Kamloops will host the 2013 BC Seniors Games from Aug. 20 to Aug. 24. The city is expecting more than 3,500 athletes, ages 55 and up, to attend the Games, which will feature 25 events, ranging from cribbage to ice hockey.
The BC Seniors Games Society is a volunteer non-profit society funded by the provincial government and in co-operation with the BC Games Society, which event manages the Games
Participants and volunteers are welcome. For further information, contact Hellen Byron at 250-832-3372.
One of the many sports featured at the Games will be soccer, one of the most popular and beloved games in the world. But it isn’t just for the young; it is also for the young at heart.
Danny Nikolic is the zone 8 event coordinator for the B.C. Seniors Games soccer event and loves to play soccer as a senior.
“I have played all my life and in the old days I used to play professional soccer. I play because I just love sports,” he says.
He loves to score goals and it is not surprising that he prefers to play an offensive position.
“I play any position,” he says, “but I like to play midfield or forward.”
Soccer at the B.C. Seniors Games is played on a regulation field and with the same rules known to all soccer games. There is only one difference.
“We play on a full-size field but a 35 minute half-time, so it is a 70-minute game,” Nikolic says.
Making the game 20 minutes shorter allows for a good competition without the games being overly exhausting.
“It is very competitive and friendly,” Nikolic says. “During games you make lots of friends… We like the competition, but as soon as the game is over we are friends and we will go for beers.”
The soccer event at the B.C. Seniors Games features two separate round-robin tournaments for teams consisting of players aged 55-60 and 60 and up. Each team will play a minimum of four games during the event and medals will be awarded for first, second and third place in both age categories.
Nikolic is in charge of organizing teams for the B.C. Seniors Games and arranging practice times in Kamloops.
He encourages anyone who would like to play to come out and give it a try.
If you would like more information, or are interested in getting involved in either age category, contact Danny Nikolic at 250-376-4929 or visit the B.C. Seniors Games website, www.bcseniorsgames.org.
-Courtesy of Kamloops This Week.