CARNDUFF - As you enter Carnduff from the west, a series of signs welcomes you, promoting several businesses within the town.
In their midst stands a sign honouring Janet Shillington, the five-time national senior 55+ bowling champion. It’s now time for her to share the accolades with three other Carnduff seniors.
Shillington, Marguerite Black, Winona Fuchs and Donalee Paton, along with Vera Ross from Saskatoon, entered the Saskatchewan Seniors Fitness Association’s 55+ Games in Prince Albert this past June.
Of all the bowling teams that entered, they came out on top and punched their tickets to the Canada 55+ Games in Kamloops in August. They became known as Carnduff’s Bowling Queens.
They were chauffeured to the games by Jerry and Cynthia Swayze in what Black called “a fancy van”. Upon arrival, they bowled their hearts out. Collectively, over the course of their games in the 75+ division, they bowled 565 pins above average and left their closest rivals in the dust, over 200 pins behind.
That was more than good enough to take home the gold medal. The Bowling Queens had become the Golden Girls.
Shillington lived up to her reputation and bowled a team-high game of 233. But as she and her teammates were quick to point out, each member of the team carried each other at various points throughout the Games. Even with the high score, Schillington repeatedly said, “There’s no I in team.” That became the team’s motto.
All in all, the girls had a great experience.
“We had fun,” Schillington said.
“It was an awesome trip,” Paton said.
The only negative comment came from Black, who amid all her positive statements said, “If only the food could have been as good as we bowled.” She went on to cite, as an example, the hot dogs, bags of chips and cans of pop that were served up during the opening ceremonies.
