The Senior Games organizers are looking to expand into winter sports – but they’ll need a little help to pull it off.
The region is a long-time participant in the Senior Games during the summer, but organizers feel that winter is a great time to enjoy activity, too.
“There are so many benefits,” said organizer Cynthia Woodland. ‘There’s physical health, emotional health. There’s socializing. There’s a lot of great things that come from it.”
Anyone aged 55 and over, from Rainy River to Atikokan, and all points in between are eligible to join the Senior’s Games. There are opportunities for all levels of skill and competitiveness. Those who excel, and wish to go further, can qualify for provincial and national levels in February.
Woodland recently returned from the provincial games. She won some hardware in swimming, but also had a great time meeting new people from across the province.
“It was such a good experience,” she said. “I’d highly recommend it to anybody.”
The committee is looking for both organizers and athletes. Ideally, they’d like to see one organizer and a handful of athletes for each sport. At this point, they’re looking at curling, nordic skiing, bowling, badminton, skating, volleyball, table tennis and duplicate bridge as potential sports. They’re already in talks with facilities across the region to host events. Competition will get underway in November.
Anyone with an interest in expanding Senior Games into the winter is invited to attend a meeting, on September 14, at 4 p.m. at the Seniors Centre in Fort Frances. For more information, call Cindy Noble at 807-275-9134.
To learn more about the games, visit osga55plus.ca. The local chapter of the Senior Games also runs an active Facebook page at Ontario Senior Games-District 1B, where you can find information on meetings and upcoming events.
