Louisville’s Nancy Leahy Keeps Competing & Inspiring Through Senior Games
Nancy Leahy has participated in the Kentucky Senior Games and National Senior Games Association’s (NSGA) Olympics, under the United States Olympic Committee, for more than 25 years.
“A friend of mine talked me into getting into it. Through the Senior Games, I’ve done power walking, shuffleboard, track and field, and my first love is racquetball,” Leahy says. “I’m not the best at track and field or shuffleboard, but I have fun with it.”
She has served on the Kentucky Senior Games Board in the past, and though she’s qualified for the national games numerous times, she’s attended four competitions at the national level.
“I went to Arizona in 1997, Florida in 1999, Kentucky was host in 2007, and this year, I went to Iowa,” Leahy says. “You qualify in the even-numbered years and go to nationals in the odd-numbered years.”
Participants must be 50 years of age or older, and competitions are divided into five-year age brackets. Nearly 20 sports are eligible at the state level, and even more at the national level.
Sports range from archery to disc golf and swimming to table tennis. Tai Chi, for example, is offered through Senior Games and is one of the five best exercises for the general population, according to a study by Harvard Medical School.
It’s all in an effort to encourage seniors to stay active.
The NSGA launched in the fall of 1985 in St. Louis, Missouri. A group of seven men and women created the organization with the vision of promoting healthy lifestyles for adults through education, fitness, and sports.
At that time, there were already 33 states hosting senior games, and NSGA planned the first Olympic Games competition in St. Louis in 1987. The first year brought together 2,500 competitors, and in 2025, Iowa welcomed more than 12,000.
Each year, more than 100,000 people participate at the state level, and according to NSGA, it’s never too late to get active. Many seniors try a new sport in their 60s, 70s, and beyond.
The Senior Olympic Games is the largest qualified multi-sport event in the world for seniors.
Now that Leahy’s friends are no longer participating, she experienced the nationals in Iowa this year solo. However, the trip truly highlighted what the senior games are all about.
Des Moines hosted thousands throughout the city, with activities happening at swimming pools, golf courses, gymnasiums, and other venues across the area.
For nine days, if Leahy wasn’t competing, she had the chance to visit the city and sightsee around the capital. However, it was the seniors participating in the games who made her trip special.
“Everyone is so friendly,” Leahy says. “They were coming in from all over the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and other places. It’s amazing. I learned how to use an Uber, and I went down to breakfast that first morning and met other people headed to the games, and we shared an Uber ride. I didn’t meet anyone that wasn’t friendly and outgoing.”
As a part of the Senior Games, Leahy has been able to travel, build relationships, and stay active.
The 82-year-old says that though she’s “directionally challenged,” she attended and had fun while she was at it.
“I’m quite proud of myself,” she says. “I figured I could be old at home or be old in Iowa. I learned how to Uber, and the hotel had a free shuttle service. I became good friends with the shuttle driver. I totally stepped out of my comfort zone, and I don’t know if I was more pleased with the competition results or the fact that I did it on my own.”
She has always been an avid exerciser but sees the Senior Games as a bonus.
“I think I mainly do it because of the people,” Leahy adds. “It’s really inspiring to see all of these people participating — some of them are over 100 years old. There have been health and physical challenges, and these people have overcome them, and they’re out there trying their best.”
The NSGA website is packed with stories of senior athletes defying the odds.
In 2025, it debuted powerlifting as a sport, and 82-year-old Faith O’Reilly was the oldest female registered for the event.
Or take 72-year-old Mike Welter, for example. He won two gold medals at the Super Seniors International Pickleball Association World Championships before suffering a massive stroke and having to learn how to walk again.
Through NSGA, he’s back climbing the ranks and winning awards in pickleball this year. Winners at the state and national levels receive medals for their success, and Leahy has won several.
This year, she earned a second-place medal in women’s singles, first place in women’s doubles, and first place in mixed doubles in racquetball. She received a ribbon for a fourth-place finish in power walking and earned eighth place in shuffleboard.
At the state level, Leahy qualified for cornhole too but chose not to pursue it at nationals. Regardless of her success, Leahy says most of the seniors aren’t doing it to win medals.
“I think many people want to participate and finish well, but winning a medal isn’t the main goal,” she says. “I would encourage people to just try it out. You don’t have to win. Just participate and exercise. It keeps you motivated and moving and active.”
Leahy is disappointed that racquetball will be discontinued for the 2027 games in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s simply losing popularity against other sports such as pickleball and powerlifting, but that opens up the opportunity to try something new.
She’s in good health and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
“I have an older brother who just celebrated his 97th birthday,” Leahy says. “My mother lived to be in her late 90s, and her mother into her late 90s. So, just keep going.”
For more information about the Kentucky Senior Games, visit kentuckyseniorgames.com. Additional information about the National Senior Games Association can be found at nsga.com.
