Three area seniors won a total of eight medals at the Canada 55 Plus Games in Brampton, Ont. Aug. 17-18. Left-right are Wendell Ebbett, Evelyn Lesiuk and Frank Tries.

Ebbett, Lesiuk, Tries bring home the hardware

Chris Clegg
South Peace News

Three High Prairie and area seniors returned home with a whopping eight medals from the Canada 55 Plus Games in Brampton, Ont. Aug. 17-18.

Frank Tries, 82, of High Prairie, won four gold medals in track and field events including shot put, javelin, discus and long jump. He competed in the 80+ years category.

Evelyn Lesiuk, of High Prairie, won two bronze medals in darts in the 55+ years category. Her wins came in mixed doubles [partner Wendell Ebbett of High Prairie] and women’s doubles [partner Betty-Ann Fountain of Strathmore].

Wendell Ebbett, of Sunset House, competed in the 55+ years events. He won bronze medals in men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Tries blew away the opposition in two of his events. His winning toss in javelin was 20.26 metres. The second place athlete tossed a mere 11.74 metres. In discus, Tries tossed 20.20 metres to the silver medalist’s 12.57 metres.

Winning scores in the shot put were 8.45 metres and in the long jump 2.36 metres.

Tries, who trained three months before the games, was pleased with his effort, noting that he equaled or improved all scores from the previous year.

“If I never win another medal, I’ve accomplished what I wanted to,” he says.

However, he plans on still competing at his ripe young age.

Ebbett says he was “surprised and humbled” by winning his two bronze medals.

“I didn’t embarrass myself as bad as I thought,” he says. “I was worried that I was [overmatched].”

Lesiuk was pleased with her two bronze medals and adds she enjoys meeting new people.

“If I win a game, fine,” she says.

Both Ebbett and Lesiuk agreed that darts is so competitive and even it often comes down to who can toss a double score to win a game. Such was the case at the games.

Lesiuk adds she is grateful she was able to distribute pins and pens from the Town of High Prairie, Town of Valleyview, Town of Slave Lake, and M.D. of Lesser Slave River to athletes from all across Canada to help promote the region.

A close look at the Canada 55 Plus Games medals won by High Prairie and area athletes.