It's just two months away but volunteers are still needed.
The 2014 Saskatchewan Senior Fitness Association (SSFA) +55 Games is being held right here in Humboldt July 8-10 and Marguerite Cunningham, co-chair of the planning committee, said they need about 125 volunteers to run the twenty-or-so events.
The events will be held at locations around Humboldt (excluding tennis and lawn bowling, which will be held elsewhere), ranging from recreational activities like contract bridge and scrabble, to more physically intense like track 'n' field and slo pitch.
The Games are put on every two years as part of the association's mission to "promote active living, wellness and participation among our province's seniors," the SSFA's website said. In the off-season, tournaments are held in the province's nine districts to determine qualifiers for certain events that are more popular, like bridge. For those that tend to have less interest (pickleball, for instance), seniors over the age of 55 can participate at the Games without a tournament qualifier but still must be a member of the SSFA.
Deadline for registration in these events is June 6; contact the head of your district (Humboldt is part of the Prairie Central District) if you'd like to register for one of the events.
The Games will kick off with the opening ceremonies held at the Humboldt Uniplex at noon on July 8. A banquet will be held the following evening at Jubilee Hall, with closing ceremonies wrapping up on Sunday, July 10.
The Games' planning committee is organizing at least one tour bus that can help shuttle the participants to the events; as well, there will be an additional bus for non-participants, if interested, that will tour them around Humboldt.
"We're expecting about 600-800 people," Cunningham said, of the crowd of athletes and onlookers that will be occupying Humboldt that weekend.
Because of this, the Games committee is trying to round up as many volunteers as possible to help run the events and also manage the office throughout the weekend.
One event they're particularly hoping to garner interest in is pickleball, a sport similar to badminton, that is one of the 22 events at the Games.
"Not many people around here know what pickleball is," Cunningham said. "Neither did we, actually," she laughed.
For that reason, a pickleball event will be held on May 28 at St. Augustine School's gymnasium to anybody who wants to learn it. The fun, hands-on tutorial is free and is designed to usher in some pickleball players into the Games this year.
If you have a membership to the SSFA this year and would like to participate in one of the events, contact your district head.
For additional information or to sign-up as a volunteer, contact the Uniplex at 682-2597 and ask to speak with Mike Ulriksen, events coordinator.
Events:
Shuffle board
Tennis and lawn bowling (to be held outside of Humboldt)
Floor curling
Cowboy poetry
8 ball pool
Botchie ball
Contract bridge
Crib
Darts
18 hole golf
Kaiser
Scrabble
Snooker
Pickleball
Slo pitch
Banked shuffleboard
Speed swimming
Table tennis
Track 'n' field
Whist
*The curling event already took place this past March
