It was a hard-fought battle between Kid Eric and Golden Ager Les during the grand finale at the North Central Seniors Association Follies last week.
There were about 20 members of the recreational club that leaped out of their seats to try for top spot during the grand championship tabletop curling tournament.
That's right. It was literally hit and miss as the best battled to the top overcoming challenges like a super-speedy track on one side of the competition board and a super-slow track on the other.
To keep things interesting the top two champions, Eric Bennett of an undetermined age, and Les Alway, who just turned 93, went from track to track to add to the challenge of the last round of 10 games.
Kid Eric was finally named champion as he was able to strategize during the last two rounds to win the tournament by just one game.
After the Follies tournament there was a nutritious lunch served to all participants.
Maurice Lapointe, president of the North Central Seniors (NCS) said they've recently enjoyed a growth in membership from 68 members to 84 and with that new number their location in the basement of the College Heights Baptist Church on Moriarty Cresent is bursting at the seams.
Lapointe has made communication a priority and sends an email reminding members of the week's upcoming events. Through those efforts the group has seen participation double in attendance for a variety of activities offered by the association, which has expanded to the Columbus Community Centre where they now offer yoga adapted for the senior body.
An ongoing concern NSC is addressing is the need for accessible seniors housing in College Heights.
"We have no housing suitable up here for seniors right now," Lapointe said. "They end up having to move into the downtown core."
The group held an information session on Feb. 20 at the Columbus Community Centre with speakers from Oncore Seniors Society that manages the River Bend Manor, a recently built seniors housing complex located in downtown Prince George.
"We want similar housing in College Heights," Lapointe said.
Seniors aging out of their homes in College Heights, a community where they've spent their lives raising their children and now looking to downsize, want to stay near their life-long neighbours and friends, maintaining the lifestyle to which they have become accustom.
Lapointe said the North Central Seniors housing committee are in talks with Oncore with upcoming meetings confirmed with the city and local MLA Shirley Bond to discuss feasibility.
Lapointe said he has already asked for a permanent spot to be reserved for the North Central Seniors Association when the housing complex is built in College Heights because the church basement was only supposed to be a temporary fix after the former Gladstone elementary school building was no longer available for use by public groups.
"We are meeting at the church only because they are so kind as to let us," Lapointe said. And of course the group would like room to grow their membership even more by having a larger permanent space to accommodate everyone.
The North Central Seniors Association has a variety of groups and activities, including a photo club, book club and breakfast club, a ladies' group called the Blue Bling Belles, scrabble, pool and canasta as well as Tai Chi, yoga, armchair yoga, special luncheons and birthday teas. Annual membership is $15. For more information email [email protected].
