Journey to Gold: How This Athlete Pivoted Through Setbacks
January 2026 Athlete of the Month By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller James “Jim” DeGoey, 76 Fitchburg, Wisconsin Recumbent Cycling Recumbent Cycling Time Trials were introduced to the National Senior Games in 2022, providing a way for cyclists with physical limitations a way to compete using specially designed low-profile bikes. 79-year-old Jim DeGoey, a veteran of
- Published in Athlete of the Month
This Running Couple is Still Going Steady
By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Tim Vigil, 61 Rita Vigil, 58 Santa Fe, New Mexico Tim and Rita Vigil love running almost as much as they love each other. They are living proof that you enjoy your best quality of life by doing all the right things, and they are still doing it together in
- Published in News and Events, Personal Best Featured Athletes
Show and Tell: Retired Teacher Demonstrates Fitness and Physics
December 2025 Athlete of the Month By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Glenn Govertsen, 81 Missoula, Montana Glenn Govertsen has an alter ego. He’s made physics cool to thousands of students across the country as “Mr. G,” host of a high-energy science show. The same infectious curiosity that fuels his passion for science has led Glenn
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Skilled and Chilled: “Drea C” Takes the Pressure Off on the Track
November 2025 Athlete of the Month By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Andrea Collier, 59 Orlando, Florida Many athletes have to overcome feelings of anticipation and stress when they compete. The pressure to perform can be even more intense for elite athletes who chase medals and records after months and years of serious training and preparation.
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Born to Coach
By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Donald Widener, 68 Suffolk, Virginia Not everyone knows what they want to do with their life as a young teen, but Donald Widener did – with a little help from his sister and a perceptive coach. Donald almost didn’t make it out of the hospital – he was a premature
- Published in Personal Best Featured Athletes
Davis Johnson is Going the Distance for Disc Golf
October 2025 Athlete of the Month By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Davis Johnson, 75 Monson, Massachusetts From the time he laid hands on his first Frisbee in 1965, Davis Johnson became obsessed with throwing it as far as he could. That would lead to getting his name into the Guinness Book of World Records as
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Determined Pickleballer Works Through Disability to Compete
September 2025 Athlete of the Month By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Diane Stelpflug, 65 New Berlin, Wisconsin Watching Diane Stelpflug enter the Iowa Events Center for Pickleball at the National Senior Games with a pronounced limp, one might easily assume she was a spectator toting gear for a friend. But a remarkable transformation takes place
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Derrick Milligan’s “Insurance Policy” is Paying Benefits
August 2025 Athlete of the Month By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Derrick Milligan, 60 Chicago, Illinois On a misty, muggy morning at the 2025 National Senior Games presented by Humana, lifelong athlete and Team Dream coach Derrick Milligan watched members of the three teams he brought to Des Moines for the Triathlon Relay compete. He
- Published in Athlete of the Month
From “Misfit Farm Kid” to Super Senior Athlete
By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Don Phillips, 94 Sioux Falls, South Dakota Some people assume that most National Senior Games competitors are lifelong athletes. In reality, we estimate that over half of Senior Games athletes either returned to a sport or took up new ones in midlife, and some discover hidden abilities as they progress.
- Published in Personal Best Featured Athletes, Senior Games Blogs
Lifting and Loving Life
June 2025 Athlete of the Month By Del Moon, NSGA Storyteller Faith O’Reilly, 82 Saguache, Colorado Look anywhere online and you’ll see Powerlifting is having a moment. Older women who powerlift have particularly captured the spotlight. Catherine Kuehn, 95, inspired the “Strong Grandma” documentary, and one Instagram video promoting the film racked up over 11
- Published in Athlete of the Month