If you are a military veteran who receives healthcare at your local VA Medical Center, and are age 55 and older, there is an annual event that you should know about. It’s called the National Veterans Golden Age Games (NVGAG) and it’s the only national multi-event sports/recreational senior’s competition program that was created to improve the quality of life for all older veterans.

The NVGAG is a prime example of the preventative and therapeutic value of sports, fitness and recreation. Being fit and staying active are huge priorities of the VA’s National Rehabilitation Special Events section. Older individuals that are physically active on a regular basis are clinically proven to be healthier, recover from injuries faster, and have a higher overall quality of life.

The events themselves include a huge variety of sports and recreational activities, including: swimming, cycling, golf, shot-put, discus, 10-meter air rifle, table tennis, dominoes, shuffleboard, horseshoes, nine-ball, bowling, checkers and croquet.

Furthermore, with each event, the participants will be separated by age brackets, with a total of seven age categories for each event. (55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84 and 85 and up).

Veterans with visual impairments and those who use wheelchairs for mobility can compete in the additional Visually Impaired or Wheelchair divisions, respectively, but these divisions are limited to only bowling, horseshoes, shuffleboard, and golf.

Some events are also separated by gender, and these include: cycling, bowling, horseshoes, shot put, discus, javelin and swimming. Please note that all athletes must enter at least two but no more than four events, excluding exhibition events.

NVGAG is hailed as one of the most progressive and adaptive rehabilitative sports programs in the world, but there is a lot that you need to know before becoming an athlete, non-athlete or volunteer.

To begin, the NVGAG will be held May 31st through June 5th, 2012, in St. Louis, Missouri. This wonderful city is famous for its music and performing arts, as well as some fantastic architecture, such as the Gateway Arch.

Due to the fast approaching date for this event, the registration deadline has been set for February 29, 2012. This is important to note, because everyone, including athletes, coaches, support staff, and volunteers, must complete a separate registration form.

The forms themselves can be found online at the following website:
http://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/gag/docs/registration.asp

Please make sure that you complete all of the required forms for your specific class of participant, as any missing documents will cause a delay in registration and possibly prevent enrollment.

If you are unable to access the internet, you may also visit your Veterans Affairs medical facility’s Voluntary or Recreation Service for more information and to download a copy of the 2012 registration package. The completed forms can be faxed to (314) 894-6114, or be mailed to the address below:

Administration Subcommittee
2012 National Veterans Golden Age Games
St. Louis VAMC
1 Jefferson Barracks Dr 128/JB
St. Louis, MO. 63125

At this time, the hotel to be used has not been released to the public, but instead will be forwarded to athletes after acceptance of registration. Despite this, the pricing has been made public, and has been locked in at $104.00/night plus taxes $18.45 per night and round trip portage fees of $8, for a multi-day total of $865.15 per person.

Disabled veterans will be happy to note that the selected hotel is ADA-compliant in all rooms. Though the cost may seem high, please keep in mind that all meals will be furnished at no cost to all athletes of the 2012 NVGAG, starting with breakfast on May 31st, 2012 and ending with dinner on June 5th, 2012.

If you’re planning on flying to the NVGAG, the closest airport is the St. Louis Lambert Airport, approximately 20 minutes from the hotel which the VA has partnered with for this specific event.

If you’re a wheelchair user, make sure to contact the airline you’ll be using, and inform them of your needs. To ensure that your wheelchair or scooter is properly handled, please provide the airline with written, equipment handling instructions.

The organizers for the Games will be at the St. Louis Lambert Airport on May 30, 2012, to greet all participants and provide transportation free-of-cost to the aforementioned hotel. Transportation will also be provided to the airport for departures on Wednesday, June 6, 2012.

There are two more key points that you should be aware of, and these are the traditional NVGAG “Wall of Heroes” and the local St. Louis climate, with instructions on what you should bring to the event. Each year, the NVGAG asks that veterans include with their registration packet two photos of themselves; one photo should be of them at some point in their military past, preferably in uniform, and the other should be a current photograph of the veteran. Once registration for the event has closed out, event organizers will begin to create the aptly named “Wall of Heroes” by putting up each set of pictures with the participating veteran’s name.

As for the climate, the weather in May and June for this part of Missouri is normally warm and sunny, with the occasional late-spring shower. Be advised that it can also get rather humid in St. Louis, if that is an issue for you.

Temperatures will range from mid to high 80s and can drop to the high 60s or low 70s at night, so dress accordingly. (The hotel is fully air-conditioned, though, with each room having individual temperature controls).

If you are an athlete, you should bring the following items: clothes for layers, tennis shoes, hat, sunscreen, insect repellant swimsuit, umbrella, sunglasses, medication, personal identification and personal equipment (i.e., golf clubs, bowling ball).

So, if you happen to have some free time in the end of May and beginning of June, and finances to cover travel and lodging costs, check out the National Veterans Golden Age Games, and see if it’s something that you’d be interested in.

Should you have any further questions, you can contact a Games representative at nationalveteransgoldenagegames2012@va.gov or 1-888-374-3046.

Best of luck to all those that sign up as an athlete, and thank you to the wonderful people that sign up as volunteers!

Stephen Fricano
National Service Officer