Missouri Valley / Missouri

More than Medals: Peg Schlacks embraces spirit of National Senior Games

David Smale | July 03, 2025

At 74 years old, Peg Schlacks (left) is set to make her debut in the National Senior Games later this month in Des Moines, Iowa.

Peg Schlacks will step on the court at the National Senior Games tennis competition in Des Moines, Iowa later this month with different goals than many of her competitors.

“I want to see how people my age play singles,” the 74-year-old Schlacks said. “Do they have any secrets to impart to me?

“For me, success is making the person I’m playing with or against have fun. I want them to know they’re valued, that I appreciate them. I’m out there cheering on whoever is playing against me. I love watching great tennis. I love watching my opponent do something terrific. It’s just so much fun to watch a beautiful stroke.

“Winning is not one of the important factors.”

Let that sink in for a second. Schlacks will be competing at one of the nation’s highest levels of tennis for her age group, and she isn’t worried about winning.

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Just to be clear, Schlacks says there’s nothing wrong with being competitive.

“I’m very competitive. I like to do my best,” she said. “I don’t have a problem with being competitive. It’s when you start hearing the swearing or the arguing about a point that it becomes a problem. I will not argue about a point or a line call. Tennis is a sportsmanship sport, where you can have fun and meet people.”

Senior Games Debut

The National Senior Games comprise Olympic-style multi-sport events held at the local, state and national levels across the U.S., engaging more than 100,000 participants aged 50-plus each year. The 2025 National Senior Games are set to take place within USTA Missouri Valley in Des Moines on July 24 to Aug. 4.

“Senior Games provide the camaraderie and challenge of competitive sports to older adults, promote health and well-being, and inspire participants to keep moving,” according to the NSGA website.

Schlacks has never participated in the National Senior Games. She hadn’t even heard of the Senior Games until a friend she and her husband were playing doubles against told her about them. The friend told her it was “a hoot,” and she can’t wait to get there.

She’s most excited because she’ll get to play her own age group. Many women in her tennis community in USTA Missouri stop playing singles when they hit age 60, or 65 at the latest. She’s used to playing women much younger than her. How young?

She recently beat a 24-year-old in straight sets. She won the first set 6-1 before taking the second set in a tiebreaker. Her opponent was a former NCAA Division III college player, though Schlacks didn’t know what that meant.

Peg Schlacks alongside her granddaughter after they won doubles at the Show-Me State Games.

Peg Schlacks (right) encourages and cheers on her opponents, including when she competed in the Missouri State Senior Games in Columbia last year.

Peg Schlacks is a role model for her friends and family, and her tennis involvement has led to many of them also playing the sport.

Peg Schlacks alongside her granddaughter after they won doubles at the Show-Me State Games.
Peg Schlacks (right) encourages and cheers on her opponents, including when she competed in the Missouri State Senior Games in Columbia last year.
Peg Schlacks is a role model for her friends and family, and her tennis involvement has led to many of them also playing the sport.

“I think I surprised her,” she said. “The younger one’s going to have more pressure. I was totally relaxed. And I think she was just taken by surprise.

“The second set, we had to go into a tiebreaker. I was actually down 5-1, and I won the next five games. She won the next one, so we were tied at 6-6. I think she probably just tightened up.”

Athletic Background

Schlacks played a lot of sports when she was a kid, including barely playing tennis. She focused on softball, basketball and field hockey, only playing tennis against one friend on a few occasions. She stopped playing competitive sports when she and her husband started to have kids. A teacher by trade, playing sports usually meant recess or after-school games with her kids.

She picked up tennis again when she turned 60. About eight years ago, she decided to start taking it more seriously. She took lessons and got better quickly. She recognized her self-taught methods weren’t good enough and that a proper approach would be beneficial. This past year, Schlacks was recognized as the USTA Missouri Valley Adult Player of the Year (3.5 & Below).

A number of her grandchildren also took to the sport. They have taken lessons and have shared or are ready to share their talents at the high school level. Schlacks willingly passed the coaching mantle for those grandkids to more qualified coaches.

Whether she’s teaching, coaching or playing, she wants to bring hope and joy into the lives of others.

“I want to love and value people,” she said. “It’s just a thrill to bring something into their lives that gives them hope, true value and a feeling of self-worth.”

Check out a recently published USTA feature article on Peg Schlacks by clicking here. View additional National Senior Games feature stories by clicking here.

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