It's been 39 weeks since we started these posts, and you may have wondered, "hey, if Bay State Games started in 1982, wasn't the 40th anniversary in 2021?" Originally, that was the plan. Those plans started in late 2019 knowing that after the 2020 Summer Games, we would be doing a special campaign all year long leading up to the 2021 Summer Games.

In preparation, we had just redesigned the BSG website. We had just finished the 2020 Winter Games. Then, a few days later, (it was March 2020)... we all know what happened; a time in our lives we never expected or could have even imagined. We have a saying at Bay State Games that 60% of the plan won't go according to plan, so plan for it. Well what happens when 100% of the plan doesn't go according to plan? We can't ignore the unfortunate but significant part of Bay State Games history that the pandemic imposed.

As the pandemic was just beginning to unfold, we had plans finalized and were ready to hold the 39th Summer Games in just a few more months. It seemed the spring months brought on more cancellations than competitions. We even opened registration in an attempt to remain hopeful. We officially cancelled the 2020 Summer Games on May 18, 2020, just a few weeks before we planned to begin the Summer Games. That meant the plans for the 40th celebration got pushed one more year. In 2021, we did unofficially celebrate the 40th anniversary of the organization (Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation), but we were waiting patiently for the big celebration that would be the 40th Bay State Summer Games. Come 2021, just like the Olympics, we had to "restart." The 2020 Summer Games were happening in 2021. We had the 2020 medals, the 2020 athlete gift, and the 2020 registration platform, dates, and venues all ready to go 1.5 years in advance.

When we weren't allowed to hold live, in-person events, we had to get creative. We started virtual games for some sports, ones that allowed individual ad safe competition from the comfort of your home. Unexpectedly, Bay State Games reached athletes all over the country, and while we weren't able to hold our Summer Games, the Virtual Games helped us remember what it was like to run events and compete during a time that live sports were becoming rare.

We were lucky to come back strong in 2021 and even stronger in 2022. This past summer was one that took and extra year to get to, but once it came, we were excited to get closer back to the Bay State Games we know and love.

40 years is just the beginning. We can't wait to see what the next 40 years bring.