It may be all about the sports and athletes, but getting ready for the BC Winter Games means a lot of work behind the scenes.
All together, there are 20 directors and liaisons dealing with different aspects of the Games, from how the young athletes are going to get around, making sure they have places to sleep, or just preparing the enormous amount of food needed.
It all starts with volunteers, according to Mayor Andrew Jakubeit. If the city had to pay for the amount of manpower needed to put the Games on, he said, there would be no way they could afford it. Penticton is lucky, he said, to have an army of volunteers willing to help out for the Winter Games and other events. It makes a difference in the bidding process too, for organizations to know there won’t be a problem finding local volunteers.
“That is something we can boast about, that we can rely on, that we have a great mix of volunteers who make things happen in town, and really leave that positive experience or impression on whoever they come in contact with,” said Jakubeit.
Doug Gorcak is director of accommodations for the Winter Games, as well as director of facilities for the Okanagan Skaha School District, in whose classrooms the athletes and their coaches will be sleeping while they are visiting Penticton. He’s also the school board’s facilities manager.
Gorcak is expecting in the neighbourhood of 2,000 participants, which means a lot of school space needs to be changed over.
Class is in session right up to the first day of the games on Feb. 25. That doesn’t give Gorcak and his crew much time to get the 120 classrooms needed converted to dormitories, shifting all the desks over to one side to make room for the sleeping mats.
“We have 300 athletes showing up at Pen High on Wednesday night, and then the remainder don’t show up until Thursday morning,” said Gorcak. And then they have to reverse the process once the athletes leave on Feb. 21 to make sure the classrooms are ready for students on Monday morning.
“It’s been a lot of work, but I think it will be worth it in the end,” said Gorcak.
Berry and Smith Trucking is a big supporter of the Games. Matt Berry, the company’s president said this is the fourth set of Games they have been involved in over the years. Not only is he volunteering himself, but several staff members are taking on leadership roles, including transportation supervisor Mike Palosky.
“He is the busing guy, the busing chair,” said Berry. “He’s got a big job, there are 38 highway coaches that are coming into town and he’s coordinating the schedule for all of those buses, and on top of that, we will be supplementing whatever those buses can’t handle with our own school buses.”
Berry and Smith’s controller, Dorothy VanKoughnett, is putting her organizational skills to work, planning routes and preparing information packages for the drivers.
Berry himself is taking on the role of volunteer chair, along with Merv Wejr.
“We are trying to make sure there is enough volunteers for the various transportation chairs,” said Berry, adding that a former employee, Ret Tinnings is the Games’ director of transportation, bringing it all together.
There is even a group responsible for dealing with the athletes’ luggage and lost and found.
Ric Hellyer’s group, according to Berry, will be sorting all the luggage when it comes in from those 38 coaches, getting them sent to the right schools.
“And, of course, sorting through any luggage that gets lost or misplaced,” said Berry.
Lori Mullin, recreation manager for the City of Penticton, said the Games are a great chance for the city to show off its sports facilities.
“What’s really unique this year is that we have eight sports all within walking distance here in the complex.”
That includes the Penticton Curling Club, Memorial Arena, the Community Centre and the South Okanagan Events Centre.
“We’ve got an amazing opportunity for all these kids to be close together and be able to watch each others’ sports,” said Mullin. “We’ve got judo, we’ve got karate, we’ve got diving, speed skating, gymnastics, ringette, curling and figure skating all happening in one spot.”
“There’s been a large crew of people all working together to manage those logistics and making sure we are looking good.”
Mullin said it has been incredible to watch the games come together over the last couple of years.
“I can’t believe the volunteerism coming out of our community,” said Mullin. “It is a really amazing project to be a part of.”