This past weekend saw some of our area's greatest senior athletes compete in a myriad of competitions and I, for one, was impressed by their enthusiasm, determination and ability.
The opening ceremonies, which took place on Friday morning at the Flint Field House in the Centennial Centre, was a grand affair. Nearly all of the 270 plus athletes who were taking part were in attendance and a rousing bagpipe player thrilled the crowd.
Local dignitaries like MLA Genia Leskiw, MP Brian Storseth and Bonnyville Mayor Ernie Isley graced the audience with their presence but it was master of ceremonies Vic Sadlowski that stole the show.
He managed to tell a number of amusing jokes and helped kick the event off right. My personal favourite was when he quipped that they would be using calendars to time some of the weekend's events.
Shortly after the ceremonies, the competition was on. I headed directly to the seniors drop-in centre, where much of the action took place.
Upon entering the building, I was warmly greeted by the volunteers working there and was offered a bag lunch. Inside the bag was a delicious ham sandwich, a juice box and a cookie. Shortly after discovering the contents of the bag lunch I had a flashback to Grade 3, only I was always more of a peanut butter fan.
Moments later I was floored after discovering that the horseshoes competition was cancelled. Quite frankly, I was greatly looking forward to the event but maintained my composure and decided to check out the other events.
Pool, floor curling and bocce ball were all taking place at the centre and I took it all in. I was greatly impressed by the floor curling athletes. It was my first time witnessing that particular sport and it takes a lot of skill. Being able to slide the rock with the right amount of velocity is no easy task.
Aside from the action at the drop-in centre, seniors engaged in golf, baseball, bowling and a number of card games.
Kudos to the volunteers who did an exceptional job making everything run smoothly and I truly believe that this successful weekend proves that the town of Bonnyville will make a great potential host for the 2013 Alberta Senior Games.
Let's just hope that if those games do indeed come to Bonnyville, that we will finally get to see the horseshoes fly.
