Mike Welter, 69 of Cape Coral, Fla., is a retired, 30-year United States Marine Corps veteran who is now an accomplished pickleball player. Mike has overcome significant adversity in his lifetime but continues to set a great example for healthy aging and staying active. Mike is competing in the 2022 National Senior Games and is being honored as a 2022 Humana Game Changer. Friday, May 13, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Jesus Aranguren/AP Images for Humana Inc.)

The 2022 National Senior Games are officially underway, and plenty of Southwest Florida residents are representing the area in a variety of sports.

Having kicked off Tuesday and concluding on May 23, the National Senior Games are being held in the Greater Fort Lauderdale Area, where nearly 12,000 athletes are registered to compete in 21 different sports.

Of those athletes, 1,656 are from Florida, and 110 are representing the Southwest Florida Area, including Lehigh Acres.

Neva Weisskopf of Lehigh Acres is a long-time Florida Senior Games track and field standout and is also a regular at the National Senior Games. Weisskopf is the Women’s Discus record holder in the 65-69 age group with a throw of over 76 feet in 2015. At the 2021 Florida Senior Games, she won two gold medals and three silvers in the 70-74 age group, will compete in two running events and the discus, javelin and shot put at the 2022 National Senior Games.

Mike Welter, a top-ranked pickleball player from Cape Coral, will compete in Men’s Doubles 65-69 age group with partner Andy Gutierrez, also from Cape Coral. Welter earned the 2017 Florida Senior Games Male Athlete of the Year and suffered a stroke prior to the 2018 Florida Senior Games. He has battled his way back and is competing regularly in the local, state and national games.

Welter, out of the nearly 12,000 competing athletes, has been selected as one of 12 Humana Game Changers – a national recognition of an athlete who exemplifies healthy aging and provides encouragement, motivation and inspiration for all seniors to start living healthy lifestyles.

Welter has worked through an arduous recovery following his stroke and is back to competing. It is now his mission to inspire others – especially his fellow seniors – to be active.

Gregory Lindsay of North Fort Myers and Jerry Lake of Cape Coral are the Florida Senior Games Men’s Doubles Bowling record holders in the 50-54 age group. The duo combined for their record-setting score of 1,439 at the 2017 Florida Senior Games. They will compete in the 55-59 Men’s Doubles age group and both are registered for Men’s Singles.

Gus Ormrod of Fort Myers is the Florida Senior Games 90-94 age group Power Walk record holder in both the 1,500 meter and 5K Races. He set the marks at the 2019 Florida Senior Games and was the 90-94 age group gold medalist in the 5K Power Walk at the 2021 Florida Senior Games.

Other area athletes include Gerald Nichols in archery, John Davidson in power walk, Debra Gaddis in softball, Charles Cooper in swimming, and Werner Stollenmeier in table tennis.

Visit www.nsga.com for a complete schedule of events taking place between May 10-23.

— Connect with this Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj