Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/656881
visit our website at homesteadmanitoba.ca KILDONAN HOUSE 204 338-8182 STERLING HOUSE 204 489-4745 DAKOTA HOUSE 204 663-4983 DEVONSHIRE HOUSE I 204 667-2412 DEVONSHIRE HOUSE II 204 222-8962 HOMESTEAD SOUTH IN MORDEN 204 822-1237 LIFE-CHANGING DEBT SOLUTIONS Get out of debt once and for all "I dreamed of a debt-free retirement. MNP made it happen." FREE CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION. FLEXIBLE APPOINTMENTS. IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE. 877.231.6167 800.774.8377 Winnipeg * or Steinbach Brandon * , Portage, Virden, Souris, Neepawa MNPdebt.ca Licensed Insolvency Trustees • Trustees in Bankruptcy * Resident Office The age-friendly fun doesn't end with the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries 55 Plus Games in Brandon June 14-16. E veryone who participates and registers for the Games in Brandon is eligible to compete in the Canada 55 Plus Games in Brampton, Ont. Aug. 16-19. Lois Dudgeon is Manitoba's representative on the Canada 55 Plus Games board of directors and she encourages everyone to take part. "These Games, whether they're the Manitoba or Canadians, are all about fun, fitness and friendship," she says. "People have a lot of fun, you're getting a little bit of activity out of it whether you're doing the brain games like cards or the physical (events) and you're making new friends and reacquainting old friendships year after year." Dudgeon, who won gold in the 18-hole golf net competition at the 55 Plus Games in Beausejour last year, will be competing in nine-hole golf in Brandon. The rest of the time, she'll be busy running a registration table at the Keystone Centre. The Canada 55 Plus Games are held every two years and the size of Manitoba's contingent varies from 50 to 150 people depending on the location. About 150 Manitobans joined her at the 2014 Games in Strathcona County, Alta., and brought home 56 medals — 17 gold, 23 silver and 16 bronze. "That was a little bit of everything. The golfers came home with medals, curlers, our track and field athletes brought home 32 of those 56," she says. "My dear friend John Houlden was 90 two years ago and he came home with four golds." Houlden's daughter, Grace Atkins, joined him in Alberta, where they both competed successfully in track events. "I know lots of my participants that are now in their 90s that didn't start in the games until their 70s. My oldest athlete last time was 93 in golf so if he goes this year he will be 95," Dudgeon says. One of Dudgeon's favourite athletes was a 95-year-old woman who competed in swimming, and she has adopted her motto, "Be active your way every day for life." Along with taking a stretching class with elderly mother, Dudgeon plays pickleball, skates and dances, and she encourages all older adults to live life to the fullest and be active every day. She compares the 55 Plus Games to the Olympics for older adults, and she says everyone deserves a medal for participating. But the benefits extend beyond the competition. Many people plan vacations around the Games and since Team Manitoba is assigned to a single hotel, there are plenty of opportunities to mix and mingle, including a banquet on Aug. 19. "You're seeing the same faces and the same names at the Games," she says. "Every now and again you'll get new people, which is what it's all about. It's like a Games family — a big Games family — and we're just having fun." Drop by the registration table to meet Dudgeon while you're in Brandon and visit www. canada55plusgames.com to learn more about the Canada 55 Plus Games. Carry on at the Canada 55 Plus Games Father and daughter John Houlden and Grace Atkins both won medals in track events at the 2014 Canada 55 Plus Games.