33rd Senior Olympic Events Kick Off With Opening Ceremonies Thursday

Don’t be concerned if you see a lot of seniors heading into local drug stores to get heat wraps and linament oil. Some 1,100 local seniors will take part in 85 different events at the 33rd annual Senior Olympics. Many of the events will take place at the Jewish Community Center campuses in Creve Coeur and Chesterfield, with some events hosted in other areas around Creve Coeur, West St. Louis County, St. Charles, and even Blueberry Hill on the Delmar Loop.

Bowling is at Olivette Lanes; cycling will be in the Columbia Bottoms area in Maryland Heights. The Soccer tournament will be held at the Tony Glavin soccer complex in St. Peter’s and tennis will be held at the 

Swimming will be indoors at the JCC in Chesterfield. Shuffleboard will be contested at . 

Nine hole golf will be contested at the and 18 holes at the Norman K. Probstein Course in Forest Park.

The games first began in 1980. According to Phil Rubin, Athletic Director at the J and director of the Senior Olympics, this event will be just as special as the rest.

The athletes range in age from 50 (the entry age) all the way to 98. Rubin cites the camaraderie and social aspects as the main reasons people sign up. “We have people come here every year seeing each other only on this occassion. We have seen frienships formed that will last forever.”

Competitors will come mainly from St. Louis, St. Charles and Southern Illinois.

The games begin with the opening ceremonies in the JCC gymnasium Thursday in Creve Coeur starting at 1:30 p.m during intermission of the tap exhibition. The events run through May 29 with no competition on May 27, for the celebration in the Jewish calendar of Shavuot.

There are no closing ceremonies for the Senior Olympics this year but 2012 does include the introduction of a new sport, Bullet Ball.

For information and a schedule, check out the event website.

Do you know someone competing this year? Tell us their story here