While driving through Birmingham, Alabama, in 2017, Dennis Bass saw an advertisement for the National Senior Games<\/a> slated to be held in the city that year.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t even know there was such a thing,\u201d Dennis shared. \u201cSo I stopped at the truck stop and started Googling about the National Senior Games\u2026The next day I called my brother Fran on the phone and said, \u2018You\u2019re not gonna believe this, brother.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The National Senior Games are held every other year and bring together more than 10,000 athletes ages 50-100+ to compete in over 20 different medal sports. Competitors qualify at locally sanctioned Senior Games events in even-numbered years.<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take Dennis and Fran long to decide which sport they\u2019d try first to have a little fun and get active. \u201cWe both said, \u2018We have swimming; it\u2019s part of our history,\u201d explained Fran.<\/p>\n BassFamily (1956) Left to right: Bruce, Gene, Dennis, Millie, Fran. Photo courtesy of Fran Bass<\/p><\/div>\n The Bass children spent summers at their neighborhood pool, and most of them swam competitively on a community swim team in Brookside Park, Delaware.<\/p>\n Parents William and Betty Jean made swimming a family affair and brought their entire clan to meets to cheer each other on. The siblings left swimming behind for other pursuits in high school but kept the fond memories.<\/p>\n Nearly 50 years later, Dennis and Fran jumped back in the water to compete at state Senior Games in Maryland and Delaware. The brothers enjoyed the camaraderie and community at the events and began a quest to get the whole family involved.<\/p>\n The duo qualified for and competed in their first National Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2019. They hoped to have siblings Dale Ann, Robert, Millie, and Chuck join in 2022 for the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but other obligations limited only Dale Ann to adding to the crew.<\/p>\n (Top Row, Left to Right:) Chuck Bass, Dennis Bass, Fran Bass (Bottom Row, Left to Right:) Millie Zimmerman, Robert Bass, Dale Ann Bass. Photo courtesy of Fran Bass.<\/p><\/div>\n Then the magic year finally came.<\/p>\n Outfitted in matching t-shirts with the hashtag #RatherBeABass proudly on the back, all six siblings hit the pool deck at Trees Hall Pool in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to compete in the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana.<\/p>\n The gathering marked the first time the siblings had been together in four years. Robert recently completed cancer treatment, making the reunion even more special.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve slowly been convincing and getting the rest of our family a little bit more involved in it, and we were extremely happy that we finally got everybody to click,\u201d said Fran.<\/p>\n The family was motivated to swim in The Games in memory of their brothers, Bruce and Gene, who passed away around five years ago and were the strongest swimmers of the Bass bunch.<\/p>\n \u201c…We found it to be a way that we could connect again; something we all enjoyed, we could do together, be together as a family,\u201d Dale Ann shared. \u201cAnd even though we swim, it\u2019s beyond that\u2026We have been able to sit down and have dinner together\u2026tell old stories, old jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/BassFamily_1956-Bruce-Gene-Dennis-Millie-Fran.cropped.jpg\")
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