Saint John senior swimmers gunning for gold at national 55+ competition
The Canada 55+ Games are set for Quebec City from Aug. 27 to 30.
After spending nearly a year practising at the Saint John Canada Games Aquatic Centre, 78-year-old Brenda Graham has her sights set on the Canada 55+ Games with only one thing on her mind:
"To bring back the gold for New Brunswick," she said.
And she isn't the only one.
Graham and her twin sister, Linda Graham, and friend Susan Ainsworth are part of the team representing New Brunswick in swimming at the Quebec City games, which run from Aug. 27-30. Ruben Martinez and Rob Horwood from Fredericton round out the team.
Graham has been swimming since she was two years old and has been a lifeguard for nearly 40 years.
This will be her second time competing, having brought home two gold and two silver medals from the 2022 competition in Kamloops, B.C.
"When we got our medals, you know, the bronze came, the silver came, I said, 'Well, I guess I didn't do well,' and then I got a gold ... it was quite cool."
At the time, Graham said she was the only swimmer representing New Brunswick.
"I was the only swimmer and it was a little hard to realize that," she said.
"It was really scary, but it was OK. I got through it."
Ainsworth, 66, competed in her youth and said she was encouraged to join by Graham.
Inspired by her friend's 2022 wins, Ainsworth also has her eye on the medals, but said that's only part of the draw.
"I'm just excited about the friendship that I've made with my two teammates," she said.
"I have no expectations — it's a life experience. I think that's what I'm going for, just because I can and no one says I can't do this."
Competition and Community
The Games will feature an array of competitive sports, including golf, darts, pool, badminton and track and field.
Matt Wilson, with Recreation New Brunswick, is the province's director for the Games. He said there are 18 athletes between the ages of 60 and 78 competing this year.
The swimmers will be competing in a variety of categories, including 50-m and 100-m front crawl, breaststroke, backstroke and individual medley.
One of the central themes of the Games is investing in physical health and social wellness through forming community.
"If you're up, you're physical, you're moving, you are less likely [to get] injuries — you're just overall going to be a bit healthier," Wilson said. And the participants are all very competitive individuals.
"You can hear it in the phone calls I've had with a couple of our shuffleboard members ... They wanted to highlight and hit home that they've won gold in the past nationals, and it's something that they're very proud of," he said.
"They take it very seriously, which is a great thing, but I think, the reason why they take it so seriously and why they have such a fun time is also the community that surrounds them within it."
Inspiring others to stay active
Ainsworth said she hopes to serve as an example to others to be active and competitive.
"If I can inspire others that are of equal age or younger, I would encourage them to just just go and do it and enjoy it."
Jenn Moore, the team's coach, said the swimmers have definitely done that for her.
"I finished my varsity swimming career with [University of New Brunswick] two years ago, and I had a really hard time when I graduated figuring out what to do with this athletic body that I had used for swimming every day of my life, up until that point," she said.
Once she didn't have regular competition in her life anymore, Moore found it challenging to maintain an active lifestyle.
"Seeing these swimmers that I'm coaching, who are still maintaining that active lifestyle in their 70s, it is incredibly inspiring and it shows me what I want to be when I reach my 70s," she said.
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