by Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
MONROE — Each year, the township’s adult communities have the opportunity to come together in the name of goodwill and in the spirit of competition during the annual Mayors Cup, with this year being no exception.
The competition, almost at its end, brings Monroe’s adult communities together every few weeks for 10 sports, including bowling, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, basketball, table tennis, duplicate bridge, bocce ball and shuffle board.
For each event, victors take home both a plaque and a coveted Mayor’s Cup sporting the winning community’s name.
”It’s like the Stanley Cup with hockey,” said Jay Brown, a program supervisor for the Monroe Township Recreation Department, the township organization sponsoring the event.
Next Thursday, Clearbrook will host the bocce ball games as the Mayor’s Cup inches to a close.
Mr. Brown said he expects around 200 seniors to participate in the matches with approximately eight communities attending, bringing with them anywhere from 20 to 25 members on each team.
Since he first became involved with the cup nearly five years ago, Mr. Brown said he has witnessed the competition’s expansion, not only the number of sports but also the number of communities that have signed on — a growth he said likely will continue.
”There was a call for it, and like everything else, we responded to the community’s needs,” he said of the more recent additions of table tennis and basketball. “We’ve had requests for other events, and we’re looking into the feasibility of those.”
A new face in the competitions is the Gardens at Monroe Healthcare and Rehabilitation, a local business on Applegarth Road that’s provided grocery gift cards during a free raffle in a recent event and plans to provide free breakfast for the remaining two competitions.
The Recreation Department plans to provide a hot dog lunch for hungry attendees as well, he said.
But no matter who takes home the cup this year, Mr. Brown said he sees the competition as a victory, at least in terms of the bigger picture, the community.
”Our goal is for everyone to have fun, give people a sense of community and have a day out where everything is provided, free of charge,” he said. “Age is not a factor here. It’s at all levels. We’re just here to have fun, and that’s usually accomplished.”
Thursday’s event will be held at Clearbrook, off Applegarth Road, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The last event, the shuffleboard tournament, will be held Sept. 24 at Rossmooron Forsgate Drive.
For more information on the bocce ball event, contact either Mr. Brown or Al Carpenito at the Recreation Department at 732-723-5000.
mpratogaines@centraljersey.com
