Empire State Games divisions
Open, Scholastic, Masters — and the separate Senior and Physically Challenged editions.
The Summer Games ran three divisions in parallel in each sport.
Open
Athletes 18 and older. The marquee division — most adult-sport finals were the headline event of any Games. Open athletes qualified through regional trials and competed on six regional teams.
The Open division included a handful of sports that were not in Scholastic: Boxing, Bowling, Cycling, Canoeing, Kayaking, Sailing, Judo, Softball, and Weightlifting. These reflected adult amateur sport in New York more than school sport.
Scholastic
Athletes 17 or younger as of August 31 of the Games year. New York residents only, by design — the Scholastic division was meant to surface the state’s best high-school-aged talent and was a known scouting ground for college coaches.
Scholastic-only sports included Baseball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, and Tennis — sports played heavily in New York schools but not included in the Open programme.
Masters
Age 30 and over, in selected sports. Masters was offered in track and field, swimming, basketball, soccer, and a small set of others. The division ran alongside Open at the same venues, with its own medals.
Senior Games — a separate edition
The Senior Games were a separate edition of the Empire State Games, not a Summer Games division. Open to athletes 50 and over (later raised to 50 for entry into specific events; the floor moved over the years), with five-year age brackets. Held annually in Cortland each June — and still held there now.
Games for the Physically Challenged — also a separate edition
The Games for the Physically Challenged are a separate edition as well, contested in adapted sports for athletes aged 5–21 with physical challenges. Divisions cover visual impairment, blindness, hearing impairment, deafness, spinal cord injury, amputee classifications, cerebral palsy, and les autres.