For the past 43 summers in St. Louis, thousands of athletes aged 50 and over have competed in more than 90 events as part of the St. Louis Senior Olympics. This year, the 44th annual event is adding three new events to the slate.

New events

Long-time Senior Olympian, Dennis Rubin, has been wanting to include Push Up and Straight Arm Hang competitions for years.

“We receive inquiries for new events for the St. Louis Senior Olympics regularly,” said Senior Olympics Event Coordinator Stephanie Rhea. “The request is often followed by us saying ‘If you want to be the event director for this new event we can talk.”

Usually, that’s the end of the conversation, but not with Rubin.

“Dennis committed to being an Event Director and now we have a wonderful addition to the Weightlifting Competition,” said Rhea.

While a push-up competition is fairly easy to understand, The Straight Arm Hang may be new to some. Basically, the event calls for a single attempt for the longest time. The athlete is required to place both hands on the bar at the same time, and quick re-grips are usually allowed (More info on exact rules is forthcoming). Time ends when any part of the athlete’s food touches the ground.

In addition to the two new weightlifting events, 3-On-3 Basketball and a Longest Drive competition have been added.

“The 3 on 3 event was removed from competition due to COVID, but we feel that now is a good time to bring it back,” said Rhea. “We are hoping that it will attract more younger athletes (ages 50-64) that are still playing in leagues but have never participated in the St. Louis Senior Olympics.

Golf- Longest Drive is a new event that has been added as the J now has an indoor Golf Simulator. This competition will take place indoors at the Creve Coeur J at the same time as Golf- Closest to the Pin so golf lovers can do both in one morning.

44th St. Louis Senior Olympics

When: May 24-28, 2024 and surrounding dates
Where: The Jewish Community Center Track & Field and other venues
Registration opens: March 1, 2024
Early Bird ends: April 10, 2024
Registration closes: May 8, 2024