Medicine Hat's Pat Hensing takes his shot during a floor shuffleboard game in the Alberta 55-Plus Summer Games on Friday, July 5, 2019 at Medicine Hat Curling Club. -- NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
After seeing floor shuffleboard garner nothing but positive feedback as a sport at the Alberta 55-Plus Summer Games in 2019, Al Plante and several other local players wanted to make it a full-time offering in the Medicine Hat area.
That goal will officially become a reality when the Medicine Hat Floor Shuffleboard Association kicks off its fall season on Tuesday morning at German Harmony Hall in Redcliff.
“We had a really good response (at the 55-Plus Games) and thought it would be good to start up. About eight or nine of us got together and decided to form a club,” said Plante. “We got our not-for-profit status and got a grant from the Senior Citizen’s Advisory Committee so we were able to buy some of the equipment, then we got another grant from United Way and bought the balance of the equipment. So now we’re going to get started.”
Plante says the initial plan was to open in the summer, however the COVID-19 pandemic pushed things back into the fall. Now the club is reaching out to the community in search of new members with three days of solo play each week.
“We’re going to have nine games during that time so people have plenty of opportunity to come out and enjoy it,” he said. “We’ve got spacing for social distancing and we’re cleaning after every game.”
Tuesdays will feature games from 9 a.m. to noon, while Wednesday games will be held from 1-4 p.m. and Thursdays from 6-9 p.m.
Plante says the sport offers a great way to get out and socialize for people of all ability levels.
“We’ve got two wheelchair-bound members here who will be playing, so it’s not a high-impact sport. It’s easy on your back, it’s easy on your ankles and your Achilles, but it gets people out to do something physically,” he said. “We’re all social and as human beings we like to be with others, and this gives us that opportunity. So, I think the timing is right and it’s a fun game.”
Plante added the club plans to host floor shuffleboard tournaments locally once the warm weather returns in 2021.
Anyone interested in joining the floor shuffleboard league can contact Al Plante at 403-580-5057 or ac.plante@outlook.com.
“What we’re trying to do is get members and build local interest in the new club,” said Plante.
