Seniors from across Alberta proved age is just as number as Cold Lake hosted the Alberta 55-plus Winter Games.
Over 900 athletes descended on the Lakeland in order to participate in one of the 12 categories.
Whether it was hockey, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, bowling, or curling they were after, seniors of all ages flocked to Kinosoo Ridge, Cold Lake, and Bonnyville for their respective events from Thursday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, March 3.
City Mayor Craig Copeland, who is also chair for the Cold Lake Alberta 55-plus Winter Games organizing committee, said the games were a great opportunity to showcase what the community has to offer.
“Who knows, maybe some of the seniors will come back and pay a second visit because of where we are in the Lakeland area,” he expressed.
According to activities director for the local organizing committee Bob Lamoureux, there was a tremendous advantage to everyone involved.
Participant Randy Smith saves a shot against the Zone 6 net during one of the hockey games at the Cold Lake Energy Centre.
“It’s amazing. It’s overwhelming because everyone will benefit from this.”
The city had been approached about the possibility of hosting the games locally, and Copeland jumped on the opportunity.
“Cold Lake is on the map, but nothing has been happening a whole lot lately with the oil patch being the way it is,” detailed Lamoureux.
With the facilities right in their own backyard, Lamoureux said it was a perfect fit for Cold Lake.
In fact, aside from the alpine skiing at Kinosoo Ridge, and the utilization of the Bonnyville Curling Club, all of the events were hosted either in Cold Lake or at 4 Wing.
“Everything is here and meets the needs of Alberta 55. It was really an easy fit,” Lamoureux added.
Across the 12 events, the most popular was hockey.
In total, they had 25 teams facing off at the Energy Centre with over 350 seniors lacing up their skates to take part.
The second most popular event was curling, followed by bowling, and pickle ball.
Scrabble, Euchre, Snooker, creative writing, and arts and crafts were among the other options for athletes.
Lamoureux admitted that up until last year, he didn’t even know the games existed, but is glad because his opportunity to sign-up isn’t far off.
“When this came along, I was looking forward to it,” he expressed.
The age of the athletes didn’t slow down their competitive nature.
“You would be surprised, but some of them are quite competitive still, they want nothing but the best for the set-up and scheduling. They’re quite serious about being part of this as an athlete, even if it’s just a card game,” stated Lamoureux. “Some of them are very keen to make it to the Canada Games coming up in August.”
He continued, “You can tell from any age group, they’re very serious about this and we have to believe it’s as important to them as if they were young adults... They’re doing it for them.”
Allen Elliot, 85, was the only senior participating in the 85-plus alpine skiing event.
Eighty-five-year-old Allen Elliot was one of the seniors taking part in the alpine ski event at Kinosoo Ridge.
The Rimbey resident may not have had much by way of competition, being the only participant in his age category of 85-plus, but he said it wasn’t about claiming the top spot.
“It’s the greatest entertainment in the world... everything about it’s good,” he expressed. “We need more participants. Just because people get a little older doesn’t mean they should quit.”
