A strong Sunshine Coast contigent helped the Lower Mainland zone to a third place finish at last weekend's B.C. Senior Games in Prince George.
More than 2,500 athletes from across the province aged 55 to 90-plus competed in a variety of sports ranging from golf and tennis, to swimming, track and field, and for the first time, dragon boating.
The Sunshine Coast boasts some of the top dragon boaters in the province and they showcased their talents as the combined men and women's 55-plus team picked up a bronze medal.
Team members included Lois Pickard, Marily Charles, Serge Plandin, John Bayzand, Joan Braun, Anneke Schootman, Jim Gibson, Ann Carlson, Martha Ware, Marilyn Butt, Norma Bond and Marilyn Watson from Sechelt, Marie Sharpe, Jeanne Hage and Joanne Crosbie from Gibsons, Els Mol from Halfmoon Bay and Gail Cromie, Fran Dorcik and Rudy Van Egdem from Roberts Creek.
In slo-pitch, Vern Giesbrecht from Gibsons and his team of 55-plus finished in fourth place. In the pool, Manfred Baur of Gibsons picked up two bronze medals, one in the 65 to 69 400m freestyle and one in the 65 to 69 800m freestyle.
In track and field, Liz Dilasser from Sechelt picked up a bronze medal in the 60 to 64 1,500m event and was fourth in the 60 to 64 800m event. In hockey, Harry Braun from Sechelt was part of the Lower Mainland Schooners team that finished fourth in the men's 70-plus 'A' division. Finally in darts, Sechelt ladies Joyce Jackson and Marilyn August struck gold in the men's and ladies team competition along with their partners Ron Ferguson from Richmond and Paul Cox of Vancouver. Other local dart players Ken Matheson, Dennis Johnson, Ron Pruden, Grace Shearsmith and Sharon Gravelle competed, but did not manage to get into the medal rounds.
