As Spark Performance League Commissioner, Angie McAllister designs events that build strength, purpose, and belonging—with a healthy dose of competition thrown in. Learn about Lifespark’s TRYathlon™ Tournament and National Forklift Racing League, plus musings on next generation senior living and aging in place. About Angie Angie McAllister NHA has nearly three decades of experience in senior living, proudly having started her career as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She is currently the Spark Performance League Commissioner at Lifespark, where she is working closely with communities to build out an athletic league in senior living that supports the organization’s mission of empowering seniors to live fuller, more independent lives. Angie was recently voted The Eden Alternative International’s Board Chair. She was the 2016 recipient of the Nancy J. Fox Leadership Award and the 2018 recipient of the Eden Alternative Champion Award. Her experience spans transformational growth, change management and person-centered programming that sparks creativity and engagement. Previously to joining Lifespark she led Quality of Life and Culture Change Initiatives for Signature Healthcare, working closely with communities to facilitate transformation practices and eventually assisting many to join The Eden Alternative. Key Takeaways Lifespark commissions athletic leagues with teams, competitions, and prizes. The National Forklift Racing League is a contest using remote control forklifts—residents work as a team to stack the most poundage onto a set of scales within a time limit. There was backward motion towards an institutional approach during the pandemic, even in senior living communities with best practices. Along the lines of the Eden Alternative, personal transformation has to take place and the “blinders need to come off,” to transform the aging services industry. Relational trust is necessary to make to make big changes and spur innovation. Trends in senior living include a movement to smaller communities and intentional multi-generational concepts, and away from service-oriented hospitality towards engagement and citizenship. Activity professionals are the heart of senior living communities and underacknowledged for the work they do to improve residents’ quality of life.