At 91 years old, Hildegard Buschhaus remains quite an athlete.
The Coombs resident just returned from the recent 2019 55+ B.C. Games in Kelowna, bringing home six medals — five golds and one silver.
Representing Vancouver Island North, Buschhaus took first place in the women’s 90-94 discus, shot put, weight throw, hammer throw and pentathlon. She just missed the gold in the javelin, finishing second.
The event marked Buschhaus’s 25th senior games and she has no plans to quit.
“God willing, I will be back next year,” said Buschhaus.
With her latest medal haul, she now has a total of 217 senior games medals — 114 gold, 70 silver and 33 bronze. The medal collections she has earned each year have been neatly bundled together and hang on her wall in her home.
For Buschhaus, going to the games is what motivates her to be physically fit.
“To compete in the games is a goal that I need to keep myself active,” said Buschhaus, who trains in a pasture at her residence in Coombs. She said she has all sports equipment she needs as well as her gardening chores to keep her in shape.
Buschhaus has brought home medals every year. The most she has won is 11 gold medals in Kamloops in 2013.
“At the time, there were no limits in the number of events I can enter,” said Buschhaus. “But now, the BC Senior Games Society has put a limit to it.”
Buschhaus has also set world and Canadian records in track and field.
They key to prolonging your quality of life even in your most senior years Buschhaus said is to simply: “keep going, don’t stop.”
• Nanoose Bay athlete Joe Giegerich, 85, also had a good medal haul in Kelowna, winning a total of eight — three gold and five silver. He finished first in the long jump, triple jump, and hammer throw while placing second in the high jump, javeling, 50-metre run, 100 and 200.
And Linda MacPherson of Parksville was a medal-munching machine as well, earning swimming gold in the 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 free.
The Kelowna event had approximately 4,200 athletes who competed, a record for the 55+ BC Games.
Parksville Qualicum Beach and area had other athletes who represented Vancouver Island North and performed admirably.
Results:
Archery
George Jeffrey (Qualicum Beach) — bronze
Athletics
Glenn Befus (Nanoose Bay) — bronze ,400 metres, 1,500, 4x400 men’s powerwalk relay and 200.
Darlene Befus (Nanoose Bay) — bronze, 4x400 women’s powerwalk relay, 5,000m powerwalk
Terry Riggins (Nanoose Bay) — gold, 1,500; silver, 400, 10k, 800; bronze, pole vault
Jack Laramie (Parksville) — gold, javelin; silver, high jump, discus; bronze, long jump
Barbara Wildman-Spencer (Parksville) — silver, sprint triathlon
Badminton
George Harm Errington — gold, doubles; bronze, mixed
Cycling
Jim Dimmick (Qualicum Beach) — gold, road race, time trial; silver hill climb
Darts
Tedd Ducker (Parksville) — silver, singles; bronze, mixed
Floor Curling
Bruce McCaig (Bowser and Joyce McCaig (Bowser), Shirley Davis (Qualicum Beach), Wendy Pearce (Qualicum Beach) — gold, mixed team event.
Hockey
Gold (Old Buoys) — Norm Bohl (Nanoose Bay)
Bronze (Tsunami Storm) — Tracey Hurley (Nanoose Bay), Colleen Kazanowski (Nanoose Bay), Sue Maltby (Nanoose Bay)
Horseshoeing
Rick Britz (Parksville) — gold, singles
Gerry Booker (Coombs) — bronze, singles
Peter Kucey (Qualicum Beach — bronze, 30’ singles
Ice Curling
Gold, women’s 55-64 — Penny Shanty (Nanoose Bay), Janet Suter (Nanoose Bay), and Shirley Wong (Nanoose Bay)
Slo-Pitch
Bronze ,Thrifty Orca’s Mxed 55+ — Doug Damberger (Parksville), Rick Deleau (Nanoose Bay), Steve Gilmour (Qualicum Beach), Rob Handford (Parksville), Norman Joyce (Errington), Gordon Olson (Parksville), Alan Ursel (Parksville)
Soccer
Silver (Grey Eagles) Men 60+ — Mark Lane (Qualicum Beach), Jim Wilson (Qualicum Beach),
Silver (Island Force) Women 55+ — Cindy Bachman (Nanoose Bay), Jill Grisdale (Parksville), Caroline Lambert Mimnaugh (Qualicum Beach),
Swimming
Kathy Hillstrom (Nanoose Bay) — silver, 100, 200, 400, 800 free; bronze, 50, 25 free
Russell Sharock (Parksville) — silver, 400 free; bronze, 25, 50 fly, 100 IM
Barbara Kenno (Parksville) — bronze, 50 breast, 100 free
Tennis
Liz Court — bronze, mixed doubles
John Hylton-Foster — gold, singles