Ten athletes from a team of 60 that represented District 8 at the Ontario Summer Senior Games in Brampton, August 15-16, returned home bearing medals and among them was Morrisburg golfer Monique Patenaude.
Patenaude collected a silver medal in the ladies A flight division with a 36 hole net score of 160.
On the opening day the 21 handicapper shot a 103 for an 82 net and on the second round she posted a 99 (78 net) on what she described as a “very beautiful, but very difficult Masters course at the Lion Head Golf and Country Club.
The Masters Course plays to 5,392 yards from the ladies red tees and its difficulty is indicated through its slope rating of 131.
“It was probably one of the nicest courses I have ever played,” said Patenaude who, as an avid golfer, has played her share of courses, and “probably one of the hardest courses I have ever played.”
“There were a lot of bunkers and long rough. On most holes, from 130 yards in, you had to carry rough or sand traps. That’s why I found it so difficult. I am not a long ball hitter.”
Patenaude said that generally the scores were high for both the men’s and women’s field.
The women’s A flight win went in a 36 hole net score of 150 (a pair of 75 nets) to Loretta Czernis.
While Patenaude was working her way to the A flight silver medal, Cedar Glen golfer, Elise Muir of Long Sault claimed a gold medal in B flight.
With that win Muir qualified for the Summer Nationals coming up in 2014.
Patenaude and Muir began their journey to the provincial championship in a qualifier organized by Ann Cook at Cedar Glen.
“We had about 50 or so players for the District 8 qualifier,” said Patenaude who with husband Andy, has now joined the Senior Games board of directors for this area. District 8 covers Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Prescott-Russell and Akwesasne.
The qualifier included A and B flights and a Calloway scored division.
In A flight, Patenaude won gold with a 90, Lynn Shaw was second and Susan McIntosh scored a Bronze Medal. Shaw and McIntosh are both Cedar Glen members.
Muir won B flight and Lise Steinburg (Morrisburg) was the Callaway winner.
The winners in each category advanced to the provincial although Steinburg was unable to attend and was replaced by silver medallist Pam McTear.
Patenaude has been competing in the seniors games (golf) for several years and says it is a wonderful experience. The games are always well run and you meet a lot of people.
“I recommend getting involved in the games to anybody,” says Patenaude.
In order to participate athletes must pay a $12 yearly membership fee and that covers both summer and winter events.
In addition to golf, summer events include bid euchre, bocce, bowling, contract bridge, cribbage, cycling, darts, shuffleboard, lawn bowling, pickleball, slo-pitch, swimming, tennis and walking. Some events use prediction times.
Other District 8 medallists were Beverley Ray and Jackie Merpaw of Cornwall-gold in Cribbage; Susan Kersley (65 plus) and Donna Magher (55 plus) both of Williamstown-bronze medals in swimming; Murray MacLeod and Michel Cadieux of Cornwall -bronze in men’s 55 plus pickleball doubles; and Linda and Graham Vickers of Alexandria who won silver and bronze respectively in 55 plus prediction cycling.
With the summer games now over, the local executive of the Ontario Senior Games Association is busy making plans for the upcoming winter games. Gold medal winners in the local games will qualify to go to Huntsville in February for the Ontario 55 plus Winter Games (previously Winterfest).
The local senior games committee is also planning to host the Eastern Ontario Regional Games next August when over 600 competitors from Eastern Ontario will take part in 15 different events.
Local seniors are invited to contact Andy and Monique Patenaude at 543-3453 or andyandmonique@sympatico.ca for more information.
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