2027 Event Set for April 23--
“Over the hill means that you’re just picking up speed on the way down.”
Those were the remarks for the 2025 Western Illinois Senior Games Opening Ceremonies April 25 by Senior Games Coordinator Tammi Bories. In Spring 1982, a new game came to town courtesy of Western Illinois University Physical Education Professor George Hermann, who shattered the myth that “senior citizens” sit and rock their life away. During the weekend of April 24-25, over 70 athletes converged on the WIU-Macomb campus for an Olympics-inspired weekend for adults over 50.
The Senior Games will celebrate its 45th year next spring, with the date set for April 23-24. This year’s 44th Annual Senior Games kicked off with 18-hole and 9-hole golf competitions April 24, at WIU’s Harry Mussatto Golf Course, swimming, pickleball and corn hole and bowling. An opening ceremony started events April 25, followed by track and field events, free-throw shooting, table tennis, pickleball and disc golf. The 2025 event about 30 percent more participants over last year’s games.
“These games are a testament to the fact that passion, competition, and community only get better with age,” Bories said. “The athletes’ dedication to health, fitness, and camaraderie prove age is just a number, and we can thrive at any stage of life.”
