Special Events and Programs Announced for The 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana
All events are free and open to the public
The 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana will be one of the largest sporting events in the world, with nearly 12,000 athletes coming to compete in 21 medal sports in Greater Fort Lauderdale from May 10-23. There will be several free special events on tap where the public is invited to join with athletes. For more National Senior Games information, visit NSGA.com.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Flame Arrival Ceremony sponsored by Aviv Clinics
Wednesday May 11, 7 pm
Las Olas Oceanside Park
A reunion of the athletes in a fun beach party atmosphere, highlighted by a torch run and cauldron lighting at dusk. During the party athlete Andy “Mr. Impossible” Steinfeldt will attempt a world record for side planking – and will entertain us with a song while doing it!
Celebration of Athletes sponsored by Ageility
Monday, May 16, 7 pm
Las Olas Intracoastal Park
This will be another outdoor reunion party to go with the pageantry of the Parade of Athletes, ceremonial presentations and the passing of the flag to Pittsburgh, which is hosting the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana. Everyone is invited to come out at 5:45 pm to join athletes in a pre-show GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt for the largest “Freeze Dance Game” sponsored by Iovera!
FEATURED PROGRAMS
“Thriving in Place” National Film Premiere
Tuesday, May 10, 3 pm
Broward County Convention Center, room 222
This will be the first-ever viewing of a groundbreaking documentary exploring the complex nature of aging and the challenge of change. Following the viewing, the audience will have an opportunity to provide feedback and join the discussion with filmmakers Rainie and Chris Ames and a panel of national experts that includes:
- Ashton Applewhite — TED Talk Main Stage Speaker and author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism
- Duo Dickinson — Architect and author ofStaying Put: Remodel Your House to Get The Home You Want
- Suzi Stadler — California architect and founder of At Home With Growing Older, a California Non-Profit that is engaging thousands of people in an exploration of new aging.
- Andrew Walker – NSGA Health and Well-being Director, Moderator
Women Of The Games: A View of Title IX
Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 3 pm
Broward County Convention Center, room 222
The first of two “Olympic Day” events will highlight contributions of women in the Senior Games Movement in light of the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
This community gathering will feature marathon legend and Senior Games athlete Kathrine Switzer sharing her experiences advocating for new sports for women in the modern Olympic movement. The conversation will reflect key Olympic values and explore the intersection of Title IX, civil and human rights. Nine pieces of visual art from the Al Oerter Foundation/ Art Of The Olympians will also be displayed. Presenters include:
- Kathrine Switzer – Author/first official woman in the Boston Marathon/activist
- Madeline Murphy Rabb – Writer/athlete/art advocate
- Bruce Wigo –Historian, International Swimming Hall of Fame
- Erica I. González –Team ONIX Pickleball/Athlete
- Andrew Walker – NSGA Health and Well-being Director, Moderator
Your Title IX Story: The Art of The Olympians 
Thursday, May 19, 1:00 pm
Broward County Convention Center, room 222
Olympic and Paralympic art of The Art Of The Olympians collection, paired with a brain stimulating interactive learning practice led by University of Miami Art and Medicine program will prime our creativity for an enriching story sharing experience. Presenters include:
- Cathy Oerter – CEO, Art of The Olympians CEO
- Gauri Gaonkar-Agarwal M. D. – University of Miami Art and Medicine Program
- Hope B. Torrents – University of Miami Art and Medicine Program
- Andrew Walker – NSGA Health and Well-being Director, Moderator
In addition to Presenting Sponsor Humana, National Senior Games partners include Ageility, Aviv Clinics, Kohler Walk-In Bath, Pacira BioSciences, Arnicare, Zibrio, Baptist Health, Papa and Sagewell Financial. The event also received partner support from Come Play in Florida, Broward County Government and Visit Lauderdale.
