March 20, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Experience Sioux Falls, formerly the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The steep drop in visitor business in Sioux Falls and everywhere won’t last forever – and major events are still booking here.

One of the newest is the National Veterans Gold Age Games, which selected Sioux Falls to host its 2022 national event.

Experience Sioux Falls, formerly the Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, announced the major event alongside Lisa Simoneau, director of the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System, earlier this month.

“This is a huge win for Sioux Falls, and it will have major economic implications,” said Teri Schmidt, executive director of Experience Sioux Falls.

The National Veterans Golden Age Games is the premier senior adaptive rehabilitation program in the U.S., and the only national multi-event sports and recreational competition program for seniors designed to improve the quality of life for all older veterans, including those with disabilities.

The Golden Age Games are open to veterans, age 55 or older, who receive health care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The weeklong event is expected to bring in more than 1,000 veterans to compete in a variety of sports, including air rifle, swimming, golf, bowling, track and basketball.

The process to secure the National Veterans Golden Age Games started in 2017 when Experience Sioux Falls met with the VA at a trade show.

“The initial conversation revolved around if it would even be possible for Sioux Falls to host an event of this size. Are there enough hotel rooms? What type of facilities are there? How many facilities are there? After Sioux Falls checked those boxes, then a representative of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs came to the city in 2018 to tour possible facilities that could hold each sporting event,” Schmidt said.

“In the months that followed, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs finalized the decision to bring the National Veterans Golden Age Games to Sioux Falls.”

Nine veterans from Sioux Falls attended the Golden Age Games in Anchorage, Alaska, last year, including 95-year-old Warren Heyer, who served in the Navy during World War II.

“I was happy to be in the same room with other people like me. It’s great for older people because for the first time we get to do things that younger people do all the time,” he said.

Heyer has participated in a handful of activities at the Golden Age Games, including in Omaha when it was held a few years ago. He received a gold medal in shuffleboard and a silver medal in bowling.

“Attending the Golden Age Games made me feel good that I can do things that younger people can do, and it has made a big difference in how I feel. The VA has given me the ability to do so, and it means a lot to me to be able to participate and enjoy the activities” he said.

The 2020 event is currently scheduled to be held in Madison, Wis., and the 2021 event will be held in Tampa, Fla. Both Experience Sioux Falls and the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System will be taking an extensive look at each event to see what needs to be done and what improvements can be made in terms of the planning and hosting of the 2022 event.

As the details are ironed out over the next two years, organizers will be searching for about 2,000 people to fill a variety of volunteer positions to make the event a great success.

“We couldn’t be more excited to provide an opportunity for many of our nation’s veterans to showcase their talents while embracing a healthy lifestyle” Schmidt said.

To see more visitor industry updates from the CVB, click here.