Swimmers, pickleball players and track and field athletes boosted the Okanagan-Similkameen Zone 5 to second place in the 55+ BC Games.
More than 3,600 athletes competed in Vernon and area with the Fraser Valley zone topping the medal count with 306. The Okanagan-Similkameen pocketed 293 medals, including the most gold, at 138. The 2018 Games are in Cranbrook.
Diane Brown of Lumby ruled track and field with seven 60-64 division medals, including a pair of gold at the Greater Vernon Athletics Park.
Margaret Raffan of Vernon, competing in the 90-94 class, took gold in five events, while her son, Don, of Armstrong, collected six gold in the 60-64 group.
Vernon’s Steve Briggeman produced gold medals in the men’s 55-59 10-kilometre race and 800 and 1,500 runs.
Darrell Eedy took gold in the 50-59 discus and shot put while earning bronze in the 50m dash. Frank Ballauf garnered bronze in the 10k and 200m, while Cory Holly was golden in the hammer throw in the same age category.
Rick Jenkner pocketed gold in the 5,000m and silver in the 5,000 power walk, in the 60-64 class.
Jim Maundrell of Armstrong won gold in the 60-64 high jump and silver in the long jump, while Larry Chalmers of Armstrong uncovered gold in the hammer, weight throw and throws pentathlon.
Barb Picken of Vernon (50-59) won the 1,500 race and 5,000 power walk, while Denis Desrochers of Vernon bagged bronze in the 60-65 javelin and Coldstream’s Stephen Joyce earned silver in the 5,000m (55-59).
Fred Zeimer of Lumby bagged bronze in the 5,000 power walk in men’s 60-65.
In the pool, Vernon’s Jacquie Grypink (55-59) picked up three gold and one silver, while her mother, Mira Grypink (85-89) had golds in a pair of races.
Monique Fortin (60-64) struck one gold and one silver, while Deanna Picco (70-74) rang up two silvers and one bronze and Norm Korol (75-79) took four bronze.
Clint Lee (70-74) recorded a pair of bronze medals, while Brent Applegath (60-64) had a silver and a bronze and Jacqui Hughes (65-69) won a silver.
In pickleball, Vernon athletes won multiple medals with Jayne Hackman winning gold in the women’s 4.0 level singles and teaming with Nancy Rhea for silver in women’s doubles. Hackman and Dale Charlton registered gold in mixed doubles.
Peter McLean and Peter Pershin uncovered gold in men’s 3.0 doubles, while Steve Stafford took gold in men’s 3.5 singles and combined with Trudy Walker for gold in mixed play. Art Johnson and Marg Wadsworth also struck gold in mixed. Ian Thomson and Joey Toolsie took gold in men’s 3.75 doubles.
Jeanie Moynes, Ian Phillips, Rob and Donna Irving, Jim and Leanne Nicholson, Curt Broughton, Riyoko Charlton, Scott Piper, Pat Andrews, Ian Thomson, Bob Sindlinger, Darell Paldula, Ray Timbers, Deb Green, Ann Collier, Suzanne Hocevar, Moe Reiter, Don Bigelow, Robert Carscadden, Gordon McKinnon and Terry Loschuk also picked up medals in pickleball.
Denis Chabot of Vernon scored as the Okanagan Oldtimers grounded South Central Interior United 1-0 Saturday at Marshall Field for gold in the 65+ division.
Tim Penaluna, who organized the 65s and 60s teams, got stellar games from Kenny Rath and Rob Parkin, both of Vernon, and Gord McLaren of Penticton.
The Okanagan entry didn’t lose a game in the round-robin format.
In 55+ soccer, Ron Krause was the lone Vernon player with the Okanagan zone: 1-0 winners over South Island in Saturday’s gold-medal final.
Tony Gonzalez of Kelowna converted with two minutes left on a pass from Steve Frost.
The Okanagan tied Kamloops 1-1 on a final-minute penalty kick by Frost in Friday preliminary play.
Women’s seven-aside soccer made its debut in the Games and the Okanagan Prime struck silver.
The Vernon Brewsers bounced Victoria 7-1 in the 55+ hockey bronze-medal final Saturday at Kal Tire Place. The Brewsers carried sponsorship from Coldstream Truck Parts.
Vernon’s John Price, George Fargher and Bernie Smithson garnered gold medals with the Cranbrook Colonels in the 65+ category. The Colonels stuffed Vancouver 6-1 in the final.
In golf, split between Vernon and Spallumcheen championship courses, Judy Hagen won the women’s 65-69 low gross gold medal at 164 over two rounds.
Bernie Mahapatra took low net in the women’s 55-59 class, while Cathie McLaren won bronze for low net in 60-64. Stan Owens registered silver low net in the men’s 80+ category.
Abby Abbott-Pavelich of Enderby was golden in golf, taking low gross at 204 in the 75-79 group.
Wally McKay of Enderby won a gold medal in men’s 55-59 squash.
In cycling, Rob Michiel of Vernon was golden in the 55-59 time trials and road race, while Olav Stava took silver in the same 60-65 events.
Denis Smith won bronze in the 75-79 time trial.
Cor Smit of Coldstream won the time trials and road race in men’s 65-69.
Dave Poggemoeller’s Vernon rink of Wayne Ovens, Jamie Sexton and Don Eyers were bronze medalists in 55-64 curling.
In horseshoes, Corrie Vandyk of Coldstream took gold in men’s 65+ Flight F, while Marv Friesen of Vernon collected bronze in Flight C, Dwight Cousins bronze in Flight E and Gerald Winter bronze in Flight F.
Clint Keller (63-69) and Don Williams (70+) , both of Vernon, snagged silvers in archery.
