Summerland will be represented by 18 athletes at the 2012 B.C. Senior Games in Burnaby Aug. 21 to 25.
They will participate in seven events, including dragon boat race – Paul Bayston, Ken Boettcher, Frank Kappel, Claire Waterman, Lynne Owens and Otmar Laehrm; slo-pitch – Donna Eaton and Patricia (Trish) Macdonald; five-pin bowling – Irene Ferguson, Don Schulberg, Lynn Schulberg and Lois Simpson; bocce – Harry Higson, Don Russell and Murray McMichael; swimming – Robert King; track and field, John Nicolson; ice curling – Bev Skinner.
The B.C. Senior Games are for people 55 and older, and two of these athletes, Otmar Laehrm and Robert King, are in their 80s.
More than 3,500 B.C. residents are expected to take part in the 25th annual B.C. Senior Games.
The Games were started in 1988 by volunteers who wanted to encourage B.C.’s older population to stay healthy and active.
Funded by the provincial government, the games offer a variety of popular sports for seniors, ranging from the very active to those that are more socially orientated.
The games include archery, badminton, bocce, bridge, carpet bowling, cribbage, cycling, darts, dragon boats, five-pin bowling, floor curling, golf, horseshoes, ice curling, ice hockey, lawn bowling, one-act plays, pickleball, slo-pitch, snooker, soccer, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and whist.
The B.C. Seniors Games Society is governed by an executive and a board of 12 zone directors. responsible for the overall guidelines, policies, procedures and sport rules for the society.
Summerland is part of Zone 5, which runs from Midway to Princeton and Armstrong to the border.
The zone’s board meets the third Thursday of the month at 10 a.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion on Rosedale Avenue in Summerland.
The volunteers are putting finishing touches on a wind-up gathering for all Zone 5 athletes and guests planned for Peachland Sept. 15.
The zone’s annual meeting will be Oct. 19.
Anyone interested in helping out is welcome to come to the meetings and to contact Lynn Schulberg at 250-494-1786.
The organization is particularly looking for volunteers with secretarial and financial skills.
