Team Yukon wrapped up a successful 2022 Canada 55+ games in Kamloops Friday with the closing ceremonies and a few final events. The Games took place Aug. 23-26.

According to a press release, Yukon ended up with 74 medals, including 20 gold, 30 silver and 24 bronze.

15 medals were awarded in swimming, including Vickie Roche’s two gold, one silver and one bronze.

35 medals were handed out in track and field. Dave Boschman and Hank Leenders each were awarded two medals in the 80+ category while Tom Ullyett received bronze in 60+. Bryan Craven received four medals in the 65+ category and Don White in the 70+ group.

In the women’s track event, Brenda Dion won two gold, Donna Jones won four silver medals in the 65+ group, while Sheila Senger won silver in the 75+.

In Predicted Walk, Marg White won a gold and silver while Sharyl Satchell was awarded bronze.

Tim McLachlan and John Hadvick swept the darts event with three gold and a silver, with the Duplicate bridge team of Stan Marinoske and Bruce Beaton scoring a silver.

The cycling was dominated by Doug MacLean in the 70+ category and Jim Newnham in the 80+ category with Maclean being awarded a bronze, silver and gold and Newnham winning two gold, with both being awarded gold in the demonstration hill climb.

Sherry Smith bowled for a bronze in 5-Pin Bowling. Darryl Peters also won a bronze, but was awarded a gold medal for exceptional sportsmanship.

Other medals were awarded in carpet bowling and golf – with Mark Pike bringing home gold and Chuck Barber bronze – and horseshoes and scrabble.

The floor shuffleboard teams in the 55+ category took home a gold and silver while the 70+ team was awarded the silver.

Mountain biking was a demonstration event in the 2022 games and the Yukon was strongly represented with two bronze in individual events and a silver and bronze in team events.

In pickleball, John Streicker and Ewa (pronounced Eva) Dembek played for the bronze in Mixed Doubles on Thursday.

“We came out of the round-robin winning three out of four matches and we went up against a Manitoba team and we just finished,” said Streicker. “It was best of three and it went to the third game and it went to – it was close ... something like 7 – they got 11 and we got seven.”

The match went down to the wire.

“It totally did,” said Streicker. “And there’s another thing that goes on ... where they put a couple of age categories together, so we still have to wait and watch what happens because we’re in the older age category and they put us with the younger folk.”

Streicker had no idea if they were going to be awarded a medal.

“It’s really not about that ... of course we want to play and we want to win but it’s really about getting this opportunity to play against all these teams from across Canada. So even when we aren’t playing in the tournament, we come here in the night and the lights are up and we pick up games with anyone and we’ve just been having a great chance to play against a lot of opponents. In the Yukon, we don’t have this many pickleball players in one place, so it’s really wonderful.”

Needless to say, the twosome were affected by the considerable heat.

“It is way too hot out there. Today was like, 37 or 38,” said Streicker.

In fact, Streicker was trying to get his opponents to switch again so he and Dembek could go play in the shade again.

“I made a joke. In the last game, when you switch sides at six (points) – the game’s to 11 and you switch sides at six – when we got to six we switched, but when we got us to six – six-eight – I joked with the ref, ‘Hey, we should switch ends, right, ref?’ and they’re all like, ‘Yeah’ and then I’m going ‘No, I’m joking. You don’t switch twice.’ So on (number) one court for sure was super hot.”

Dembek was in agreement with Streicker about the heat.

“It was a really good game in terms of playing one, losing, second one, we won and third one was a meltdown. The heat is a definite factor.”

The scorching temperature was really affecting them by the third game.

“Yeah, you just don’t get hydrated,” related Dembek.

It also made concentration challenging.

“Definitely challenging cause I think we could have won that. Yukoners kind of had meltdowns here I’m sure,” said Dembek.

Dembek said that despite the heat, they had a good run.

“I think so. And you know, after the bundle of nerves in the first game then we kind of hit our stride a bit. That felt really good.”

Dembek added that she “encourages anyone to come join the 55 +Games, because it’s a blast.”

She and Streicker were eventually awarded a bronze in the 60+ category. Streicker and Erik Hoenisch also earned a bronze in 55-64 Men’s Doubles’.

Paul Warner earned two bronze in the pool as part of a strong Yukon contingent led by the ladies.

Warner, 77, started playing in the 55+ Games in 2004 in Whitehorse.

“I played ball for quite a few Games and then I curled. That was in Brampton. I played pickleball the last one and swimming this time. So four different sports.”

Warner recalled how the slo-pitch team came to be in 2004.

“We formed this senior’s team for it, because we didn’t have a senior team. And we had a men’s team and a mixed team and most of the men were on both teams and a lot of the men hadn’t played in 10 years, so a lot of them pulled their quad muscles and after the first game, they were just limping around the rest of the time.

“And it was really fortunate – the weather turned really cold and they canceled the last day and everybody was happy.”

Warner explained how he ended up competing in swimming.

“I probably would have competed in pickleball, but I found out it was outside and it was going to be hot, so I looked at everything. I said ‘Well, when I was a kid, I was a pretty good swimmer.’ I haven’t swum in 50 years ... all the races that I did today and yesterday were personal bests.”

Warner raced in the 75+ category in backstroke and breaststroke at 50 meters and freestyle at 50 and 100 metres.

Each discipline was one race, which was the final. Warner won bronze in the breaststroke Thursday and in the backstroke Wednesday.

Warner said the women deserved the accolades, though.

“They were the core of the team. They did incredible. Two of them won four medals, so they won medals in every race.”

Barb Phillips won three gold and one silver.

Jenny Trapnell won two gold and two silver.

When it came to his success, Warner was pretty humble.

“There weren’t a lot of swimmers. There was four people and I had to beat one of them. I did it.

“And I didn’t drown,” he joked. “So that was my goal, you know.”