Photos by Asia Morris.

Charlie Hunter said he doesn’t know what it feels like to be 73.

As he runs for miles on the treadmill, Hunter, who is indeed 73, begins to reminisce on his glory days on his high school cross country team and football team. Fitness, he said, has always been a priority in his life, and he will get a chance to show his stuff at this weekend’s EngAGE Senior Olympics.

“I always had an interest in running. I used to run a lot and I’m a surfer from the old days,” he said. “I was in cross country and varsity football in high school. I love keeping fit. Doing something like this gives me a sense of health. I eat good food and take my vitamins. I’m starting to get back into running. I stopped for a while.”

Hunter, along with 14 other residents from the 18-month-old Long Beach Senior Arts Colony, will compete with teams from all over Southern California in activities like shooting basketball hoops, kicking to a target, ring tossing and participating in races like relay, running and walking.

This will be Long Beach’s first time competing in the Senior Olympics, which is now in its 14th year, said Long Beach Senior Arts Colony program manager Helene Weinberg.

Hunter said he is looking forward to competing in the physical games.

“Running clears my mind,” he said. “I just enter this state, and I just keep running. If you fall, get up. Running just feels good.”

There will also be a performance category at the event, and for 64-year-old Severina Britto, that’s her turf.

Britto said she grew up doing background singing and dancing work for entertainers like Johnnie Taylor, The Miracles, The Temptations and Gladys Knight.

Now, she’s a leader in the Long Beach Senior Arts Colony’s 11-member chorus, which is also competing Saturday.

The group will be performing Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” she said in an interview before offering a sample of her soulful alto voice.

“Our chorus is full of different nationalities, and some of our members can’t speak good English but they can sing,” she said. “Singing makes me feel like I’m blossoming, and to describe it in a single word, it’s just joy.”

While she admitted she didn’t have much of an athletic background, Britto, who served in the military, said she isn’t a stranger to exercising.

Her sister, who has participated in the Special Olympics, inspired her to compete, she said.

“When I saw her play basketball, I could not believe it,” she said. “She’s always been the fastest runner. She has a very childlike spirit to her, and I feed off that.”

One of the Long Beach Senior Arts Colony’s strengths, Weinberg said, is the range of talents within its residents.

“What’s interesting to me, when getting to know these residents, is that some of them are not only athletic but they’re also emerging artists,” she said. “They all have stories of what led them through our doors 18 months ago and have learned to take advantage of all the classes we offer and just get involved.”

The 14th annual EngAGE Senior Olympics will take place Saturday from 8AM to 3PM at Cerritos Park East, located at 13234 E. 166th St. in Cerritos.

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