Blind Bay Couple Both Medalists at 55+ Games
Cheryl and Rich Potter with their medals
(Credit Ivan Verdurmen, Shuswap Photography)
By Jo Boxwell
Rich Potter grew up in Edmonton and spent almost three decades in Jasper with his wife Cheryl before relocating to Blind Bay in 2019. Their decision to move to the Shuswap was partly influenced by the tennis club in Salmon Arm, with the indoor facility an unusual asset for a relatively small population centre. Sure enough, following their move, the couple really took to spending time on the courts. “The club became sort of a fixture for us,” Rich explained. “I fell in love with the game again by joining the club.”
Despite their enthusiasm for tennis, their decision to enter the Salmon Arm 55+ BC Games as athletes wasn’t based on any expectation of winning medals. “It was just the fun aspect of meeting a bunch of people from around BC,” Rich said. He was a ranked junior tennis player in his teens, but then moved on to other pursuits such as running and cycling. He has played tennis competitively only very occasionally since the late 1970s. The last time Rich and Cheryl played together at a tournament was in Banff in 1985.
The couple’s achievements at the 55+ BC Games was a nice surprise for them. “It was a thrill,” Rich said of their success. He came away with a gold medal in the men’s singles in the 65-69 age group. The couple also won silver in the mixed doubles event for the same age group, losing out to Salmon Arm Mayor Al Harrison and his wife Debbie, who took home the gold medal in that category.
Reflecting on the overall experience of competing in the games, Rich said, “The organization and the volunteers were second to none.” He credited Marianne VanBuskirk (Vice President of the Salmon Arm Tennis Club) with doing an excellent job of ensuring things went smoothly on the courts. She then joined her rock band, The Deadbeats, to sing at one of the downtown music events put on by the games. “Salmon Arm is a great centre for volunteers, and if this is any indication, Salmon Arm will do a great job in hosting any athletic event,” he added.
Tennis mixed doubles 65-69 medalists
(Credit Ivan Verdurmen, Shuswap Photography)
Rich sees numerous advantages for communities hosting sporting events, from opening up opportunities for local athletes to participate to providing economic benefits for the wider community. Rich and Cheryl’s AirBnB was booked by table tennis players who travelled up from Vancouver to participate in the games. Rich noted that people attending the games are “going to restaurants and staying in hotels and loving discovering or rediscovering Salmon Arm. It’s a no-brainer. It’s a great thing.”
As for whether they have any future plans to compete, the 55+ BC Games was such a positive experience for the couple that they are considering travelling to participate in future games. “I like the idea of the games - all these old farts getting together. We’re athletic old farts and we love it,” Rich said.
Nanaimo will host the 2025 55+ BC Games next September. Cheryl and Rich Potter may well be there, having fun, representing the Shuswap and hopefully winning a few more medals.
55+ BC Games Shuswap Medal Count
At the 55+ BC Games in Salmon Arm in September, the host region performed exceptionally well with South Central Zone athletes achieving the highest medal count (272) and the most gold medals (121) of the games. This zone included athletes from the Thompson Nicola and Columbia Shuswap regions with numerous medalists coming from the host city of Salmon Arm. Listed below are some of the winners from CSRD Electoral Areas F, C and G.
