JANUARY 24, 2024 www.wintertexantimes.com 16 WINTER TEXAN TIMES (956)566-1157 From the Cheap Seats The colorful jackets displayed the loyalty of NFL fans across the country during the city of McAllen’s Golden Age Olympics cards tournament at the Palmview Community Center recently. The annual Olympics is a multiweek event with several competitions – from bird watching, to cards to pickleball, shuffleboard and more. While Winter Texans and their parks comprise most of the competitors, residents from across the Valley who meet the criteria can also participate. 500 or Five Hundred is a trick-taking game developed in the United States from Euchre, another card tournament that will take place in February. Most games are played with four players – two against two. Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills fans, among others wore their team colors proudly. Ironically missing was any Dallas Cowboys garb, maybe because by this time they were also missing from the playoffs – eliminated by the “Pack.” Mike Martel, a winter resident at Tip O Texas and a native of Casterville, Ontario, Canada beamed about his Buffalo Bills game later that day against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team jacket being worn by his playing opponent. “You just want to see me cry,” Martel said following the Chiefs 27Bringing football to the 500 table 24 victory. “It was sad.” Talk all around was about the NFL playoffs – and cards. Martel, an avid card player, plans to be back in a couple weeks for the Euchre tournament. Packers’ paraphernalia was the most visible on this day – and Martel said that’s the case in his park as well. “They’re everywhere – there are too many Packers and Chiefs fans – just like in our park.” His partner, Tommy Evers, is one of those, a Packer fan and from Wisconsin. “Now, the V i k i n g s , that’s a different story. The Vikings fans you don’t see come out too often.” Martel (“that’s with one l,” he said. “The ones with two ll’s are the rich ones,”) has been coming to the Valley for 12 years, making that three-and-a-half-day drive into Canada. One year, during COVID they left the Valley early because they didn’t know if they would be allowed back into Canada. But they had no issues returning home. This year, they have their return trip scheduled at the beg i nn i ng of baseball season – coincidentally when his favorite baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays, open the season at the Houston Astros. “They’re not your b e l o v e d Yankees but they’re my team,” he joked to me. “I like the Blue Jays,” I responded as we barbed back and forth. “After all, they never really hurt anybody.” Barbara Paul, from Pharr South and a resident of Davenport, Iowa, had paired with her husband. The couple are common features at the card games during the GAO. Paul GAO cards players. Photo by Henry Miller GAO cards players. Photo by Henry Miller
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTczOTk5Mg==