Paige Berriochoa comes from a sports family, growing up playing volleyball and competing in track and field events. After a stint in Houston working in pro sports event planning, she moved West, landed a job at Missoula Parks and Recreation, and started a family. As event director for the 40th annual Montana Senior Olympics (MSO) being held in Missoula this September 17th to 19th, she loves the vibe of MSO, saying its “relaxed, welcoming, with lots of volunteers to help folks get where they need to go.” She also likes that, “people are at Montana Senior Olympics because they are interested in building friendships, meeting new people, and being active.”
Missoula’s enthusiastic embrace of MSO reflects our style and commitment to a lifetime wellness that keeps us moving, connected, and fit. The staff at Missoula Parks and Recreation, volunteers, sponsors, and partners will welcome over 300 senior athletes, ranging in age but including persons over 50. Participants have 15 events including badminton, track and field, and pickleball to choose from and with no residency requirements. Friends and family from other states can join in, too.
Missoula Senior Olympics can be a transformative experience. Often senior women didn’t have the opportunities to compete in sports while they were growing up that we take for granted today. MSO provides athletes like swimmers Flora L. Wong and Charlotte Sanddal, both of Helena, that chance. Both in their 90s, they took home 5 gold medals a piece in previous MSOs. Another woman, in her 80s, came to the last MSO and entered the corn hole competition. Paige recalls that she seemed apprehensive and a bit nervous. She had never competed before, but with her son at her side, she stepped up and her toss swished into the hole. By the end of the event, she was really enjoying herself and her confidence was shining through.
Darrell McNenny is a self-proclaimed double snowman. In golf parlance, a snowman is a score of eight on any individual hole (which is not a good thing). At age 88, he may not be a great golfer, but he is a double snowman. A former vice president of the MSO board and a life-long athlete, he’s primarily a runner, favoring the 400-meter dash as “kind of my sweet spot,” he says.” This fall, he may also compete in the 200, 800 and 1500-meter races. These events take place on the same afternoon sometime as close as within a 2-hour period so it can be challenging. This year, all five of his kids plan to compete at the MSO so the McNennys will be well represented.
Missoula Senior Olympics serves as a National Qualifying Event for the National Senior Games, which happens every two years (Tulsa, Oklahoma will host in 2027). Competitors are grouped by age (50 to 54, 56 to 60, and so on) and oftentimes by skill level with the top three finishers in each event qualifying to attend the National Senior Games.
Darrell has been to the National Senior Games five times. He and his wife Edith have loved attending Nationals and wish that more Montanans would make the trip. They’ve made lifelong friends and with over 10,000 athletes in attendance it is an amazing experience. Darrell loves that the athletes “become a community and the games give you incentive to be doing what we should be doing. It isn’t just for a month before; it becomes a year-round effort and stays in your mind.”
One of the most popular events at MSO is pickleball, and this year, in partnership with 406 Pickleball, a hometown organization, there will be plenty of opportunities for fun and competition. Lynn Johson is inspired by her 90-year-old mom who lives in Washington and plays pickleball nearly every day. For Lynn, it is the social part of the activity that really means a lot to her. She’s taken part in the MSO before, and it is “totally a blast.” Ed Brannin, who played ping pong while in the army and did two tours in Vietnam, took up pickleball about 13 years ago. At 78, he enjoys doubles and mixed doubles and has participated in MSO including when it was hosted in Polson.
Participating in MSO helps seniors find their why. For some, it’s the competition and the quest for personal improvements. Invariably, it’s about the joy of feeling connected both to friends and through movement, to their own bodies. Active living and engagement improves our quality of life and keeps us going. As Ed Brannin cheerfully quipped, “50-year-olds are like kids to me. I’ll keep playing as long as my knees hold up.”
What to Expect:
Fans are encouraged to come and cheer on the athletes. Events take place at Fort Missoula Regional Park, Dornblaser Field, and various venues. Events are organized so athletes can compete in multiple categories and sports with medals being awarded on site after each event. There are both sponsorship and volunteer opportunities. To see the schedule of events and more, visit: www.montanaseniorolympics.com or contact Paige Berriochoa at berriochoap@ci.missoula.mt.us
"It isn’t just for a month before; it becomes a year-round effort and stays in your mind.” - Darrell McNenny