The five local athletes who competed at the 55 Plus Canada Games in Quebec City last month came home with eight medals—four silver and four gold.
Michele Robitaille and Manon Rheaume each won silver medals in their respective golf events: age 60+ low net score for Robitaille, and age 55+ low gross score for Rheaume.
Wilfred and Phyllis Collins also won silver medals: Wilfred in 75+ men’s 8-ball pool, and Phyllis in the women’s 8-ball competition in the same age group.
Swimmer Paul Odell brought home a sackful of gold, with top medals in 50- and 100-metre freestyle, 50-metre butterfly, and 100-metre individual medley events in the 65 – 69 age category.
Other Zone 7 medallists include sprinter Ed Storch from Mannville, who captured gold medals in age 80 and over category for 50-metre, 100-metre, and 400-metre races; and Donna and Gerald Weiman of Lloydminster, who won gold in 65+ pickleball 3.0 mixed doubles.
The medal haul from Zone 7 competitors helped propel Alberta to the top of the standings with 199 medals: 100 gold, 61 silver, and 38 bronze.
Ontario had 211 medals overall, including 81 gold plus 77 silver and 53 bronze; and Quebec finished with 83 gold, 56 silver and 42 bronze for a total of 181.
In all, the Alberta team had 17 participants from the northeast. Alberta 55 Plus president Dave Finn said the province had participation in almost every age category of every sport.
“It was a really well-rounded cross section of athletes from the swimming pool to the hockey rinks, to the tennis courts, to the pickleball courts, back over to the dart boards,” he said. “There were very few categories that we didn’t participate in.”
With the 55 Plus movement’s focus on participation and the social benefits of sport, Finn said he is just as impressed by the athletes who didn’t win medals. Many Albertans finished near the podium and some posted personal-best results at the Canada Games.
Alberta sent 450 participants and approximately 150 family members and spectators to Quebec.
Before these Canada Games, Paul Odell of Cold Lake had swum in Alberta games in Peace River and Brooks. His four gold medals at Canada Games in Quebec were the result of a lot of pool time and even dry-land training in pursuit of continuous improvement.
While he’s happy with his swim times, he also says the spirit of the games goes beyond the competition.
“I put in a lot more time and I did a lot more weight training as well as swim training, and it paid off. My times in all four events were quicker than they were in Brooks or Peace River,” he said. “It was good to see the positive results with the extra work I put in through the last year.”
But he said the hero of the swim meet was 91-year-old Nesta Leduc from the Yukon.
“She was the oldest swimmer in in the event, and she was a rock star. Everybody knew who she was. Everybody watched her when she competed, they acknowledged her. It was pretty cool to see,” Odell said.
“Everybody’s out there to do the best they can, and whether it gets them on the podium or not, I don’t think it really matters there,” he said.
“You’re meeting up with people that you’ve seen at the last Alberta Games, or maybe they’ve seen them at the last Canada Games as well. A lot of people have been doing it for a long time and they’ve made these relationships the whole way through.”
The 55 Plus games movement involves athletic sports as well as less-aerobic events like card games, darts, and pool. There is also an arts, crafts, and culture component.
While participation levels remain strong, the northeast Alberta zone needs volunteers to serve on its board. The recent death of Zone 7 president Jane Stroud has made it even more important for people who enjoy participating to step up and help lead the organization.
