Photo by Marissa Tiel
DECORATED IN GOLD – Brenda Dion throws javelin during the 55+ Games in Brampton, Ont. last week. Dion won gold in all six of her events, leading Team Yukon to 28 gold, 25 silver and 10 bronze medals at the Games.
Photo by Marissa Tiel
DECORATED IN GOLD – Brenda Dion throws javelin during the 55+ Games in Brampton, Ont. last week. Dion won gold in all six of her events, leading Team Yukon to 28 gold, 25 silver and 10 bronze medals at the Games.
Photo by Marissa Tiel
GOLDEN PACE – Don White competed in track and field events, picking up gold in the 3,000-metre, 1,500 and the 10K micro marathon.
Photo by Marissa Tiel
LINING IT UP – Maureen Caley-Verdonk takes a shot during lawn bowling. Caley-Verdonk and partner, Bonnie Barber, won silver in the 55+ women’s doubles category.
Photo by Marissa Tiel
JUBILATION – Bev Buckway and Linda Profeit celebrate scoring a point in pickleball. This was the first year Yukon had a pickleball team.
Track and field athletes led Team Yukon with the medal charge at last week’s 55+ Games in Brampton, Ont.
Track and field athletes led Team Yukon with the medal charge at last week’s 55+ Games in Brampton, Ont.
Yukon’s Brenda Dion won gold in all six of her events, as the team dominated running and field events.
Attending her fourth 55+ Games, Pam Bangart spent this year as a co-chef-de-mission alongside Marg White.
“It was a riot,” she said. “I just loved it. It was very fulfilling.”
This was her first year as mission staff and the support team was busy, organizing logistics for athletes and helping them manage the extreme heat and humidity in Ontario.
Bangart loved being able to support the athletes and watch them perform to their potential.
She won gold at the last Games and remembers how emotional she was receiving it. “I just felt so absolutely wonderful,” she said. “I start[ed] to cry.”
To see her track teammates succeed was a highlight. Rose Leenders, in the 75+ category, won silver in the 50-metre sprint. Then, in the 100, “she was just so bound and determined to win,” said Bangart. “She just ran that race like I’ve never seen her run before. It was like bears were chasing her.”
And when she finished, Bangart said the look on Leenders’ face was amazing. As others received their medals, Bangart remembered her own medal.
“I knew exactly how they were feeling,” she said. “It was hard not to get emotional for them.”
The team is already recruiting more 55+ people as they look forward to the 2018 Games in Saint John, N.B.
“It’s just a fulfilling feeling you get from participation,” said Bangard. “You’re there and part of the team.”
Yukon medallists
Track and Field
Women's 50m sprint 55+: Brenda Dion – Gold
Women's javelin 55+: Brenda Dion – Gold
Women's long jump 55+: Brenda Dion – Gold
Women's 100m sprint 55+: Brenda Dion – Gold
Women's javelin 75+: Naomi Hall – Gold
Women's 50m sprint 75+: Rose Leenders – Silver
Women's 100m sprint 75+: Rose Leenders – Gold
Women's 50m sprint 60+: Sharyl Satchell – Silver
Women's 100m sprint 60+: Sharyl Satchell – Silver
Women's 400m 60+: Donna Jones – Silver
Women's long jump 60+: Donna Jones – Silver
Women's predicted walk 400m: Rose Leenders – Silver
Women's discus 65+: Karen Milligan – Bronze
Women's shot put 65+: Karen Milligan – Silver
Women's discus 75+: Naomi Hall – Silver
Women's predicted walk 400m: Naomi Hall – Gold
Women's 4 x 100m relay: Brenda Dion, Donna Jones, TK, TK – Gold
Women's 200m 60+: Donna Jones – Gold
Women's 800m 60+: Donna Jones – Silver
Women's 10k micro marathon 55+: Brenda Dion – Gold
Men's 50m sprint 75+: John Hall – Gold
Men's 100m sprint 75+: John Hall – Gold
Men's long jump 75+: John Hall – Gold
Men's 1,500m 60+: Bryan Craven – Gold
Men's javelin 60+: Bryan Craven – Silver
Men's 1,500m 75+: Dave Kalles – Silver
Men's 400m 75+:Dave Kalles – Gold
Men's javelin 75+: Hank Leenders – Gold
Men's 50m sprint 65+: Pat Milligan – Bronze
Men's javelin 65+: Pat Milligan – Bronze
Men's long jump 65+: Tom Parlee – Silver
Men's 400m 55+: Allan Benjamin – Gold
Men's 100m 55+: Allan Benjamin – Silver
Men's 1,500m 65+: Don White – Gold
Men's triple jump 75+: John Hall – Gold
Men's predicted walk 1,000m: Dave Brekke – Silver
Men's discus 65+: Tom Parlee – Silver
Men's shot put 65+: Tom Parlee – Silver
Men's 3,000m 60+: Bryan Craven – Silver
Men's 800m 60+: Bryan Craven – Silver
Men's 3,000m 75+: Dave Kalles – Silver
Men's 800m 75+: Dave Kalles – Silver
Men's 3,000m 65+: Don White – Gold
Men's 800m 55+: Allan Benjamin – Gold
Men's 200m 55+: Allan Benjamin – Gold
Men's 10k micro marathon 60+: Bryan Craven – Silver
Men's 10k micro marathon 65+: Don White – Gold
Men's 5k micro marathon 55+: Allan Benjamin – Silver
Darts
Men's single 55+: Gary Hewitt – Gold
Men's doubles 55+: Gary Hewitt – Gold
Women's doubles 65+: Betty Sutton – Silver
Swimming
Women's 100m 65+: Spence Hill – Bronze
Women's 50m 65+: Spence Hill – Bronze
Curling
Men 55+: Gordon Zealand, Don Duncan, Bob Walker, Dale Enzenauer – Bronze
Golf
Men – low gross 55+: Tom Anson – Bronze
Carpet bowling
Mixed 55+: Paul Dabbs, Heather McGeachy, Sandy Lansfield, Loretta Warnsby – Bronze
Mixed 70+: Dale Gibson, Betty Hebert, Bob Roy, Jean Webster – Bronze
Scrabble
Category A: Colleen Tyrner – Gold
Category C: Shirley Clark – Gold
Category C: Jane Stayner – Silver
Lawn bowls
Women's doubles 55+: Bonnie Barber and Maureen Caley-Verdonk – Silver
Women's doubles 70+: Arla Repka and Madeline Boyd – Silver
Five pin bowling
Women's singles 85+: Ida Calmegane – Bronze
Gold – 28
Silver – 25
Bronze – 10
Total – 63
Unofficial results supplied by 55+ Games Team Yukon
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Comments (1)
Up 12 Down 0
June Jackson on Aug 22, 2016 at 9:33 pm
Congratulations to all the seniors that go to these events. Whether you come home with a medal or not..you are still winners. People practiced their events for two years, saved money, did without, dedicated to their sport. Yup...you are every one of you, pure "gold".