Canada 55+ Summer Games
The Canada 55+ Summer Games were held in Quebec City on August 27-30, with 20 events and 2200 participants from across the country. Tennis attracted players from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, New Brunswick and Northwest Territories. Of the 32 players from Ontario, a total of eight were from SouthWest Region, and all of them won gold medals.
Congratulations to :
Gerry McIlhone and Hank Andrulis (MD 60+)
Fran Doran and Kim Laidlaw (WD 65+)
Maria Dinga and Rosalyn Hatch (WD 70+)
Manny Umoquit and George Najbert (MD 70+)
Maria Dinga and Manny Umoquit (XD 70+)
Tennis was played indoors at Club Avantage, and the Opening Ceremony was at Expo Cité. Players qualify for the Canada 55+ Games through their provincial or regional games the preceding year.
The OSGA (Ontario Senior Games Association) divides the province into 38 districts.
District 24 covers Niagara Region and has held a 55+ Tennis Championships each year since 2012, when Richard Berti brought the idea to Niagara-on-the-Lake from Brampton. Since 2013, the event has been hosted by the Welland TC, with Bill Sawchuk directing for several years and now with Mike Robinson at the helm. Competition is for doubles, with age categories in 5-year increments.
The winners from the district event become eligible for the provincial championships. In 2023, the 55+ Summer Games were held in Brantford.
Within our OTA SouthWest Region, there are two other OSGA districts : District 21 includes all of Halton Region, and District 22 covers the City of Hamilton. The remainder of SWR, Haldimand-Norfolk, is included with Brant County in District 25.
In order for Tennis to be included at the OSGA district level, a volunteer committee and host venue are required. It would be great to see this happen in Districts 21, 22 and 25, so please let us know if you’d like to get involved. Help and guidance are available.
Of the 38 districts, there were 10 represented among the Ontario tennis delegation in Quebec City : Stormont Dundas, Simcoe, London, York Region, Brampton Dufferin, Lanark/Leeds/Perth, Haliburton, Chatham Kent, Etobicoke/York and of course Niagara.
The purpose of the 55+ program is to encourage an active and healthy lifestyle for Canadians over 55. Tennis does a great job of that!
Fran Doran, Kim Laidlaw, Rosalyn Hatch, Maria Dinga, Manny Umoquit, George Najbert
