There’s no pulling the rug out from under the feet of four Okotoks senior athletes.
The quartet of skip Glen James-Davies, third Joe Galarneau, second Marion Doell and Nancy Peterson from the Okotoks Seniors Club took home the silver medal in 70-plus floor curling at the Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games in Medicine Hat July 4-7.
The Okotoks rink lost a nail-biter in the final to the Dianne Hartman rink from the Camrose area (Zone 4).
“We lost by one point, but the team we lost to has been champion for the last several years,” said the 83-year-old Peterson. “We do our best, but have a good time.
“That’s what it is all about.”
Floor curling is similar to traditional curling, except there is no sweeping and the sheets are smaller.
The Okotoks seniors nearly won the championship but lady luck wasn’t on their side.
“We thought we had them beat, there were a lot of rocks in the house and they got the point,” Peterson said. “They were good curlers.”
Okotoks went 5-2 at the Games — its other loss was also by point.
The Okotoks squad had qualified for the Games by winning the Zone 2 title earlier in Didsbury.
The team came together at the Okotoks Senior Club which is hot bed for floor curling.
“When we floor curl there, we don’t have the same team every time,” Peterson said. “We draw a marble to determine who we curl with.
“We got together, said do we want to go (to the Games) , so we got together, practiced a few times and went.”
The club, which Peterson calls very active, hosts floor curling on Mondays and Friday.
Partial results from Foothills area athletes at the Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games in Medicine Hat July 4-7.
Cycling Time Trials: Recreational, 65 plus male — 1. Clint Docken, Bragg Creek; Recreational 75 plus male — 1. Robert Wahlund, Okotoks.
Floor curling: 70 plus Open — 2. Nancy Peterson, Marion Doell, Glen James Davies, Joseph Galarneau, Okotoks.
Golf — Men’s low gross 80-plus — 1. Bob Cheyne, High River; Women’s Callaway 55 plus — 2. Karen Kernaghan, Black Diamond
Horseshoes 65 plus Open — 8. Anne Wahlund, Okotoks
100-m sprint: — 70 plus women — 1. Norma Dawson, High River; 80 plus men — Jack Whitlie, Millarville
Shot put: 70 plus men — 1. Paul Burns, Millarville; 75 plus men — 2. Ernie Robson, Okotoks
Slowpitch — Men’s 55 plus — 1. Zone 2, Gary Paukert, Jim Malacko, Eli Hofer, Okotoks; Jack Bews, High River; Curtis Buck, DeWinton.
