Hatters take home a haul at Huntsman World Senior Games
It may have been 47 years since Medicine Hat’s Michele David Roll competed in the lanes of a swimming pool, but that didn’t stop her from collecting eight medals at the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah last weekend.
David Roll made the trip to Utah alongside her brother, Dan David, in the hopes of challenging themselves against some of the world’s best in their age bracket, but she says her immediate success came as a bit of a surprise.
“It was unexpected,” said David Roll. “I’m more of a long-distance swimmer so I thought I would have a better chance at the long distance swims, but my first medal was in the 100 freestyle ... I thought I was going to get creamed.”
David Roll collected gold medals in the women’s 55to-59 200-metre breaststroke at 3:43.52, the 100metre freestyle with a time of 1:22.41 and the 400metre freestyle in 6:34.34.
The local swimmer also collected silver medals in the 100-metre backstroke, the 200-metre freestyle, the 800-metre freestyle and the 1,500-metre freestyle, and a bronze in the 50-metre breaststroke. She was also the only Canadian to reach the podium across all age brackets in the in the 200metre breaststroke and the 100-metre backstroke, as well as the 200-metre and 1,500-metre freestyle.
David Roll added she’s competed in various sports in the past 47 years, including triathlons, but nothing quite compares to the international stage.
“I put a lot into it, I gave up things and I worked really hard. I was pretty committed but I’m really happy with what I did and that I stuck with it,” said David Roll, adding it was great to have her brother, husband and sister-in-law along for the ride. “When I finished my swim I would look up and I could see them in the stands. They had the Canadian flag going, they were cheering, it was really cool.”
David Roll added she spends roughly five days a week in the pool in a noncompetitive fashion, but after collecting eight medals at the senior games, she’s thinking of competing even more.
“Now that I’ve come this far I’m thinking I should probably carry on,” she said, adding she will definitely be returning to the world senior games next year. “I don’t know what I’m going to do for sure, but I’m thinking I don’t want to stop.”
She wasn’t the only David who left Utah with some hardware, either. Her brother managed a silver medal in the 60-to-64 freestyle 3D archery. The 30-year archery veteran finished with 1,063 points over his two days under the blazing desert sun — just 33 behind threetime champion and former professional Larry Butterfield.
“I shot better than I have in probably a couple years. It was really a rise to the occasion kind of thing,” said David. “We shot 56 targets a day so we were there all day for two days. It was a really, really good shooter who won first place. He’s a retired pro who shoots even more now than he used to because he’s retired.”
David added he initially picked up a bow to extend his hunting season, but quickly found a hobby in the 3D sport, which allows him to shoot year-round. Over the years, David has collected four Canadian championships and multiple provincial awards, and now has a world silver medal to add to the haul.
“The hunting season is three months long, but you get an extra two months in archery ... Now I do (3D) more than anything,” said David. “I love the tournaments and the camp-outs and all that. It’s just fantastic.”
Medicine Hat was also well-represented on the ball diamond. The Medicine Hat Huff ‘N Puffs sent a pair of teams to the diamonds at St. George and both took home a medal. The 65-plus squad clinched gold after defeating California’s Placeville Mountaineers, 9-7, while the 60-plus team settled for silver after a 20-8 loss to the Tulare Blackhawks.
“I’m really happy with what I did and that I stuck with it.” – Medicine Hat’s Michele David Roll on winning eight swimming medals at the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah.