wanted to do, but couldn’t until now. We meet good people our same age. We’ve gained a little wisdom and nobody’s out to prove anything. You don’t have to wear a shirt with an alligator on it. These are people who aren’t looking back. We’re looking forward.”

The Over the Hill Gang organization began seven years ago when three over-50 ski instructors in Colorado wondered why more people their age weren’t out on the slopes. They decided to start an over-50 ski club, and it took off like nobody’s business. So they made it their business.

Gemma Parks heard about the group when she went to Colorado on a vacation. She signed up, came home to Solana Beach, and decided to form her own chapter for San Diego County. Now there are 11 chapters around the nation.

Membership dues are $50 a year. Half the money goes to the guys in Colorado, and half stays here to pay such costs as printing and mailing newsletters.

Parks held her first organizational meeting a year ago and got 17 members. Today there are 170, ranging in age from 50 to 83.

“This is not a swinging singles group,” Parks emphasized. “We do a lot of exercise and we go to bed early.”

Still, she said, “The younger people are pretty impressed when they see us old people out there skiing and having fun. It takes the sting out of growing old.”

Walls’ Demise Untimely

At San Diego City Hall, the work order seemed simple enough: In Councilman Mike Gotch’s suite, remodel three offices into four by re-positioning a couple of walls. Then, hang new wallpaper in the four offices.

The only problem was, the wallpaper hangers arrived a day early--before the three offices had been turned into four. That didn’t stop them. They unabashedly moved into executive assistant Diane Annala’s office--which wasn’t supposed to be touched. They moved everything aside and stripped the walls of her beloved blue grass cloth. Someone finally stopped them, but the damage was done.

“Whoever heard,” Annala mused later, “of someone at City Hall doing work ahead of schedule?”

War Shows and Pussycats

At San Diego’s newest television station, KTTY-TV (Channel 69), last week’s special documentary, “Vietnam: The 10,000-Day War,” was followed at 10 p.m. by regularly scheduled programming:

“Combat.”

The station, by the way, is looking for a mascot. Given its call letters, a kitty audition will be held Saturday at the Mission Valley Center.

“We’re looking for a cat that’s spunky, got good looks, possesses star appeal (whatever that is) and will sit in front of a camera,” said spokeswoman Judy Albrecht.

You’ve heard of cattle calls for movie extras? This is a catcall--which, for Mission Valley, probably is appropriate.

The Flush of Success

We don’t normally give space to acknowledge people in the county who are honored for this and that, but we do make exceptions.

So, we tip our hat to Mike Garner, who is San Diego’s “Regional Sewage Treatment Plant Operator of the Year.”

Garner, who works at the Encina Water Pollution Control Facility, now advances as one of 12 finalists vying for the statewide “Mr. Clean” award.

Exporting a Problem

If you’ve ever wondered what Carlsbad does with its transients, consider this blurb from the Carlsbad Journal’s summary of local police calls on April 29:

“A resident of Caminito Estrada reported that he was approached by a man in his 50s and asked for money. Police contacted the reported panhandler, a 27-year-old man, and transported him to Encinitas, 12:53 p.m.”