Paul Corrie is looking forward to attending the Salmon Arm 55+ B.C. Games, and not just for kicks.
The Sooke resident is the captain of, and a striker with the men's 70+ Victoria United soccer team, which will be competing in the Games taking place Sept. 10-14.
When in town, Corrie will be staying with family. Three of his kids still live in Salmon Arm, including daughter Amanda Corrie, who works for Daryn Stewart – husband to another of Paul's daughters, Shauna – at Corrie Appraisals Ltd., a business Paul founded.
"I lived in Salmon Arm from about 1980 until 2015 or 16, so I was there quite a number of years," said Paul, 77, who used to coach soccer in town.
"When my kids were growing up I coached, Amanda… and my two sons," said Paul, who was inspired to get back into a pair of soccer cleats. "I hadn’t played since I was in high school, but then I started playing again when I was about 50 and I’ve been playing since.
"I played in the over 45 league in Salmon Arm for a while and then I did drop-in for a number of years."
Paul also kept active in Salmon Arm coaching and playing hockey.
"You know, it’s funny – I used to play hockey in Salmon Arm," said Paul. "I started playing soccer to keep me in shape for hockey. As it turned out, I reversed it – I started playing hockey to get in shape for soccer."
Since moving to Vancouver Island, soccer has been Paul's sport of choice, and with the milder climate he's able to play three times a week for most of the year.
"You could play just about every day if you want; three times is enough for me," said Paul. "We rarely have a game cancelled due to weather."
Asked why soccer, Paul had a mix of reasons: health, camaraderie and competition.
"If it wasn’t for soccer I’d be way out of shape…," said Paul with a laugh. "I thoroughly enjoy it, it’s a great bunch of guys. Some of them have been doing it ever since they were teenagers. Monday or Friday is drop-in, so you come down, you pick teams and sometimes you get enough guys for three teams so we alternate. I did play in a competitive league here until last year and I decided not to do that anymore."
Paul thought it was great that Salmon Arm was selected to host this year's games, noting he's competed in about eight of them since the late 1990s. His only concern was accommodation for his teammates.
"I'm staying with family, but I had to help my team find places…," said Paul. "As soon as I knew, I said book your accommodations…"
Asked if he'd seen any success in previous Games, Paul, with another laugh, said not with the teams he'd been on.
"We're optimistic this year," said Paul.
For more information about this year's Games, including schedules and accommodations, visit 55plusbcgames.org/salmonarm/.
