With less than a year to go before the B.C. Winter Games arrive in Penticton, organizers are looking for a little help from the community.
 Erin Manning and Zack Kuechle were two of the young curlers at the Penticton curling rink March 5 for a ceremony marking one year to go before the start of the 2016 B.C. Winter Games in Penticton. |
As many as 2,000 athletes, coaches, managers, and officials from across the province will parade in at the opening ceremony for the B.C. Winter Games on Feb. 25, 2016, marking the fourth time Penticton has played host to the B.C. Games, starting from the first-ever Summer Games in 1978, then the 1990 Winter Games and in 1995, the Summer Games again.
“I’m amazed the community, that volunteers its time so often, is willing to step up to the plate one more time,” aid Bill Bidlake, president 2016 B.C. Winter Games society. “There’s lots of work ahead, but our team is pretty excited. Altogether, we have about a hundred people in place right now.”
Mayor Andrew Jakubeit agrees that volunteers are key to Penticton’s success, and their hard work helps to showcase the city and ensure visitors have a great experience.
“These things do not happen on their own, not without a lot of volunteer help,” said Jakubeit.
Zack Kuechle said he won’t be old enough to compete in the 2016 games, but he’s still excited to see it coming to Penticton.
“I am going to try to volunteer, though. It is going to be a lot of fun and I can’t wait for it to happen,” said Kuechle. “Curling is my favourite sport by far.”
Along with curling, competition will take place over four days with 17 sports including badminton, biathlon, basketball, diving, figure skating, gymnastics, judo, karate, skiing and speed skating and more. The host Thompson-Okanagan Zone, finished third at the 2014 B.C. Winter Games with 74 medals in total, 20 of those gold finishes.
To celebrate the return of the games, organizers are holding a Name Our Games contest for the community, asking Penticton students and adults to submit a unique slogan or tagline for the Penticton 2016 B.C. Winter Games. Every submission will be entered into a draw for a variety of prize packs, and the slogan chosen will win four tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s presentation of Varekai at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Bidlake said the board cannot wait to welcome athletes, coaches and family members from all over the province to Penticton. Not only will the games celebrate sport, he added, they will be an incredible display for the entire South Okanagan that will leave a lasting legacy for the region.
“This is going to be an amazing event for Penticton in so many ways,” said Dan Ashton, MLA for Penticton. “Everyone in B.C. knows Penticton is a fantastic destination in summer. Now they’ll find out how much we have to offer in winter as well. And we know from experience just how much the B.C. Games unify our city.”
Athletes who are interested in competing at the winter games should visit the B.C. Games website to find out the age group in their sport and a contact person near them. With one year to go, now is the time athletes are starting to train for the chance to represent their zone and compete against the best in the province. A complete list of sports can be found at www.bcgames.org.
Name Our Games entries must be no more than six words. Ideally, the slogan will become the B.C. Winter Games hashtag for social media. Entries must be submitted by email to contest@bcwintergames.ca by April 24 at 4:30 p.m. and must include your name, city of residence, age (if a minor) and phone number. For full contest rules, visit www.bcgames.org.