In 1995 about 435 athletes from across the nation made their way to Mid-Missouri for the first annual Missouri State Senior Games. Today the 10th edition of the games will commence in Columbia and over 1,400 competitors over the age of 50 are expected, according to Senior Games Director Jack Miles, who’s been with the games all ten years. Around 1,000 are expected to compete this week and the rest of the competitors will participate in the triathlon and soccer events at the Show-Me State Games later this summer and the softball tournament on the 14th and 15th of August. Most of the 24 events are of the traditional Olympic fare, but the Missouri Senior State games also offer events like washer tossing, darts, shuffleboard and football throwing. Miles expects the games to attract more and more competitors as baby boomers get older, “I don’t think there’s any question that baby boomers coming in is going to add to that number…the potential is there for a tremendous increase over the next few years”