By Sarah Rae

Hundreds coming to Battlefords for 55+ Provincial Games

Jun 27, 2016 | 7:00 PM

Close to 500 athletes from all over the province will be competing in various sports next week.

The Saskatchewan Seniors Fitness Association’s (SSFA) 55+ Provincial Games are coming to the Battlefords.

Games chair and executive director for Destination Battlefords Ryan Bater said the games committee has been working for a year to put together the competition.

“We have 500 participants coming from all corners of the province and we need them all to compete within two and a half days in a variety of events, ranging from golf to slo pitch to pickle ball to card games like kaiser and cribbage. It’s going to be very thrilling to actually execute it,” he said.

The SSFA is an organization that promotes active lifestyles among people age 55 and older in Saskatchewan. The provincial games, which take place every two years, bring together athletes to compete in categories including scrabble, bowling, golf, poetry and short story writing, swimming and track and field.

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The participants are coming from across the province and most of them had to qualify regionally first. Bater said the competitions will be high-calibre for people in the community to enjoy. He said it will also be an opportunity for anyone in the community interested in joining the SSFA to check out what activities are offered.

Bater said there are over 50 volunteers already signed up to help, but the games may need close to 100, so he’s still looking for extra help.

“This is an opportunity for the Battlefords to be a good host community,” he said. “We just want to showcase the best of what the Battlefords has to offer while everybody’s here for those three days.”

The SSFA 55+ Provincial Games opening ceremonies are on July 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the Northland Power Curling Centre. Competitions take place throughout July 5 to July 7 at various locations around the Battlefords.

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae. Concerns regarding this story can be addressed to News Director Geoff Smith at 306-446-6397.