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Finishing touches put on BC Seniors Games

LANGLEY - The BC Seniors Games will start here on Sept. 9, and the organizers are getting every last detail nailed down.

"We're getting a little bit giddy, we're getting excited," said Milt Kruger, president of the board of directors for the 2014 edition of the event.The games has seen an influx of volunteers in the last week before Labour Day, but could still use more, and there is still time to sign up, said Kruger.The main area where volunteers are still needed is to help out around the sporting events."And of course, this event is all about sports," said Kruger.Some people seem to be hesitating to get involved because they worry that they need to be particularly knowledgeable about an event, or athletic themselves.Neither is the case, said Kruger.Volunteers will be needed to help out setting up equipment and monitoring events, but they can learn about their event while there."Track and field has a huge need for volunteers right now," said Kruger. Track and field covers a massive variety of events overall.Tennis and swimming are also still trying to fill up some volunteer vacancies.Outside of sports, transportation could use some drivers and the social events for the senior participants need a few more people, as does the medical area."There's all sorts of social events going on," said Kruger.The events involve both opening and closing ceremonies, with the opening to be held at the Langley Events Centre.Visitors and spectators can check the BC Seniors Games in Langley website to see where their favourite events are taking place, so they can head out and watch.One of the social events will be the volunteer appreciation event at the close of the games, though of course, that is one event for which volunteers are just required to enjoy themselves.Volunteers can sign up for as little as four hours on a single day.To sign up as a volunteer or for more information, call the games office at 604-533-8065, or email volunteer@2014bcsg.com. Volunteers can sign up online or by phone or fax.You can also contact Johanne Caron, the main volunteer recruiter for the Seniors Games, directly at 604-880-4841.The games run from Sept. 9-13 and involve sports and events that include relatively sedate pastimes such as horseshoes and cribbage, to archery and golf, all the way up to major athletic competitions such as running, cycling dragonboat racing, swimming, and equestrian events.Athletes ranging from 55 years of age to their 90s will take part across a variety of categories, and at skill levels ranging from relative novices to highly experienced athletes.The typical BC Seniors Games has about 3,500 amateur athletes from every part of the province. This year's games is expected to be one of the largest in recent years, with almost 4,000 athletes expected, including about 900 from the Lower Mainland district that includes Langley. Athletes represent their region of the province as they compete in teams or as individuals.ROAD CLOSURES IN PLACE FOR GAMES Competitors are set to take part in more than 20 activities in facilities and on roads throughout Langley Township and the City of Langley, and into nearby communities as well.This will mean some road closure for cycling events and some long distance foot races.Closures will take place inthe following areas: In Fort Langley: 208th Street to Allard Crescent to McKinnon Crescent on Thursday, Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon for a cycling event.In North East Langley: 248th Street to 72nd Avenue to 256th Street to 64th Avenue on Friday, Sept. 12,from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a cycling event.In the Salmon River area: 232nd Street to 70A Avenue to 236th Street to 68th Avenue to 238th Street,on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, for a walk/run.There will also be a temporary closure of the boat launch at Marina Parkin Fort Langley starting at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, to accommodate various events.The boat launch will reopen to public at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13.For more information, visit the 2014 BC Seniors Games website, 2014bcseniorsgames.org.


Matthew Claxton

About the Author: Matthew Claxton

Raised in Langley, as a journalist today I focus on local politics, crime and homelessness.
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