Cheryl Ehresman wins bronze in Utah

By Joan Janzen

There’s no doubt about it; Cheryl Ehresman from Liebenthal-Fox Valley area, loves playing softball! She loves it so much she just completed the 17 hour drive home from St. George, Utah, where she participated in the Huntsman World Senior Games. Each year, the games run during the first two weeks in October.

This is the 35th year for the World Senior Games, and the fourth year Cheryl has been part of the action, along with her team, Fire and Ice, from Calgary. The team came home, sporting bronze medals, winning in the AA divisions.

“I just enjoy playing with women my own age and caliber. You can be very competitive,” she said. “It’s actually very nice to play against your own age group instead of those 25 year old kids that run circles around you.”

The games offer thirty different sports, including two types of archery, badminton, basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, golf, horseshoes, lawn bowling, mountain biking, pickleball, power and race walking, racquetball, road races, indoor rowing, rugby, four types of shooting events, shuffleboard, soccer, square dancing, swimming, tennis and table tennis, track and field, trail running, triathlon, volleyball, and of course softball.

“A friend of mine from Medicine Hat had played on the Calgary team and wanted me to join. Once I reached 55, I thought, if I don’t go now I never will,” Cheryl explained. “In 2018 I played in both the 55 and the 60’s group, which makes more sense, cause you drive all that way and you only have three days of ball.”

Some of the participants are able to play ball all year round, but one of the requirements is playing with a team during the May to August ball season. Cheryl plays with a team in Medicine Hat, but the Fire and Ice team didn’t practice together until the day before they began playing at Utah. Playing in extremely hot weather with no wind was an additional challenge for the team.

Nevertheless, her team has always done well. “Only one year we got skunked for a medal. We do well down there,” she said.

The Games were founded in 1987 as a not-for-profit organization, with a mission to foster active aging, health and friendship. Now in her fourth year of participation, Cheryl has formed many friendships.

“Winning makes all that driving worth it,” she said. “I love to play ball! I could never get too much ball!”