BARRHEAD - It is all about the journey and the people you interact with along the way.
To prove that point, 83-year-old Don Jennings had to think twice about some of the medals he has won competing in the 55 Plus Games at the provincial and national levels.
Recently, Jennings returned home from competing in the Alberta 55 Plus Games in Peace River, where he won silver in the solo cribbage competition.
It is the second time he has qualified for the provincial games, the first being 2018 in Camrose, where he won a medal (he’s not sure if it was silver or bronze).
"It doesn't really matter. It is about being active, enjoying the activity and the people you meet," he said.
The Alberta 55 Plus Games movement began more than 40 years ago. Its purpose is to encourage active lifestyles through multisport games and other community activities.
Sports and activities vary according to the season and the host city. In Cold Lake, the activities ranged from athletic endeavours from alpine and cross-country skiing, curling, and hockey to games such as euchre, cribbage and scramble.
Jennings said he got involved in the Alberta 55 Plus movement in about 2012 after he moved to Barrhead, competing in bowling.
"I used to bowl when I was in Calgary with some of the best scratch bowlers in the city," he said.
As a result, Jennings medaled in most, if not all, of the 55 Plus Alberta Games he attended. He first competed in the Alberta 55 (Winter) Games in Calgary in 2013. He also competed at the 2014 Canada 55 Plus Games in Strathcona County, winning a bronze medal in bowling.
"That's when I joined Alberta 55 Plus, and I have been a member ever since," he said.
As for how Jennings started playing cribbage, like most people he would play the card game recreationally on occasion but started to play more seriously about 12 years ago after a health issue with his hip forced him to stop bowling.
"I had to go into something that I enjoyed, and because of the same problem (with my hip), I couldn't do anything athletic," he said.
Fortunately, he said, there are many activities in the 55 Plus movement for people who still want to do something competitive but not physical. Activities regularly featured in the Alberta 55 Summer Games include photography, military whist and contact bridge. Winter games include activities such as creative writing, art, euchre, and scramble.
Normally, Jennings said, he would have to qualify to represent Zone 5 Black Gold/Yellowhead, but this year, for some reason, he was the only one who put his name forward. If a playdown had been necessary, it would have been in Villeneuve.
In past games, Jennings usually drove himself, but this time he wanted to get the full experience, taking a charter bus with the rest of the Zone 5 competitors from the region.
The competition was held in St. Isidore, a small French hamlet a few minutes east of Peace River, at the Centre Culturel de St-Isidore. The medalists were determined through an 18-game, two-day tournament, through a combination of win/loss record and total points. Jennings finished the games with a 16-6 record.
"It was a rewarding experience. It is not about winning or losing. It is about getting together, meeting new people, seeing long-lost acquaintances," he said.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
