By Darcy MacRae
Sudbury seniors struck gold in Prince Edward Island recently at the Canadian Senior Summer Games.
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Coming home with gold medals around their necks were golfer Shirley Scott and the cribbage team of Jack McDonald and Tom Spurvey.
Winning gold at the Canadian Senior Summer Games capped off an amazing year for the trio. All three qualified for the event by first competing in the Sudbury district and provincial championships.
For McDonald and Spurvey, the gold medal was their third of the year after they captured first place in both the Sudbury district and the provincial championships. Spurvey feels their winning streak is combination of hard work, skill, and more than a little good fortune.
Â?IÂ?ve played crib for a long time. For me when a tournament is over I thank lady luck, because if you donÂ?t get the cards youÂ?re definitely not going to win,Â? said Spurvey. Â?ThereÂ?s a lot of luck involved, but having said that you do have to know how to play.Â?
The veteran cribbage player was confident he and McDonald would do well at the national championships, but says he also knew they were always one bad hand away from defeat.
Â?We went in optimistic and were hoping to have a good tournament. You can easily have bad cards and lose the game, thatÂ?s just the way cribbage is,Â? said Spurvey.
McDonald could not contain his excitement over the pairÂ?s victory in Prince Edward Island when asked about the win this week. He agreed with SpurveyÂ?s assessment that luck had something to do with their winning of the gold, and added that the triumph was extra sweet considering it was a feat they may never get the chance to duplicate.
Â?I think itÂ?s fantastic. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we took it and it paid off,Â? said McDonald. Â?We sure didnÂ?t expect this. ItÂ?s a very pleasant surprise.Â?
Golfer Shirley Scott had to feel a sense of redemption after winning gold at the Canadian Summer Senior Games. She has won a provincial title in the past, however, it was during a year in which the national event was not held.
After storming back from a disappointing first round at this yearÂ?s provincial championships to win silver, Scott made good on her opportunity at the national level. Considering the success she enjoyed on the links, it is little wonder the golf lover feels the journey to Prince Edward Island was an enjoyable one.
Â?ItÂ?s amazing. We had a great time, and met a lot of people,Â? said Scott. Â?The weather was great, so the whole trip was really beautiful.Â?
Scott, who shot a combined 138 in the golf event, was joined by her husband Ken at the Canadian Senior Summer Games. Ken came within a stroke of coming home with a bronze medal, as he finished one shot back of the third-place finisher to wrap up the festivities in fourth spot.
