Langley and Aldergrove athletes helped lead the Fraser Valley to the most medals at the B.C. Seniors Games.
The Games were held Aug. 20 to 24 in Kamloops.
Fraser Valley athletes won a total of 403 medals, including 168 gold. They also captured 139 silver and 96 bronze.
Leading the charge was swimmer Jean Buchanan who won six gold in the women’s 90+ division. She was first in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 freestyle events, as well as the 50 and 100 backstroke.
Joy Hargreaves won gold in the women’s 65-69 25m backstroke. Hargreaves also won gold in the 4×25 freestyle relay and bronze in the 4×25 medley relay.
Frances Steinfeld was also a big winner, capturing three gold and two silver medals in track and field. Steinfeld won gold in the women’s 75-79 discus, shot put and 800m. She won silver in the 200m and 400m races.
Mildred Parks won gold in the women’s 75-79 10km race walk and silver in the 5000m power walk. She also helped win bronze in the women’s 4×400 power walk.
Phil Lefebure won a pair of silver medals in the men’s 80-84 100 and 200m races.
Local athletes also added to the medal haul in cycling.
Dick Aporta won a trio of gold medals in the men’s 70-74 novice division in the road race, hill climb and time trial. Linda Anderson was tops in both the women’s 60-64 novice time trial and road race. And Tom Barichello won a pair of bronzes in the men’s 55-59 competitive time trial and hill climb.
Archers won four gold medals.
Kenneth Buchholz won a pair in the men’s 65-69 target and recurve competitions while Aaltje Stiegelmar did the same in the women’s 70-74 division.
Darrell Decker won gold and bronze in the mixed novice 55-64 equestrian mountain trail events. He was first in the undersaddle and third in the inhand.
Horseshoes produced two medals: Ernie Sievert won silver in the men’s 65+ Class D competition, while Annabelle Sievert won bronze in the women’s 55+ Class C.
Jacquie Van Ieperen took bronze in women’s 70-74 golf.
Table tennis players contributed greatly to the medal count, both individually, and in team play.
In recreational play, Patricia Toppings (women’s 80+) won gold while Henry Knaier (men’s 75-79) and Gladys Bower (women’s 80+) won silver. Toppings and Bower also teamed up to win gold in doubles and Knaier partnered with Jim Simpson to win the men’s doubles and with Norma Andrus to win mixed doubles.
Harvey Funk (men’s 75-79) won bronze in singles and in the mixed doubles.
David Barregar and Ed Bregg (70-74) partnered to win silver and Bregg and Alice Kennedy also teamed up for another silver in mixed doubles. Kennedy then teamed with Andrea Pike for silver in the women’s division.
In competitive play, Paul Howes (men’s 75-79) and Dick Lu (men’s 70-74) both won silver and Richard Chang (men’s 65-69) won bronze. Chang also won bronze in mixed doubles, while Howes and Lu took silver in men’s doubles and Patricia Toppings won bronze in mixed doubles.
Other team medals were:
Wendy Nagasaka (women’s 55-59) won gold in recreational badminton; Dianne Griffiths (55+) won gold in mixed bridge; Brad Martyniuk and Mark Farnyuk (55-59) won gold in slo-pitch; Sheila Lanktree and Bill Pike (55+) won silver in cribbage; Gwen Clark (55+) won silver in curling; Dave Meredith (60+) won silver in ice hockey and John Kusch won silver in doubles pickleball.
Chris Dunne, Reva Berman, Ruth Bedell, Carolyn Armour, Carol Oleksiuk, Bev O’Connor, Glenda Grassmuck, Joanne Matheson, Lynda Paquette, Marg Garratt, Moira McGlashan, Trisha Copp, Sue Foreman, and Jaye Peebles won silver as part of the FLCC Phoenix in Dragonboat racing.
