USCF US Senior Hyperbole

In an article, U.S. Junior & U.S. Senior Opens Headline Houston Chess Festival, that has just been posted on the USCF website (http://main.uschess.org/content/view/11291/636/), it is written, concerning entries for the US Senior, that, "The early entries have already exceeded the attendance for last year’s event."
I clicked onto the site given, (http://www.active.com/more-sports/houston-tx/us-senior-chess-championship-2011), and counted 43 pre-entries. "That's funny," I thought to myself, thinking that, since I have written about Senior chess for some time now, I recall there were only 49 players at the event last year. So I went to the USCF crosstable at: (http://main.uschess.org/assets/msa_joomla/XtblMain.php?201008284851.0-11126545), and found I was correct. They need 7 more players to exceed last years total. I sincerely hope they make it. I am amazed that such a large number have already signed up to play. I would not play if paid to do so. As I have written previously, seven o'clock central time is eight o'clock to my eastern time zone body, and I will not consider begining a classical chess game of five hours duration at eight pm. I turn in around eleven these daze. It is terribly difficult to try and play good moves when ones body is crying for sleep. It is, at my age, simply out of the question.