Moose Jaw hosted the Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association (SSFA) 55-plus provincial games curling on March 25, 26 and 27, stated Maxine Stinka of Canora, Saskatchewan Senior Fitness representative.
Six curlers and five non-competitors from the Parkland Valley District attended. Merv Tomski of Crystal Lake and Ron Hoehn of Canora competed with two Regina curlers in the men’s 65-plus category and received a bronze medal.
Murray Bottcher of Margo, Ellen Comfort of Wadena, and Arnold Makowsky and Maxine Stinka, both of Canora competed in the mixed 65-plus curling event and won gold.
They will represent Saskatchewan at the Canada 55-plus Games in Saint John, New Brunswick on August 20 to 24.
The remainder of the provincial games were held in Moose Jaw July 10 to 12. From the Parkland Valley District, there were 48 competitors and 16 non-competitors participating in slo-pitch, Kaiser, bank shuffleboard, track and field, five-pin bowling and poetry/short story, said Stinka.
The Assiniboine Aces won bronze in slo-pitch. The team included players from Danbury, Canora, Burgis Beach, Invermay, Yorkton, Churchbridge, Endeavour, Kamsack, Mossbank, Regina and Humboldt. Local players on the team were: Lloyd Hanson, Warren Knight and Royce Knight, all of Invermay; Arthur Boyd, Endeavour; Gordon Barnes, Kamsack; David Weiman, Danbury; Vic Korchinski, Canora, and Darryl Stevenson, Burgis Beach.
The Melville slo-pitch team participated in the slo-pitch event. The team was comprised of members from Melville, Canora, Grenfell, Goodeve, Wynyard, Killaly, Yorkton, Springside, and Fort Qu’Appelle.
Bob Edwards of Buchanan won one gold medal and three silver medals in track and field.
The SSFA is a provincial non-profit charitable organization with eight districts whose boundaries are the same as those for Saskatchewan Sport, Culture and Recreation Districts. The purpose is to encourage those aged 50 and over to remain active and provides events throughout the province ranging from cribbage and Kaiser to bowling and curling, said Stinka.
The districts host events every year and provincial and federal competitions are held every two years. Winners at each level may advance to the next level if they desire.
Saskatchewan was represented by 158 competitors and 73 non-competitors at the Canada 55-plus Games in Saint John, New Brunswick on July 20 to 24, including 12 from the Parkland Valley District.
In addition to the curlers, Muriel and Ken Orr of Churchbridge were scheduled to compete in the cycling events and Margaret Knight of Invermay in five-pin bowling with a team from the Prairie Central District.
