The upcoming 55+ BC Games will be a special one for Mary Pakka, who has been competing in them since 1992.
A big reason this year's Games are important to the 91-year-old White Lake resident is because they're being held in Salmon Arm (Sept. 10 to 14). For Pakka, it will be an opportunity to reconnect with friends and fellow competitors close to home and show off what the area has to offer.
Pakka said she was excited when she learned Salmon Arm would host the Games, in part because she's learned from experience how smaller towns seem to do it better.
"Little towns like Salmon Arm do it up so much better than bigger towns, big cities," said Pakka. "It鈥檚 so much better in a smaller town and Salmon Arm is going to do really good because a lot of people want to come here."
For most of the Games she's taken part in, Pakka's sport of choice has been cycling. This year, she'll be competing in the Road Race, riding four times around a scenic 9.3 kilometre loop that begins at 10th Avenue SW and runs east to 30th Street SW, south to Foohills Road SW, turns right on Salmon Valley Road and back to 10th.
"It's just about 40 clicks and my good friend Jean Nelson from Clearwater, she鈥檚 the same age as me and we鈥檝e been cycling for a long time together and we鈥檙e worried that we might not be able to do 40, but anyways we鈥檙e going to try," laughed Pakka.
Pakka's first Games experience was in Dawson Creek. This was when the event was the BC Seniors Games. Not yet having gotten into cycling, Pakka was with a Salmon Arm baseball team, the Almost Angels. Pakka noted she was born and grew up in Saskatchewan during the Great Depression and other than ball, "there was nothing else going on out there." However, Pakka added she was known to be a swift runner.
"I could outrun the boys in my own age group鈥�," laughed Pakka. "I was a pretty good runner in those days."
For the 1993 Games, held in Cranbrook, Pakka competed in swimming.
Pakka got into cycling at the suggestion of a friend. Soon after she was riding from White Lake to Salmon Arm to play ball.
"This was quite a while ago though, before there was so much traffic," said Pakka. "We鈥檇 have a practice or something , and then I would cycle back home again and I got so I liked cycling so that鈥檚 what started it."
Pakka's training for the upcoming Games involves morning rides from her home to the White Lake Fire Hall and back. This, she explained, is often a social outing as she'll frequently meet fellow cyclists and other people just out for a stroll.
Pakka said it's the social aspect of the Games that keeps bringing her back.
"It鈥檚 very social, you get to see all your friends every year鈥�," said Pakka. "It's social and it gets you out and you get your legs going and I鈥檓 just happy to be able to do that."
That doesn't mean Pakka hasn't won her share of medals over the years. In 2022 she took part in the Games in Victoria, where she won gold medals in the 85-89 Women category for time trial competitive and road race competitive. Nelson secured silver in timed trial competitive.
Pakka admitted, however, that she is not a competitive person and when asked about medals she's accumulated she begins to laugh.
"Especially now that Im older, in lots of those events there鈥檚 only the two of us so it鈥檚 easy. There鈥檚 only two people in my age group!" laughs Pakka. "So it鈥檚 pretty hard not to win a medal."
Pakka said she will likely give her medals to her grand kids and her great grandchild.
"He鈥檚 the cutest little guy. He likes to play with things like that. I鈥檓 going to just give them to the kids," said Pakka.
Another reason this year's Games are special for Pakka is because they will be her last 鈥� maybe.
"I think this my last one so I think we鈥檙e just going to have fun and it鈥檚 going to be great talking to all our old friends getting out there. It鈥檚 going to be a lot of fun," said Pakka.
However, when asked if it's possible she could change her mind ahead of next year's Games, Pakka laughed while suggesting there is a possibility.
"I don鈥檛 know; maybe the knees won鈥檛 hold out that long. You never know!," said Pakka.
