With a week to go until the start of the Iowa Senior Games organizers say they have already set as record for the number of participants. “We are looking at a little over 850 people, which would put us well 100 past the record which was set in 2012,” Iowa Senior Games director Matt Beatty says.
The previous record was 735. Beatty credits the recent merger with the Iowa Sports Foundation which runs the Iowa Games. He says that allows them to promote the event to Iowa Games participants and he says with the National Senior Games going on in Minneapolis in 2015, more people will be looking to qualify in Iowa.
Beatty says they still could add more competitors for this year and there is potential for significant growth in the future. “We think we could still reach 900, we are getting really close,” Beatty says. He says they believe they can really grow the event even more in the future, especially by having some events outside the main state event in the summer.
The Iowa Senior Games will be held in West Des Moines June 12th through the 15th.