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The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) is a nonprofit Florida corporation that promotes health and well-being for adults 50 and over through education, fitness and sport. NSGA is an Affiliate Organization Council Member of the United States Olympic Paralympic Committee and governs the biennial National Senior Games, the largest qualified multi-sport event in the world. The Association is comprised of 52 independent Member Games that conduct qualifying competition events. The 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana will be held May 10-23,2022 in Greater Fort Lauderdale. For more information, please visit NSGA.com.
MEDIA INFORMATION/CREDENTIALS: Please visit the Press Room page at NSGA.com for contacts and information.
- Published in News and Events
Dates Announced for 2023 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh
Dates Announced for 2023 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh
The Games Return to the City of Champions July 7-18, 2023
The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) has released the dates for the 2023 National Senior Games presented by Humana, scheduled for Pittsburgh. The massive, multi-sport championship event for adults 50 and older will be held in the City of Champions July 7-18, 2023.
The Games will be hosted by SportsPITTSBURGH, a division of VisitPITTSBURGH. P3R, the Official Event Management Partner of SportsPITTSBURGH, will coordinate local operations of the Games.
While Pittsburgh hosted the National Senior Games once before in 2005, both the city and the event have grown. The 2022 Games, set for Greater Fort Lauderdale May 10-23, will have more than 11,900 athletes competing in 20 sports, the third largest in its 35-year history. The 2019 National Senior Games set an all-time participation record with nearly 14,000 athletes in Albuquerque, so organizers are optimistic about having a high turnout in 2023.
“The fact that we have so many coming back after all of the challenges and difficulties brought by the pandemic is a testimony to the resolve of our great athletes,” commented NSGA CEO Marc T. Riker. “Pittsburgh will see many more athletes than our first visit in 2005, and our participants are going to be impressed by all of the new developments and the can-do spirit of the city.”
“Pittsburgh has solidified its position as a major sports and travel destination, and our entire community is eager to welcome back the National Senior Games in 2023,” SportsPITTSBURGH Executive Director Jennifer Hawkins said. “This biennial event is expected to draw more than 30,000 visitors to our region next year and could generate upwards of $35 million in economic impact. We’re thrilled to provide our community with the chance to again play host to a prestigious national event as we welcome the best senior athletes in the country back to Pittsburgh.”
The 2023 Games logo also was released, and the image highlights the city’s fame for having many bridges. “We will share the message that pursuing active lifestyles can be a bridge to longer and healthier lives,” Riker said. “Our athletes show proof of that.”
Sport action will be spread around the area, but the main hub of activity will be the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh, where several sports will be contested, and athletes and the public will gather and relax in The Athlete Village expo area. All competitions and events will be free and open to the public.
“We are excited to use our event planning expertise to ensure that all Senior Games athletes have a first-class experience from start to finish,” said Troy Schooley, P3R CEO. “This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our sports facilities and all the other great amenities that our city offers.”
“Though the 2022 Games are just next month, the energy for the 2023 Games is already building in Pittsburgh,” Hawkins added. “Together with P3R and our marketing colleagues, we aim to provide the athletes with iconic experiences, both on and off the play fields, and show them and their families all the memorable and exciting experiences and attractions they can see, do and find Only in Pittsburgh.”
Competition is for athletes 50 and older and organized in five-year age divisions with medals awarded for each level. Traditionally held on odd-numbered years, the National Senior Games also requires athletes to first qualify at one of 52 Member Games spread across the country in the previous year. The Pennsylvania Senior Games is the state’s qualifying event and will be held July 22-31, 2022, in greater Luzerne County.
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About NSGA
The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) is a nonprofit Florida corporation that promotes health and wellness for adults 50 and over through education, fitness and sport. NSGA is an Affiliate Organization Council Member of the United States Olympic Paralympic Committee and governs the biennial National Senior Games, the largest qualified multi-sport event in the world. The Association is comprised of 52 independent Member Games that conduct qualifying competition events. The 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana will be held May 10-23,2022 in Greater Fort Lauderdale. For more information, please visit NSGA.com.
