By CHARLES TWEED
Eleven athletes have qualified from Ponoka for the Alberta 55 Plus Winter Games from Feb. 24 to 27 in St. Albert.
Linda Seitz, Eric Anderson, and Frieda Hoffmann will make the trip to compete in five-pin bowling.
Mary Lynn Ghitter and Allen Stacy qualified as duplicate bridge players from the contingent.
Jo Harbin and Carolyn Macaulay have teamed up with two ladies from Lacombe to will represent zone 4 in curling.
And four members from town will play hockey at the games. James Lafond, Paul Pilon, Wayne Gee and Jack Surbey will all make the trip.
Surbey will play on the 55 plus team made up of all-stars from around the area. A list that include the name Brian Sutter — whether he’ll be able to make it, considering Bentley is beginning provincial playoffs against the Stoney Plain Eagles.
Surbey is no stranger to elite hockey himself, getting a chance to suit up for one game in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres against the Philadelphia Flyers.
“It was against Bobby Clarke and the gang and it was a thrill to be up there no doubt about it. I wish I could have stayed but it was a thrill to get paid to play,” said Surbey.
Surbey spent his formative years in Montreal and played for Loyola — which would later become part of Concordia University.
He’s seen the game change throughout the decades.
“When I first started playing we weren’t wearing helmets. The pro level didn’t encourage it and I’m sure we used to get concussions but the guys just kept going. Nobody said they weren’t going to play, if you had a headache big deal.”
One thing he thinks might not have changed as much as people suggest is how fast the game is today.
“They say these guys are faster,” said Surbey, “but I don’t know if anyone is faster than Yvan Cournoyer or could shoot the puck as hard as Bobby Hull. I think if he was in the hardest shot competition, he’d still win the thing every year.”
Expect the competition to be just as fast and furious on the ice during the games as Surbey said they’re going with the intention of winning the tournament.