Dan and Michelle Hutt compete in national senior games

Two of Custer’s premier athletes were in Des Moines, Iowa, late July into early August to test themselves against the best athletes in the nation.
And they’re both over 70 years old.
Dan and Michelle Hutt were both competitors in the 2025 National Senior Games July 24-Aug. 4, having both qualified for the games in more than one event by winning state championships the year prior.
At an age where many of their peers are losing mobility, the Hutts were running, lunging and shooting their way to a memorable experience they both won’t soon forget. At these games, age was very much just a number.
“There were some amazing athletes,” Dan said. “It was a lot of fun.”
To know how the Hutts did in Des Moines, you must first know how they got there. Both describe themselves as active, competitive people.
Dan recalls one of the first times he saw that competitive streak in Michelle. Well, at least the first time his father saw it.
“We were playing cards one night and he turned to her and he says, ‘You used to be such a nice girl,’” he said with a laugh.
One of the sports in which the two are former state champions in (they won in 2024 but qualified for 2025 nationals) is table tennis, which they used to play frequently at hotels or wherever they could find a table.
It wasn’t long before they bought a table of their own, and within a couple of years Michelle was not only giving Dan a run for his money, she was beating him.
“I was getter better the whole time, and I thought ‘she’s pretty good,’” Dan said. “She’s much better in her group than I am in my group.”
The two now play table tennis virtually every night, and initially entered a competition that covered the Black Hills area. When that stopped offering table tennis they decided to participate in the state competition.
There they found great success, with Michelle winning gold in her age group in the singles competition, as well as in the women’s doubles.
Michelle’s partner was much younger, and was skeptical to ask Michelle to be her partner in that younger age bracket—until the two played and Michelle trounced her.
“She said, ‘OK, you can be my partner,’” Dan said.
The Hutts joined forces to win gold in mixed doubles table tennis, and Dan won a bronze medal in singles in his age group in the men’s competition. He also won gold in the free throw shooting competition.
That led to them traveling to Des Moines for the national games. Although they didn’t bring home medals, they said they thoroughly enjoyed their time competing.
When it came to the table tennis, there were 50 tables set up, and the Hutts were competing against players from large cities and that for many English was a second language. Many brought with them coaches, personal trainers, and had some sort of circuit points next to their names on the standings boards.
And the Hutts?
“We didn’t even know what the points were,” Dan said.
Michelle made her way all the way to the round of 16 in the singles competition of table tennis. She says she should have made it to the top eight, having her round of 16 opponent on the ropes before the opponent ultimately came back and won.
Michelle had her at match point, at which time her opponent went and talked to her coach. When she returned, she rallied for the win.
Michelle still isn’t entirely sure what her opponent started to do differently.
“I’ve been racking my brain. It didn’t look like she did a spin, but I don’t know. She did something,” Michelle said. “Not all the time, but she did something and I lost my edge.”
Dan said he didn’t expect to place in the singles tables tennis and was quickly eliminated from that competition, but did have high hopes in the basketball competition, particularly in free throw shooting, as he averages 22 makes out of 25 attempts.
Things took an unexpected turn, however, when he went to select his ball from the balls provided to the competitors for the three-point competition. Competitors are not allowed to use their own ball.
Dan recalls telling Michelle he felt the ball he had selected felt small, but it was with the balls allocated to the athletes, so he held onto it.
After sinking his first two, someone called out ot check the ball. A judge checked the ball, and it turns out it was a women’s college ball, which meant he was disqualified.
“My son (Aven) had just shown up, so he won’t let me forget it,” Dan said with a laugh.
When it came free throw time, Dan hadn’t been missing in his warm ups. However, he missed his first two practice shots, as well as his first four competition shots. From there he made 15 in a row. He ended up with 18 out of 25, good for fifth place.
Mixed doubles turned out to be quite an adventure for the couple, as they said they seemed to spend more time running into each other than they did returning the ball to their opponents.
“I think there were a few people who felt like they ought to throw in some marriage counseling,” Michelle said with a laugh.
“And I might have been receptive to it,” Dan replied.
The couple played three matches, and said they should have won their first match. The good thing is, however, the people who beat them in their first match invited them to come to a minor league baseball game with them, as they had a pair of extra tickets.
“They felt bad for us,” Michelle said with a laugh. “But we really met some nice people—some older people who want to keep moving and keep playing. Really, it was a positive experience.”
The two have already made plans to go back to the national games—should they qualify—which are in Oklahoma City in 2027. They plan to enter the same events, and may even dabble in some other events, as there are many to choose from.
Oh, and if you fancy yourself a table tennis player, they are looking for people to play to practice their mixed doubles strategy.
“We need to find some local people to play against,” Dan said.
The Hutts said most of the people who are competing feel a sense of camaraderie and root for each other, although there are some competitors there who “take it pretty serious.”
Dan said having his son there to cheer for him, along with his grandchildren, made the experience that much more enjoyable for him.
The Hutts say they were in awe and inspired by those in their 80s and 90s still out competing in a variety of sports. They hope to follow in their footsteps as they begin to prepare for next year’s state games.
“We urge people to stay active,” Dan said. “It’s fun, and it’s fun with a partner.”
“It was a lot of fun,” Michelle said.