About SportsPITTSBURGH
As a division of VisitPITTSBURGH, SportsPITTSBURGH’s primary goal is to attract and host a wide variety of sporting events while providing planners and local stakeholders with the expertise and professionalism required to host a world-class event in the Pittsburgh region. Pittsburgh, the “City of Champions,” is dedicated to hosting events that make public health and safety top priorities. For more information, visit sportspittsburgh.com.
About P3R
P3R is the engine behind Pittsburgh’s greatest races. We strive to inspire any and all to MOVE with us. Best known for organizing the acclaimed annual DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, P3R runs a variety of other high-quality races, events, and health and fitness programs throughout the Pittsburgh region. While many of our races attract some of the nation’s highest-profile professional athletes, we offer activities for all ages and ability levels. Anyone and everyone is invited to #RUNwithP3R! Read more at: P3R.org.
NSGA Media Contact:
Del Moon
678.549.4444
SportsPITTSBURGH Media Contact:
Shannon Wolfgang
sh**************@*************gh.com
412-325-0309
- Published in News and Events
“The Patient Whisperer” April 2022 Athlete of the Month
Marc Sacco, 57, Reading, Vermont
Cyclist Marc Sacco once had aspirations for the Olympics until a road accident relegated him to recreational cycling and running in his 20s. He had no notion of returning to competition until extreme challenges prompted him to pursue it as part of recovery therapy. His professional background also gave him a powerful healing tool that he claims has saved his life.
Now 57, he has been a paramedic and emergency department nurse for over 25 years and discovered he was a natural hypnotist by the way he spoke to people to calm them down. He and a fellow nurse partner were called “the patient whisperers” and the two became Board Certified Hypnotists and authors who have been in demand training other medical professionals on their complementary medicine techniques.
Marc knows the techniques work. Now an emergency department manager at a small Vermont hospital, he has had to apply them to his own healing after several physical and emotional challenges, notably the PTSD sustained after losing a paramedic partner in one of the World Trade Center tower collapses in the September 11th attack in 2001. “He was supposed to relieve me that morning but I told him I would stay late for him and he responded to the towers. It took me ten years to tell the story to anyone else.”
Marc says therapy, running and cycling helped manage his condition. But adversity returned when he was violently attacked not once but twice in 2020. In January, a violent patient attacked him and inflicted severe head injury, hearing loss and torn arm ligaments before he was restrained. It required numerous procedures, physical therapy and treatment for PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
“It really did a number on me. I had to get my mind back out of a dark place and on the path to recovery,” he relates. “Hypnosis and neuro linguistic programming were essential with the therapy I was getting because the combination of PTSD and TBI was debilitating. I almost quit nursing because I could not bring myself back to the hospital.”
After initial recovery, Marc began running as therapy and was training for the New York City Marathon when he was again attacked on his own property by a neighbor having a mental crisis. The assault left him with another head injury and torn rotator cuff, biceps tendon and meniscus. Incredibly, the incident happened on September 11, 2020, which triggered his PTSD.
“Starting at square one after more surgery, I began to run while working with physical therapy to become strong enough to ride the bike again,” he says. “I joined a cycling club and some of the older riders told me about the Vermont Senior Games. Then they said the date of the race was September 12 – one year and a day since the vicious attack! At that moment, I knew I had to be at the starting line to prove I was stronger than all of this. And I did!”
Marc won silver medals in his two state races and knew he had to follow the journey to the 2022 National Senior Games presented by Humana. He and his wife Patricia met as cyclists and she has also signed up to compete. “I never dreamed of qualifying for Nationals before that moment, and now I will be competing in all four cycling events with my goals set high,” he asserts. “Being able to return to nursing and competitive cycling has been a true blessing that has saved my life.”
“I had to practice what I preach, that the mind is connected to physical healing,” he continues. “I did daily trance work and the results were all positive. I am a changed person after all of this. I am so positive in my outlook on life now. My wife frets about doing well in the race, but I don’t care. I just want to show up on that starting line. That’s my success and achievement. Anything beyond that is just gravy.”
- Published in Athlete of the Month