{"id":464508,"date":"2025-05-31T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=464508"},"modified":"2025-05-31T19:15:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T19:15:13","slug":"veterans-take-the-lead-at-golden-age-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=464508","title":{"rendered":"Veterans take the lead at Golden Age Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Golden Age Games<\/a> are the world\u2019s largest sports rehabilitation event of its kind for Veterans over age 55. The annual event, which this year takes place May 31 \u2013 June 5, gives Veterans the opportunity to shine year-round, proving that athleticism has no age limit and that a focus on sports and fitness is essential to healthy aging.<\/p>\n

Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center<\/a> is hosting the Games in Memphis, Tennessee, as athletes compete in 18 sports from pickleball, basketball and blind disc-golf to track and field. A record number\u2014over 1,000 Veterans\u2014are registered to compete, including a 95-year-old Veteran from Mobile, Alabama.<\/p>\n

For Veterans like Myra Ancheta, being a National Veterans Golden Age Games<\/a> athlete is a game-changer, helping them to revive their physical fitness after their military service, setting new goals and getting more fit. <\/p>\n

\u201cAfter joining the Marine Corps, physical activity was a way of life. Waking up early in the morning and running in formation positively changed my life. Now I am a Golden Age Games athlete. My personal goal\u2014be a pickleball coach and teach active duty and Veterans in my community this addicting sport of pickleball,\u201d Ancheta shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a>
Veteran Myra Ancheta in uniform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Serious bragging rights<\/h2>\n

The feedback from Veterans is crushingly confident\u2014probably for reasons most people might think. Bragging rights and trash talk are all part of the fun for the athletes, who are out to earn their share of medals\u2014and maybe break a few records on their way up the ranks. With VA recreation therapists and clinicians as their coaches, Veterans benefit from year-round rehabilitation and fitness programs at their local VA facilities to remain physically engaged and give them an extra boost of confidence.<\/p>\n

Army Veteran Michael Bell, a three-time participant who \u201ctruly enjoys both competition and fellowship,\u201d will compete in boccia, bowling, golf, pickleball and horseshoes.<\/p>\n

Veteran Richard Cooks said the Games help him achieve more each day, despite his visual impairment. \u201cI\u2019m more athletic now and that keeps me going,\u201d said Cooks, who who is returning for his ninth year will compete in the visually impaired division for cornhole, boccia, disc golf and shuffleboard.<\/p>\n

Mission: Fitness For Life<\/h2>\n
\n
\"Pic<\/a>
Army Veteran Richard Cooks poses at 2024 Golden Age Games.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Through its \u201cFitness for Life\u201d mission, the Golden Age Games is a premier showcase for the rehabilitation value that sports, fitness and wellness provide in the lives of Veterans ages 55 and beyond. VA research and clinical experience demonstrate that sports rehabilitation helps with weight loss, improves chronic conditions and provides a fun way to destress.<\/p>\n

Learn more about\u00a0Sports4Vets <\/a>and stay connected to cheer on these proud athletes. Follow on Sports4Vets Facebook<\/a>, Sports4Vets on Instagram<\/a>, and Sports4Vets on X<\/a> for the latest updates. Use #Sports4Vets and #GoldenAgeGames to see the coverage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Golden Age Games are the world\u2019s largest sports rehabilitation event of its kind for Veterans over age 55. The annual event, which this year takes place May 31 \u2013 June 5, gives Veterans the opportunity to shine year-round, proving that athleticism has no age limit and that a focus on sports and fitness is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":464510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,413,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-464508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adaptive-sports","category-golden-age-games","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=464508"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":464523,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464508\/revisions\/464523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/464510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=464508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=464508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=464508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}