The 16th annual Capital City Senior Games are a wrap. A record-breaking 742 athletes (40 more than last year) participated in the popular, multi-week event that ran from Feb. 26 to March 23. They competed in 21 sports at 17 venues, including parks, community centers and golf courses.
Presented by the City of Tallahassee, the games help keep seniors active and healthy. When they began in 2010, 145 athletes participated.
Randall Smith, who competes in the 5K and 10K cycling events in the 65-69 age group, was one of them, and he has not missed the Capital City Senior Games since. This year, sports enthusiasts from 50 cities in Florida registered for the games. The states of Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio were also represented. There were 330 women and 412 men.
Tallahassee is among 21 Florida cities that hold senior games, and according to the Florida Sports Foundation, it had the third highest participation.
“Congratulations to all the athletes!” Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said. “What began as an event for our local community has grown significantly and earned the attention of seniors across the country who travel to our beautiful city for competition, camaraderie and fun. The success of this annual competition is a testament to our City’s Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Affairs staff who work hard every day to ensure our parks and programs are the best in the nation.”
The senior games are open to active adults ages 50 and older and feature competitions designed for all fitness levels. Nine of this year’s athletes were in their 90s.
The oldest, Evangeline Steinmeier, will be 99 in June. She competed in bag toss. Don Rapp, 96, set a new record in the 100m track event. Sixty-four athletes were 80-89 years old. The five youngest athletes were 49 years old and will celebrate their 50th birthdays this year.
Of the 64 events, the most popular were pickleball doubles (144 participants), pickleball mixed doubles (104 participants), golf (100 participants), bag toss (85 participants), fun walk (75 participants), tennis doubles (60 participants), bowling singles (56 participants) and bench press (52 participants).
Among the many interesting athletes were 79-year-old Willie Jewel Vickers and 84-year-old Zoe Mansfield. Vickers, who registered for nine events, has participated since the second year of the Capital City Senior Games. The all-around athlete won several medals, and she broke a 2013 record in the 80-84-year-old category for shot put.
Vickers enjoys bag toss and bowling, but she loves bocce. She thinks she’ll add the javelin to her registration list next year. Mansfield is an avid powerlifter who has competed in the games since 2020. She took home the gold in dead lift and bench press. She’s not ruling out registering for additional sports in 2026.
The Capital City Senior Games kicked off with a Torch Run Opening Ceremony on Feb. 26 at Cascades Park. They were scheduled to end with a Celebration of Athletes featuring a dinner for participants and guests on March 18 at the Tallahassee Senior Center. ...
