If you go searching for “seniors” activities offered by Esquimalt Parks and Recreation, you’re bound to come up short. But not for lack of options, says manager of recreation services Jeff Byron.
“It’s just really that the baby boomers out there will never consider themselves seniors,” he says. “They’re young and healthy and they don’t really identify with the term ‘senior’.”
Instead, the adult 50-plus term encompasses folks in their late 60s, 70s and even into their 90s. On any given morning at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre, you’ll find the pool full of people in their later years, Byron explains. “We’re the warmest pool in town, 86 degrees.”
Among other offerings, the centre provides a variety of activities to appeal to a wide range of older adults. Dominoes, bridge, aerobics and aquafit are all open on a registered or drop-in basis, as well as a writers group, the weekly creative crafters workshop and pickleball, among others.
“The ukulele club is getting bigger all the time,” Byron says.
“It’s amazing. They have ukulele lessons and singing or just drop-in sessions where the instructor will put the lyrics up on the screen and people can play or sing.”
While the fall programs are still in session, the rec centre is still working out the details of the winter schedule, released both online and in a handy paper guide.
“We get a lot of people who buy memberships because of the variety of things on offer,” Byron says. “And our membership fees are still the most affordable in greater Victoria.”
Check out what the Esquimalt Parks and Recreation Centre has to offer at Esquimalt.ca.
kristyn.anthony