Pincher Creek places bid to host Southern Alberta Summer Games

Pincher Creek hopes to host the 50th anniversary games in 2019

Pincher Creek recently placed a bid to the Southern Alberta Recreation Association to once again host the Southern Alberta Summer Games (SASG).

Following its previous success of hosting the games in both 2014 and 2004, the Town of Pincher Creek has kept the Summer Games Society active and wants to host the 2019 edition.

Adam Grose, recreation manager for the town, says Pincher Creek, like most communities, was previously sent an invitation to place a bid for the games.

“Each community is sent an invitation to bid for any of the Southern Alberta Summer Games, by the Southern Alberta Recreation Association (SARA). The games are sponsored by the local municipalities, SARA, and the Alberta Sport Connection,” says Grose.

Since 1970, communities throughout southern Alberta have been participating in the summer games by sending athletes and coaches to represent their communities. The Southern Alberta Summer Games, which feature sports such as soccer, baseball, archery, track and field and swimming as well as activities such as photography and cribbage, have become a sought-after event within the province as well as one of the longest running consecutive games within North America.

Pincher Creek has a history with the Southern Alberta Summer Games, for being the first town to host them in their opening year. During its initial year, the games brought out 1,200 competitors ranging from age six to 80 years old and since then their popularity has steadily grown to become the largest annual sporting event run over the past 25 years within Western Canada.

Once again, Pincher Creek stepped up to the plate in 2004 to host the Games and 10 years later once more in 2014. Now, after 50 years of providing southern Alberta with these games, Pincher Creek is hoping to bring them back home in 2019, says Grose.

“Pincher Creek was the first community to host the games in 1970, and in 2019 it will be the 50th anniversary for the Southern Alberta Summer Games,” he adds. “By bringing back the games to Pincher Creek in 2019, we feel it will be a great economic benefit, as well the games bring the community together as a whole.”

Councillors within the town all agreed holding the 50th annual Southern Alberta Summer Games, will not only be a great asset to the town financially, thanks to the income the event will garner over its four-day period from out-of-town participants and observers, but also, a great milestone for the community.

After discussions, a motion was passed by the town to make the bid.

“We submitted our bid to the Southern Alberta Recreation Association at the end of June, and we should hear from them in September or October if we were successful in getting the games in Pincher Creek in 2019,” says Grose.

The SASG travel throughout the south region of the province to different municipalities each year to provide a grassroots sports festival for people of different age groups, and skill levels to compete in and help showcase young athletes who love the participation and competition.

This year’s games were held in the City of Brooks and County of Newell from July 5-8.