By Denise Imbeau
Published: Feb. 22, 2014
On February 6, the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, many from our community participated in a torch relay from Brennan Park to the new Legacy Sports Park one kilometer away. The possibility of the Legacy Sports Park is a direct result of the herculean effort of hundreds of local Olympic volunteers.
When complete, the Legacy Sports Park will house complete small ski jumps, a lit running loop, a biathlon range, pavilion, walking trails, a climbing training wall and more.
It will tie Squamish to Whistler Olympic Park for future hosting opportunities and the economic benefits.
It will allow us to build future Olympians, it will add to the diversity of our local sport culture, and it will serve as a reminder and testament to the hard work and selfless commitment of hundreds of locals.
In 2007, I was asked by the Nordic Sport Director for the 2010 Winter Olympics, John Aalberg, if I would be willing to help them build capacity in our corridor for Nordic sports in the Callaghan for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The task was to engage and train enough volunteers to become Nordic enthusiasts to ensure all of the events leading up to the Olympics would be successful.
In 2008 the plan was to have 14 events include four national events across the four Nordic disciplines – Cross Country, Biathlon, Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined.
In 2009, the focus would be four World Cup events, as well as a handful of additional events. In 2010 the World was scheduled to arrive for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
The first year was a big challenge. Approximately 500 volunteers were needed from a community that knew little about Nordic sports and was already stretched, drained and committed to several local.
In the first year, hundreds of athletes from across the nation as well as their coaches and support networks would require hosting, accommodation and food.
The timeline was tight and the learning curve would be steep yet there were a few compelling reasons to accept VANOC’s invitation including the fact that this challenge was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
CALOC or the Callaghan Local Organizing Committee was born to support VANOC with the development and execution of events in Whistler Olympic Park.
CALOC’s responsibility was everything outside of the gate (non sport technical) including hosting, transportation, sponsorship, media, entertainment, athlete support, fan development and more.
CALOC also supported VANOC in accessing and training the community for sport technical positions.
Squamish and CALOC rose beautifully to VANOC’s challenge to champion Nordic sports with our ideas, talents and time.
The Legacy Sports Park is meant to be a reminder of the glorious time in our community’s history when we all came together to demonstrate the power of Olympic spirit.
Embrace the park, embrace this new challenge, and help make the legacy a lasting tribute to that golden time. This is your legacy Squamish, well done, you deserve the reward.
Rick says
And what is this going to cost the tax payer?