Alberta 55-Plus Winter Games preparations continue

The Alberta 55-Plus Winter Games, slated for Edmonton April 7 to 10, are still going ahead.

Lakeland Senior Games Association (LSGA) president Kay Hauer said any decision to cancel due to Covid-19 restrictions will be announced March 4. Until then the LSGA, which governs Zone 7 of the Alberta 55-Plus organization is proceeding under the assumption the Winter Games will go ahead.

Participants for some activities have already qualified. Teams for curling, sturling, floor curling, bowling, and pickleball have been determined either through playoffs or, if there were not enough participants to force a playoff, by calling for volunteer participants.

The Zone 7 team members for duplicate bridge, snooker, hockey, carpet bowling, Scrabble, and darts are yet to be named.

The pickleball playoff was held in Cold Lake January 15, with an excellent turnout of competitors. 

After the Winter Games are complete, the LSGA will immediately begin organizing to name its Alberta Summer Games team. That competition is scheduled for the Peace Country in June, followed by the Canada Games in August.

Cancellations due to the pandemic over the past two years have forced the 55-Plus Games movement to compress its schedule of provincial and national meets for 2022. Normally, provincial games and Canada Games alternate years.

There may be openings for competitors in some sports to volunteer to participate in Edmonton. Call Kay Hauer at (780) 808-9822 if you would like to compete.

Zone 7’s Winter Games team is coming together

Some playoffs are in the books, and other spots have been assigned “by acclamation” as the Lakeland Senior Games Association (LSGA) forms its team for the upcoming Alberta Winter Games in
Edmonton.

Many bowling, curling, floor curling, sturling, darts and pickleball competitors have been determined. Some of the age categories for these sports still have spots available.

Representatives for duplicate bridge, hockey, snooker, and scrabble are still to be determined.

While playoffs were not needed for many of the events, places on the pickleball team were well-contested. Twenty-seven participants converged on the Cold Lake Energy Centre to compete for 15 spots on the Winter Games team.

Those who did not advance have been asked to stand by as alternates.

LSGA is still accepting volunteers to compete in some age categories in certain sports.

The Zone 7 Winter Games Team so far includes:

Bowling: Peter Briere, MaryAnn Latty, Robert (Bob) Latty, Arnold Ouellette, Colleen Ouellette, Mary Ouellette, Timothy Smith.

Darts: Jackie Charbonneau, Victor Ouellette, Lee Stein.

Floor curling: Emily Dianne Bourassa, Jerome Bourassa, MaryAnn Dunkin, Sophie Harasimiuk, Shirley Highberg, Barbara Ann Lapointe, Ralph Lapointe, Darcie Wasyluk.

Ice curling: Cathy Cooper,
Dorothy Cooper, Paul Odell, Zane Pikowicz, Jim Urlacher, Marilyn Wright, Richard Welsh.

Pickleball: Celia Armstrong, Lil Ayres, Margaret Borders, Janet Elliot, Donald Fluney, Linda Hook, Richard Kropiniski, Karine Larochelle, Bernard Lefebvre, Gail Lefebvre, Barb Markhan, Patrick Martell, Gordon McNeill, Paulette Mistol, Dave Shankowski.

Sturling: Gerald Davenport, Janice Davenport, Joe Marciniw, Barbara Ann Scholz.

Snooker: Denis Charbonneau.