Mind games

It’s 1:28 p.m., and the clubhouse of Islands West is full of residents preparing to stimulate their brains for the next two and a half hours. It’s time for Mind Your Mind.

“I found once upon a time that if you want people to come on time, you don’t say 1:30, you say 1:28,” Mind your Mind creator Nick Kovalakides said. “People wonder why they have to be there at 1:28 and come on time. We like to start on time.”

Held on the third Thursday of every month at the Islands West clubhouse, Mind Your Mind is a two-and-a-half-hour-long event that gives participants challenging word games to help stimulate their minds.

Two to three people are clustered around each of the small tables, focusing on solving word games together. They stay quiet so they don’t give their answers away to the other tables.

One of Kovalakides’ favorite games is “Famous Initials,” where participants are given initials and have to guess which famous person they belong to.

“I went through an almanac one day and looked up actors, politicians, world leaders and other famous people and put together a bunch of sets of initials,” Kovalakides said. “For example, for the initials ‘MM,’ people can say Marilyn Monroe or Mickey Mouse or Mickey Mantle. People can either be foreign or domestic, real or fictional, living or dead, but it can’t be somebody you went to high school with.”

Research shows mental exercise is just as important as physical exercise during the aging process, and with Mind Your Mind, Kovalakides is giving others this necessary exercise.

“I don’t know that it’s a deterrent to Alzheimer’s or dementia, but I do read some things that if you use your mind, chances are it will be delayed,” Kovalakides said. “I feel like it’s something I want to do, so I’ll share it with others.”

Kovalakides doesn't just play these mind games because he thinks they're important; he frequently enjoys working on crossword puzzles or other word games.

 “I started playing game night five years ago on the social committee of Christ Church, but I started Mind Your Mind two years ago,” Kovalakides said. “I like word games, and it’s a fun way to get others to stimulate their minds.”

Kovalakides is also a member of the Longboat Key Rotary Club and brought Mind Your Mind to the club’s July 22 meeting.

“I have to say there was a lot of laughing and hooting and hollering,” Rotary Club President Carol Erker, a Mind Your Mind regular, said. “It was really a fun evening. I think this is important and a really nice thing. If you don’t use it, you lose it, and word games certainly help.”

When he’s not making up his own word games, Kovalakides gets ideas for the games from word books and AARP The Magazine. He provides four to six different games during a typical Mind Your Mind.

“I just like the games myself and to play them myself,” Kovalakides said. “I do a crossword puzzle in the morning and work the word list. Sometimes, they give me ideas.”

With each word game, players switch partners, which allows them to get out of their comfort zone and get to know others.

“They make friends, which is another purpose of the event,” Kovalakides said. “We have icebreakers before each game just to get to know each other.”

There can be anywhere from six to almost 20 people who show up at Mind Your Mind.

“There are nice, small tables there, so we can have teams of two and three and be a little further apart from another,” Kovalakides said. “You can’t steal answers that way. I’m all for having more people. We have a few more tables in the clubhouse. It might take more copies, but I’m willing to do it.”

Most players are Longboat Key residents, but some come from off the island from as far as University Park.

“The first time we came was to support Nick,” Erker said. “It’s a real nice mixer. When you’re collaborating with people you might not otherwise know, you really get to know them.”

Although the winners of the Mind Your Mind games are given points, there are no prizes.

“One of the things I feel that’s important is we’re not playing for money or something else,” Kovalakides said. “We just applaud each other. We take a break to go get something to eat. It’s a casual way to stimulate your mind.”

Many Mind Your Mind players show up every month, and Kovalakides expects to see a mix of regulars and newcomers each time.

“It’s a good way to expand your mind,” regular Cal Boehme said.

If you go:

When: 1:28 to 3:58 p.m. the third Thursday of every month

Where: Islands West clubhouse, 2525 Gulf of Mexico Drive

Cost: Free, but guests are expected to bring a snack to share.

Email [email protected] for more information or to RSVP.

TK: Sidebar

A Mind Your Mind activity that readers can try.