The official flag and torch of the World Heart Games crossed Loudermilk Baseball Field at Piedmont University on Friday afternoon, marking the start of the two-day event. The field stadium was filled with participants who experienced a cardiopulmonary event or live with risk factors.
Some participants arrived from Marietta and were representatives of Wellstar Health System, according to Robert Nichols, the event’s co-coordinator. Others were local, and event chairman Dr. Stuart Sanders, medical director of Habersham Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, encouraged them to participate.
“Dr. Sanders is a crucial part of the World Heart Games, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without him,” Nichols said.
“There’s about 122 million Americans who have cardiovascular disease. That’s 48 percent of the adult population,” Sanders said in his opening speech. “We’re here to celebrate our health and our return to health.”
Sanders thanked the university’s president, Marshall Criser, for allowing the Games to be hosted at the school. Criser said he was “delighted” to be able to bring the event to Piedmont. The last time the Games were held at the university was in 2003.
“Your participation is incredibly meaningful not only to yourselves, but frankly to those who are in your lives and those around you in the community,” he said to the participants.
After the opening ceremony, most participants made their way to the Mize Athletic Center, where an assortment of games awaited. Others traveled to Apple Mountain Golf Course for the Heart Games golf tournament.
Prediction rowing, putting, cornhole and basketball shooting drew in the majority of participants to the athletic center. Piedmont students and volunteers assisted the competitors and monitored for signs of fatigue.
“A lot of these people here were athletes in high school or college, and some might not have been athletes at all,” Nichols said. “There’s something here for everyone, but we cater to those who have a need for community and exercise.”
The WHG will continue on Saturday, June 20, starting at 8 a.m. Nichols encouraged spectators to cheer on the volleyball tournament at the end of Saturday’s events, noting that the Georgia team is “undefeated.”
“The best way to stay healthy is to get together with friends and do something fun,” Nichols said.
The tournament is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Mize Athletic Center on the Piedmont University campus in Demorest.
