That was a blast.
More than two years after they were first unveiled, the 2013 Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games are over. It was a whirlwind four days from Aug. 25-28, with Westlock and Barrhead inundated with more than a thousand athletes and spectators, all here to compete while embracing the spirit of healthy camaraderie.
But while the Games would not have been the Games without the athletes, what really made the Games a success was the hard work of all the volunteers.
Those volunteers gave up hours upon hours of their time to be involved in the Games.
In fact, for Games chair Gerry St. Pierre, there was no question the Games were what they were because of the time and effort those volunteers put in.
“In my humble opinion this was a tremendous success and we couldn’t have done it without those 600-plus dedicated people,” he said while wrapping up the event.
Volunteers could be found all over each participating community each and every day. They were easy to find, decked out in bright, yellow T-shirts. They could be found at each competition site, running the results table to ensure every point was counted.
Or in the kitchen at the Westlock and District Community Hall, making sure every athlete, family member and fellow volunteer was fed with a cornucopia of good eats.
They were the backbone to the Games, a support structure without which the Games would not have been possible.
Now, of course the Games were not flawless. No major event drawing people from such a wide area like the entire province of Alberta ever is.
St. Pierre recounted one example of the Games committee taking a chance on an accommodation unit, and being unsatisfied with the result.
The lesson there, he said, was if there is any uncertainty, not to take a chance when so much is riding on the outcome.
And although he also heard a few complaints and concerns from some Games visitors, St. Pierre it’s all part of the experience and that satisfying everyone is virtually impossible.
“If you try to be all things to all people, you end up being nothing to nobody,” he said.
But all that said, hiccups and all, the Games were a smashing success.
Congratulations!
