Swimming pool sailboats sensational for seniors

A group of retirees enjoyed thrilling sailboat races Monday, not at Prospect Lake or Lake Pueblo but in their apartment swimming pool.

For the seventh time, residents at the Regency Tower Apartments in southwest Colorado Springs held their Labor Day sailboat races.

The boats are small, handmade models. Most of them were made by several residents at the complex during the years of the event, said resident Lee Schambaugh.

“I started making them with another guy,” Schambaugh said. “We made about 40 for the other residents. We let the grandkids sail most of them. We have trophies for the winners.”

With calm winds and still water in the pool, determining winners took time and patience. Several boats circled a few times before finally floating across a finish line at the pool’s opposite end.

Schambaugh said the races focus on fun, not competition.

“The best thing they (seniors) like about it is getting out here and enjoying themselves,” he said. “Just getting together. It’s a function that they can all do.”

Residents enjoyed a pot luck lunch before the races as part of their Labor Day celebration.

“I’m here with my family,” resident Betty Cisneros said, standing beside her daughter, Danielle Eads. “I’m a family person and love doing things with my family, celebrating holidays together. We’re having fun.”