Before Tucsonans set their sights on the Winter Olympics, they’re being treated to an appetizer of sorts in their own backyard.
The 37th annual Senior Olympic Festival began in Tucson on Jan. 8 and will run through Saturday. Last year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Joe Stubbins, one of several program coordinators, said he’s elated to have the competition back and running again.
“At the bowling alley, I heard some guys say they haven’t bowled since the last time we ran our tournament, which was January 2020,” said Stubbins, 28.
The Senior Olympic Festival is run by City of Tucson Parks and Recreation, which is situated in the Morris K. Udall Regional Center.
More than 32 Olympic-style events are being held at 24 different locations throughout Tucson. The competition is sponsored by Atria, a senior living provider.
Like the actual Olympic Games, the Senior Olympic Festival includes competition in track and field, volleyball, softball and more. Participants compete to win gold, silver and bronze medals.
However, unlike the Olympics, this competition also features social activities such as leisure walks, darts, bunco, Texas hold’em and billiards. The festival also includes pickleball, archery, golf, tennis and a basketball shooting contest.
All athletes must be 50 years old or older to compete. The competition levels are separated into different age brackets, each spanning five years. There are men’s, women’s and co-ed divisions depending on the sport.
The ongoing Senior Olympic Festival features traditional sports like volleyball, above, as well as more social games like Texas hold 'em and bunco.
Mele Ferreira, the festival supervisor, said he’s consistently amazed by some of the performances. Most participants are either in their 50s or 60s, though this year’s competition and ones in the past have had several participants in their 80s and even 90s.
This year’s competition includes athletes from both the United States and abroad. There are a few competitors from Canada and one from England.
“They may not be as agile as they used to be, but you can tell some of these guys are true athletes in their own sport,” Ferreira, 52, said. Volleyball participants in their upper 80s are “still diving for the ball; that’s incredible,” Ferreira added.
Their oldest participant this year competed in the bowling tournament, and “I believe was a 96-year-old man,” Stubbins said.
As the festival falls on January every year, it serves as an ideal New Year’s resolution opportunity for entrants. “We get so many participants that come out saying they haven’t done something active in years,” Stubbins said.
Ferreira and his staff hope the Senior Olympics debunk the notion that seniors are inactive and out of shape. “We’re trying to market the fact that you can be a senior and still be very active,” Ferreira said.
