News

2014 BC Winter Games at Hemlock Valley

April 09, 2009

By Jason Roessle - Mission City Record

Published: April 08, 2009 4:00 PM
Updated: April 08, 2009 4:41 PM

The eyes of the province will be on Mission in 2014.

Amid a chorus of applause from children and adults, the crowd gathered in the

Leisure Centre Wednesday heard that the district was the successful bidder for

 the 2014 B.C. Winter Games.

Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Randy Hawes said the games are “a huge step,”

and they represent an opportunity for “the entire community to come together

and show the rest of the province what we can do.”

Mayor James Atebe addressed the children sitting front and centre, telling

them “these are your games.

By 2014 you will be able to compete in these games. “Olympic athlete and

Mission native Brent Hayden was present for the announcement, and shared

his stories from past B.C. Summer Games.

“They were the first games I participated in,” he said, and he recalled it being

the first time he had been around other non-swimmer athletes in a competitive

environment.

The experience propelled him forward, and helped him rise to his current

level of success.

This marks the first time Mission has hosted a B.C. Games event. There are

16 core sports, including hockey, figure skating, biathlon and freestyle skiing,

along with a list of optional sports, that still remains to be determined.

Nearly all events will be in Mission, however the district successfully negotiated

the use of an arena in Abbotsford. Hemlock Valley Resort will also be a major

partner, said bid architect Ray Herman, the District of Mission’s director for

parks and recreation.

“The school district is a huge partner,” he said. The games will require use of

many school gyms where the athletes will bed down each night. Without

[the school district’s] support, we simply couldn't have bid successfully.

“This is an historic achievement,” Atebe continued. Since the improvements to

the Leisure Centre and the Sports Park there has been more interest from regional

and provincial groups to host events in Mission.

Atebe credited Mission’s minor sports associations for having worked hard to

attract bigger events to town, and shared the praise with the district’s parks and

recreation department, which under Herman’s leadership, began establishing a

“track record to win big events.”

Atebe said Herman’s previous experience hosting a B.C. Disability Games and a

B.C. Summer Games in Powell River and Trail, respectively, was key to getting

the ball rolling.

Herman has been with the district for three years, and was excited when the

official word came about Mission’s victory.

“This is great for Mission,” he stated, noting the bid couldn't have come together

without input from fellow parks and rec employees Wendy McCormick and

Jason Roufosse.

“This was the culmination of a bit of a vision to promote Mission as a sports

 tourism destination.”

Previous success in bringing events such as the B.C. Hockey U16 and U17

tournaments to Mission

helped convince B.C. Games this municipality was “ready to take on that level

of competition.”

According to Herman, the district will provide $45,000 in cash, and $50,000

of in-kind donations, which will include use of municipal facilities and staff during

the games.

Herman added the economic spin-off of the Games is usually around $2 million

to host communities.

Another additional benefit of being a host is that Mission will get to keep the cash

generated from souvenir sales.

“Those funds will go toward leaving a legacy in the community,” he stated.

Yesterday’s announcement also included news that Surrey will host the

2012 B.C. Summer Games,

Vernon the 2012 B.C. Winter Games, and Nanaimo the 2014 B.C. Summer Games.

The B.C. Winter Games are the largest winter multi-sport event in the province.

Over 2,500 Athletes, coaches and officials will participate in the games that will

be organized by a volunteer board of directors and approximately

2,500 community volunteers.

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