It looks like more than 100 athletes will represent Yukon for a second time in a row at this summer’s Canada 55+ Games.
At last count, 103 potential competitors have submitted an “I Might Go” form for the biennial national event this August in Brampton, Ont.
“The ‘I Might Go’ forms will cutoff on the 26th of this month and by that time we hope to have pretty close to 120,” said Hank Leenders, president of ElderActive Recreation Association that oversees the team.
Yukon sent a team of 134 to the 2014 Games in Strathcona County, Alta. - a record for the territory. Team Yukon placed third in medals and pocketed the Spirit of the Games award.
“I doubt very much we’ll reach (134) because this year it’s in Brampton, which is so much farther and the expense is quite a bit more,” said Leenders.
About 50 potential team members took part in the annual Winter Tournament last weekend at the Canada Games Centre, hosted by ElderActive, which has over 500 members.
The event featured carpet bowling and floor shuffleboard.
The Knight Shufflers (Edna Knight, David Knight and Red Hall) placed first in the shuffleboard competition. The Shufflers (Cookie Morgan and Peggy Duncan) placed second and Team Dolly (Dolly Marchewa and Gunter Balsam) third.
Faro Wits (Michelle Vainio, Marilyn Boyle, Doris Unruhn and Sally Baker) rolled to first in carpet bowling. Tom’s Torpedoes (Tom Parlee, Heather McGeachy, Elaine Hanulik and Loretta Warnsby) took second. The Tagish Trumpeters (Peter Hamm, Renee Smith, Lois Taylor and Claude Dastous) tied for third with Team Lister (Ron Lister, Reuben Fendrick, Dale Roddy and Jean Webster).
Yukon might be represented in a new sport at the Games in Brampton. It’s pickleball, a sport growing in popularity in the U.S. that is sort of between tennis and table tennis. Pickleball is played with large wooden paddles on a small tennis-like court with a wiffle ball.
“They’ve cut out cycling, so people have had to look for something else,” said Leenders. “They’re introducing (pickleball) in this Games. They’ve set it up at the Canada Games Centre for us. There are very few people playing it to see if they like it, but I think we might have a couple of participants in that.”
“I Might Go” forms can be found at www.elderactive.ca and must be submitted by Feb. 26.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com