St. Albert seniors kicked off the Winter Olympics early this week by going for some gold medals of their own.
Residents of the St. Albert Retirement Residence on Everitt Drive are participating in the ninth annual All Seniors Care Seniors Games this week. The national event sees thousands of seniors go head-to-head in nine different events in search of health, happiness, and shiny medals.
St. Albert kicked off its share of the games Monday morning with the help of some bagpipes, Mayor Cathy Heron, MLA Marie Renaud, visitors from nearby Lois E. Hole Elementary, and a bocce demonstration.
Residents, most of whom are in their 80s, will compete in archery, bocce, billiards, bridge, cribbage, Jeopardy-style trivia, shuffleboard, Wii Bowling, and Wii Golf all week, with about 20 to 25 people taking part in each event, said Karissa Visser, health and wellness director at the retirement residence. The top performers will receive bronze, silver, or gold medals.
Athletes in the golf, bocce, bowling, and shuffleboard events will also compete with those in 29 retirement homes run by All Seniors Care Living Centres in Aylmer, Calgary, Edmonton, Gatineau, Ottawa, Regina, Saskatoon, Sherwood Park, Stratford, and Winnipeg for national awards, Visser said.
The theme of this year’s games is Laughter is the Best Medicine, said Laurie Clague, executive director of the St. Albert residence. Exercise is good for the mind, body, and soul, while laughter builds relationships, relieves stress and (research suggests) strengthens the immune system.
“The very best part about laughter is that it’s contagious,” Clague said.
The fact that this year’s games coincided with the start of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Feb. 9 was a coincidence, she added.
Maxine Rogers is the organizer of the St. Albert edition of the games. Up until she broke her leg two years ago, she played a lot of conventional sports, including tennis, golf, volleyball, and curling.
“I did them all!” she said.
Rogers said won several medals in last year’s games and has been taking part in group exercises daily to prepare for this year’s challenges. She planned to participate in all nine events this year.
Sports help get you out of your room to meet people and gets you away from thinking all the time, Rogers said.
“I’d die without it,” she said of sports.
“I need to go places and do things.”
Rogers said she planned to watch parts of the Winter Olympics once they start this Friday.
The Seniors Games run from Feb. 5 to 9.
