Ashburn, Virginia, retiree Bernhard Stamm, 87, smiles after breaking the world record in high jump at the Maryland Senior Olympics in August. He and WAMU photographer Tyrone Turner, who captured the moment, will speak at the Beacon 50+ Expo on Oct. 18. Photo by Tyrone Turner/WAMU

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A marshmallow changed the trajectory of Bernie Stamm’s life.

Stamm was just 6 years old when World War II ended and American soldiers visited his small Swiss village. The airmen, who had accidentally bombed the town on Christmas Day, arrived bearing gifts, including a novelty: marshmallows. Impressed by their swagger, Stamm began dreaming of America. He became a U.S. citizen when he was 35.

Stamm, now 87 and a resident of Ashburn, Virginia, broke the world record for high jump in his age category last summer. A lifelong athlete, Stamm is a frequent participant in the Maryland Senior Olympics and Northern Virginia Senior Olympics (NVSO), where he has broken several records.

The games are open to anyone over age 50 in Maryland and 55 in Virginia, even newbies to a sport.

“Do what you can at whatever level you are in. You don’t have to be a world champion to do it,” Stamm said.

When Stamm broke the high-jump record last summer, WAMU photographer Tyrone Turner was there to capture the moment. A seven-minute segment about Stamm and other participants aired on the radio station in August.

This month Stamm, Turner and WAMU producer Naomi Starobin will speak at the Beacon 50+ Expo in Springfield to bring a piece of local news to life.

History of the Senior Games

All 50 states have some form of senior games and send qualifiers to the National Senior Games, held every two years. The next one will be in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June and July 2027.

Here in Northern Virginia, athletes who are over age 50 have been competing in the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics since the games launched in 1982.

In the early 80s, both Fairfax County and Falls Church held their own competitions. When a few more counties came on board, the first Northern Virginia Senior Olympics debuted at George Mason University’s athletic facility in Fairfax.

Today the NVSO is sponsored by the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church. It costs only $20 to participate.

This year, from April to October, 1,356 adults — some as old as 101 — will compete in more than 80 events at 30 venues all over Northern Virginia. That’s more than last year, according to registrar Herb Levitan, including rowing (entries spiked by 24%), miniature golf (50%) and line dancing (a 100% increase).

Yes, miniature golf is a Senior Olympic sport. In addition to traditional events like track and field, swimming and weightlifting, older adults can face off in bocce, Mexican Train dominoes and even poker.

Despite some healthy competition, the best part of the annual games, according to participants, is the team spirit. It’s not unusual for competitors to cheer each other on.

“Meeting all the people was actually one of the things that has kept me coming back,” said Michael Coleman, the volunteer chair and treasurer of the NVSO. Volunteers like Coleman serve as judges, timers and organizers of the events.

Panel at the Beacon 50+ Expo

Turner, a contributing photographer for National Geographic, said he was curious about the senior games because of his experience on the diving team at his New Orleans high school and at Georgetown University. Now based in Alexandria, Turner decided to check out the games for his “Photographer’s Notebook” series on WAMU.

“As I get older, I’m trying to continue to either participate or compete. It’s humbling and fascinating at the same time,” Turner said.

When he attended the Maryland games in early August, Turner was “very inspired” by the athletes. He recorded one runner, Peggy Andrews, 82, who had been using a walker just months ago yet managed to complete an 800-meter run.

“This is incredible, that she’s out there, sprinting,” he remembers thinking. “I was really blown away by some of the athletic performances.”

He was also surprised by the warmth he witnessed — “the camaraderie, the social aspect of it,” he said. “People just come, and they try and have fun doing it.”

Turner’s October 18 discussion with Stamm will be moderated by Starobin, managing director of WAMU News. A former National Park Service ranger, she teaches audio journalism at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Starobin hopes the presentation will encourage people of all skill levels to try the senior games.

“You don’t have to show up knowing everything or being a great athlete,” Starobin said. “Some of these people have been athletes since they were young, and they just want to continue it as long as possible. Others just walked onto the field.”

From Switzerland to Ashburn

Stamm has been athletic his whole life. He started skiing at age 6.

“I ended up hugging a tree,” he remembered, but he kept skiing. “That’s been one of my secrets: Just never give up. And if you fall, you get up and try again,” he said.

In high school Stamm took up javelin, high jump and long jump — he remembers clearing 6 feet in the high jump and 21 feet in the long jump. When he was drafted to the Swiss Army, he was in tip-top condition, and sports remain a big part of his life, a reason to get out of bed.

“The purpose of life is to live a life with purpose. That’s become one of my biggest mottos,” he said.

After years of dreaming and “almost obsessive listening” to American radio broadcasts, Stamm finally came to the United States when he was 27, on a scholarship from Ohio State University for a master’s degree in city planning.

After Stamm retired, he and his wife, Carol, moved from Ohio to Ashburn in 2009 to be near their grandchildren in Bethesda, Maryland.

Looking for volunteer gigs, Stamm discovered the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics and took up competitive sports again at age 71. He also coaches other older adults, who have gone on to win medals. He also speaks at high schools.

“Falling into the Senior Olympics opened an entirely new world for me,” he said.

Stamm has become a record-breaker, breaking 17 records in six disciplines in his age group. He won the world championship for javelin in 2020 and before his most recent high-jump record (of 4 feet, 2.5 inches) was named world champion in 2015 and 2019.

Stamm admits he had to go to some lengths to practice. When he was 81, hoping to use the high-jump equipment at a local high school, he followed some teenagers through a hole in a fence and was stopped by a security guard. Now he practices at Broad Run High School with permission.

“They gave me a key to the gates,” Stamm said. “I don’t have to sneak in.”

For more information about the Beacon 50+ Expo at Springfield Town Center on Sunday, Oct. 18, see thebeaconnewspapers.com/50expos.