There were once again a number of local participants/competitors at this year’s Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games July 25 to 28 in the Barrhead/Westlock area.
The many sporting activities included athletics, bocce ball, cycling, floor curling, floor shuffleboard, golf, horseshoe pitching, 8-ball pool, slo-pitch, swimming, tennis, and contract bridge, cribbage, and military whist as well as the cultural competitions of arts and crafts and creative writing.
Competitors from throughout the eight zones in Alberta took part. Zone 4 is the central Alberta area, and at the conclusion of the games, Zone 4 was presented with the President’s Spirit of Participation Award for exemplifying the true spirit of good sportsmanship and personal integrity both in and out of competition.
Listed are some of the more local participants.
From Rimbey, James Andres played on a 55+ men’s slo-pitch team that placed second, Bill Howe played 70+ singles cribbage, and Alvin Goetz had entries in both serious and humorous non-fiction creative writing.
Russ and Alice Picketts placed second in the 55+ open military whist, as did Gordon and Brenda Mounteney from Bluffton.
In golf, Debbie Retzlaff placed second with women’s 55+ low gross score. Florence Howe took part in the 75+ women’s Callaway and Anna Ledieu in the 55+ women’s Callaway, with Wayne Moss from Sylvan Lake competing in the 55+ men’s Callaway.
Margrit Degraff from Gull Lake placed third in both the 10 km and 20 km 65+ women’s cycling. She had also entered humorous non-fiction creative writing.
Bryan Wiese from Bentley placed fourth in the 10 km 65+ men’s cycling and was also entered in the 65+ 20 km.
Al Elliott from near Rimbey took firsts in 80+ men’s shot put and 100 m dash and seconds in 80+ men’s javelin and discus.
Joe Reichert from Lacombe won the 65+ Open 0-19.9% horseshoe pitching class and David Jardine, also from Lacombe, played on a 70+ men’s slo-pitch team
There were also a number of participants from Ponoka.
For a more complete listing, go to www.albertagames.com.
The games are staged to encourage physical and cultural creativity in residents who were at least 55 years of age in 2013 and were a member of ASCRA (Alberta Senior Citizens Sport and Recreation Association).
In 2014 the Canada 55 Plus Games will be staged in Strathcona County (Sherwood Park) when elder competitors will come to Alberta from all across Canada.