Local senior games celebrating 20th anniversary

TRURO – Fun, fellowship and fitness is the name of the game when it comes to the 20th annual Local Senior Games to be held next month in Truro and Bible Hill.
The games, beginning on May 10 and ending on May 14, will offer many casual competitions for those aged 55 or older.
Fran Forman, a 20-year senior games veteran, has been competing since the inaugural games in 1990.
“One of my neighbours talked me into going to a meeting and I’ve been going ever since,” said Foreman, a native of Debert. “I have lots of fun doing it and meet a lot of nice people.”
Forman, 90, is just as active in the games as she was 20 years ago as well. This year she is registered to compete in darts, crokinole and cribbage.
“I don’t go for winning,” she said. “I go for the friendship and companionship.”
Count last year’s cribbage champion Bob Standing as another participant who loves the atmosphere of comradery the games provide.
“I recommend it for any seniors to come out and have a good time,” said Standing, a 72-year-old Truro resident.
He wasn’t giving away any secrets on his success in cribbage however.
“I think it was just the luck of the cards. The way I was getting the hands, they just seemed to fall right into place.”
Standing plans to defend his cribbage championship along with competing in bowling, darts and washer toss.
Another former champ defending his title is 75-year-old Doug Anthony, last year’s crokinole winner.
Anthony doesn’t play crokinole much anymore, but he is always open for a quick game or two if someone offers a challenge.
“I practiced quite a bit when I was younger,” said the Crowes Mills resident who also plans to enter the bowling, casual-walking and cribbage competitions this year. “A lot of it is playing angles. You have to hit your checker so that you can maybe get two at a time or knock their check off and win the hole.”
In total, there are 13 different events on the Local Senior Games schedule including scrabble, crokinole, skip bo (a card game), darts, bridge, dominoes, cribbage, washer toss, auction 45’s, bowling, golf, swimming and casual walking.
Three separate registration sessions will be held: April 16 between 12 p.m and 3 p.m. at the Bible Hill Village Hall, April 19 at 2 p.m. and April 23 at 2 p.m.
Registration is $5 for one event or $10 for two or more events. Participants must be registered by April 26.
For more information contact Les Haley at 897-2511, Helene Smith at 895-6327 or Bob Webb at 897-4679.