The Games are about to begin.
No, the Olympics are not coming to northern Ontario.
In fact, the 2025 Ontario 55+ Summer Games are not even on par with the Ontario Summer Games that Sudbury last hosted in 2010, an event which drew some 3000 athletes, coaches and officials to the Nickel City.
But with some 800 or so participants and more than 75% coming to town from all over the province, it might be tough for local residents not to notice the influx of athletes who carry with them just a little more experience, in life and in sport, than most of our traditional tournament guests.
A 15-sport offering that includes the likes of prediction walking, euchre and shuffleboard features a little more charm to the festivities than might otherwise be the case. And truth be told, for at least a handful of the sports involved, the really serious seniors are far more likely to attend the provincial masters games offered by their specific PSO (Provincial Sport Organization).
Which is not to say that there will not be a fair flow of competitive juices churning through the round robin and playoff matches that are taking place at venues right across the region on both Wednesday and Thursday.
With a field of some 220 entries taking to the courts at four fields of play (Cambrian College, Carmichael Arena, NCU Community Centre, T.M. Davies Arena), the phenomenon that is pickleball is likely to feature some of the most intense encounters of the Games.
Similar to tennis, pickleball has adopted a ratings grade in order to pit equally skilled opponents together, somewhat akin to the recreational and competitive brackets or tiered divisions of play seen in other activities.
Likewise, the 54 tennis entries who are travelling from the Chatham to the Niagara region, from Prescott and Cornwall to Hamilton, all bound for Sudbury, are sure to arrive with their eyes on the prize as play unfolds at both the Sudbury Indoor Tennis Centre as well as the James Jerome Sports Complex.
Local billiards mainstay Cathy Nadjiwon assures me that with the likes of Mike Taus, Leon Trudeau, Bernie Chiasson and Emmanouil Evangelou competing in their hometown setting of Rhythm & Cues, the possibility of some medals remaining in the host community in the 13-player men’s 8-ball tournament is distinct.
But to be sure, there is still plenty of fun to be had.
The Games kick off Tuesday evening at the Grace Hartman Amphitheatre, site of the Opening Ceremonies, followed by a mid-week gala set for Science North one night later. A good number of the folks who are making their way up to Sudbury to take part in this biennial Ontario senior sport offering will combine some holiday time with their visit, perhaps reconnecting with family members they have not seen in a bit.
And there’s a pretty good chance that anxiety levels will be kept in check as a total of 17 prediction walkers make their way to the Laurentian University track, with 1km and 3km treks on their schedules for both days.
It is certainly our hope to pay a visit to L.U. to find out what exactly might prompt residents of Mississauga, Etobicoke, the Muskokas and the far east corner of the province to make the trip to Sudbury, simply to undertake what amounts to a four kilometre walk daily.
In fact, many are the sports that are kind enclosed in their own little world.
Having played more than a fair bit of euchre back in my university days in the Great Hall at Laurentian, I can’t help but to have a certain curiosity to see how exactly the euchre and bid euchre tournaments unfold, with some 35 teams of two entered – and no Sudbury card sharks in the mix at all.
A total of 16 teams are on hand for the cribbage showdown, though I am unsure as to just how much this championship will differ in nature from the fierce battles in which elderly married couples might engage, the end result of these conflicts sometimes making for a very quiet household for the next few days.
With all of the card participants assembled within the friendly confines of the Holiday Inn, the site is sure to be a beehive of activity with games on the go from morning through to mid-afternoon.
No one is suggesting that the 73-golfer field that will tee-off between 7:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning at Timberwolf Golf Course should be mistaken for the Ontario Senior Golf Championships – but with no less than eight octogenarians in the field, there should be some good stories to be told.
From a Sport Tourism standpoint, the presence of only three Sudburians in this grouping is a godsend for local restaurants, hotels and such as a quick glance at the list of participants highlights a steady stream of individuals travelling from Huron Perth/Middlesex, the Kawartha Lakes region, Waterloo/Wellington, Renfrew County and the Grey Bruce peninsula, among many other outposts.
One interesting facet of these Games is the desire to create a playing field that is as close to level as possible for all sports. As such, the 100 or so bowlers on hand are competing under a “Pins over Average” format, meaning that the eight individuals who boast greater than a 200-average carry little to no advantage in to play over those who might be closer to the 110-120 range or so.
Lockerby Legion is home to darts as 28 teams of two (8-men; 9-women; 11-mixed) assemble, with the local contingent ready to duke it out with sizeable representation from the eastern part of the province, notably the Ottawa Valley and St Lawrence Seaway corridor.
Seven slo-pitch teams (none from Sudbury) will be at the Terry Fox Sports Complex along with organizer Shawn Bomhower, with a large majority of those on hand likely to head home with hardware given a 3-team competitive division and four-team recreational set.
Rounding out the Games lineup are: bocce (Delki Dozzi Sports Complex); shuffleboard (Naughton Community Centre), Swimming (Howard Armstrong Sports Complex) and Cycling (Delki Dozzi Sports Complex).
For complete Games schedules and results, be sure to visit: https://55summergames.greatersudbury.ca/sports/participant-event-schedules/
