Senior Living: Just When You Think NVSO Can’t Get Bigger, It Does

It is a week into the 2025 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics (NVSO). The opening ceremony on Sept. 13 was followed by nine field and track events, and the next week is packed with everything from diving, crossword puzzles, miniature golf, tennis, bocce and the increasingly popular Mah Jongg (American style). 

On Saturday, Sept. 20, Herb Levitan stands in the Thomas Jefferson Community Center gym instructing volunteers on the rules for the basketball goal competition. Levitan has been organizing the registration for NVSO events for over 15 years. He has also been competing for many years and had been swimming at Dulles yesterday but says he has a whole drawer full of medals from past years so he doesn’t take the medals anymore.

Today they have men’s and women’s basketball categories competing from 50-89 years old in field goals and free throws. The competition begins at 11 a.m. with the field goal event where one person takes four shots from each of five different stationery positions. 

The women sit in chairs beside the court calling out encouragement to each other. 

“Nice.” 

“Good job Stephanie.” 

And clapping enthusiastically for an especially impressive shot. 

Ann Pugh says this is her first time competing in the NVSO. “I entered poker last week and got a bronze medal.” 

Sitting beside her is Mary Lynne Brown who is entered in four events and will be defending her corn hole medal from last year. 

Nancy E. Jogner says she has been competing in different events for eight years but this is her first year as an 80-year-old. “I did rowing for the first time. It was really fun. They showed me what to do, and I won gold.”

The men seem focused on their turn to shoot, watching their competitors and occasionally twirling the ball around in preparation. They rotate around the court one at a time, and when the competition is finished the volunteer adds up the numbers in the multi-age competitive category. “No ties; that’s good. Everybody gets a trophy.”  

“That’s what we want.”

NVSO is open to participants 50 years old or older by Dec. 31, 2025 and who live in one of the sponsoring jurisdictions, Arlington County, City of Alexandria. City of Fairfax. City of Falls Church. Fairfax County, Fauquier County. Loudoun County and Prince William County. 

NVSO has grown from its 40th anniversary in 2021 with 50 events and 691 participants to 92 events with 1,200 participants in 2025 with 50-yard butterfly and poker added as new events this year and duplicate bridge brought back.

Sponsors of NVSO 2025 include AARP Virginia, Adobe, The Beacon Newspapers, Belmont at One University, CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, Goodwin Living. Greenspring by Erickson Senior Living, John Hopkins Health Plans, The Jefferson, The Landing and The Riviera in Alexandria, Retirement Unlimited Inc., United Health Care, Vinson Hall Retirement Community, Woodbine Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, Woodlands Retirement Community, Chesterbrook, and others.