
Veterans in competition at the 2024 Golden Age Games in Utah
Though the 58-year-old Mike Tyson lost his professional comeback fight in November against the 27-year-old Jake Paul, he showed that the desire to compete doesn’t fade with age.
The National Veterans Golden Age Games — put on by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and most recently held in Salt Lake City back in August — offers a place for those 55 and over who love the thrill of competition. Unlike Tyson, athletes at the Golden Age Games compete with others at their age and ability level; there are eight age divisions and three ability divisions (ambulatory, visually impaired and wheelchair).
The athletes also share a fraternity: They must all be armed forces veterans.
“The National Veterans Golden Age Games was established in 1985 with over 100 veteran athletes traveling to participate,” says Brittany Hook, the event’s director. “We are expecting to see about 1,000 veteran athletes in 2025.” Last year, there were 19 different sports to compete in, including pickleball, track, basketball, bowling and more.
“This year, we had our most competitors ever and had representation from 47 states plus Washington, D.C.,” Hook adds.
The commonwealth of Virginia took home 30 gold medals in the competition. Assisting in that effort were Cleveland Dixon, 83, and Matthew Reed, 60, two Army veterans who traveled to Salt Lake City and are planning to travel to Memphis for the 2025 event May 31-June 5.
“When I started losing my vision, I came to the VA in 2015. I was looking for something to do outside of work,” says Reed, who lives in Chester. That’s how he came to compete in the visually impaired division for sports including bowling and disc golf.
“For the past six years, I had thought about the Golden Age Games, but I didn’t participate — I was a little tentative about leaving the house and being away from Richmond,” Reed says. “Now that I did it, I’m going every year, because it was awesome.”
Dixon, who lives in Prince George, also heard about the Golden Age Games by word of mouth. “I was talking to one of my colleagues in the VA, and he said, ‘Man, we do things over there, we don’t just sit around and flip the TV switch,’” Dixon says. “I came in two years ago, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

Winners in the 85-89 age division in golf
Richmond-area adaptive sports coach Nicole Shuman says she sees the games benefit the lives of competitors in many ways.
“It increases your ability to socialize and to meet other veterans who may be experiencing the same things you are,” Shuman says. “Even as you’re playing the games and practicing, you might learn something … there’s a lot of conversation and therapy that happens within the group.”
“Our motto is ‘Fitness for life,’” Hook says. “We really encourage our veterans to be active; to be healthy; to include sports into their rehabilitation plan; and live long, happy, healthy lives.”
Dixon says that, going into this year’s event, he just has one goal in mind. At 83, he’s the oldest member of the local team and one of the oldest athletes at the games. He will be competing in bowling, billiards, shuffleboard and air rifle like he did in 2024.
“I just want to win,” Dixon says. “I have to compete to win, because I’m one of the older guys here, and I can’t let the younger guys walk over me if I can help it.”