It’s been about a year since the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games decided they needed to give local Nordic clubs a hand.
VANOC knew it needed a strong group of Nordic organizers on the ground to help with on and off-venue logistics of the test events, which will start in just a few months, were to be a success. So it began to nose around the corridor for key people who could get an organizing committee for the Callaghan Valley venue up and running.
Although initially reluctant, Denise Imbeau, the manager of the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, was pressed into service by VANOC and today the Callaghan Valley Local Organizing Committee (CALOC) is up and running.
“Our organization is not just about Squamish it is corridor wide,” said Imbeau, CALOC’s new managing director, who admits that at the start of the whole process she barely knew what cross-country skis looked like.
“The Nordic community is not developed and they don’t have a profile. They don’t have any one thing that will get them to solidify and so I am hoping that the 2010 Games will be the thing to bring it all together.”
So far about 170 people have given Imbeau their names to help out with events at the Callaghan venue.
It’s likely many more will sign up as Nordic groups from Whistler, Pemberton, the North Shore and elsewhere start to get involved.
VANOC’s director of Nordic sports, John Aalberg, said he is working closely with CALOC.
“They are basically in charge of all the off-venue organizing elements for these upcoming events while VANOC will operate and run the venue and do the on-venue work,” he said.
“They will help organize the banquets and the race invitations, the race headquarters, all the accommodation and transportation and the stuff that is needed for the teams as well.”
According to a recent Request for Proposal for food service at the Callaghan, there will be as many as 830 athletes, coaches, and officials daily at some events this winter, along with up to 500 spectators.
Aalberg expects they will be need between 150 and 200 volunteers at events.
Several key events this winter include the Canadian National Championships/North American Juniors Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined from Jan. 2 to 5, 2008; the B.C. Cup Cross Country Jan. 19 and 20; the FIS Cup Ski Jumping Feb. 27 and 28; the Continental Cup Ski Jumping Feb. 29 to March 2; the Canadian National Championships Cross Country March 16 to 23; and the Canadian National Championships Biathlon March 25 and 30.
There will also likely be smaller local events.
Imbeau does plan on having more information events in the corridor and people can check out www.boldtracks.com , the new website for CALOC, for updated news.
She believes having Squamish lead the Nordic charge is an excellent idea, as Whistler is so in-tune with the alpine events already. Imbeau also hopes the involvement will lead to benefits for the Squamish community.
“…We know Whistler is going to prosper from 2010 and I want to make sure that Squamish does too, how and wherever it can,” she said.
CALOC works for the Whistler Nordics club as well said Tom Barratt, the club’s president.
“We are working with them and happy to do so,” he said.
“The reality is that it is too much for a little club like the Whistler Nordics so we knew from the get-go that the whole thing would need to be part of a bigger organization. To put on World Cups and the run up events you need a larger organization.
“And when you compare us to larger clubs such as the ones in the Interior where they have 1,800 members, we have about 200, so that is why we are working in concert.”
While still supporting the use of the local trails at Lost Lake Barratt believes the new Callaghan Nordic centre will draw more people into the sport and grow youth development. Barratt has already seen that with double the number of people expected showing up at the Whistler Nordics’ annual general meeting last week.
“We are very happy with CALOC and all the excitement,” he said.
“And one of the great parts of this is the re-engaging of Squamish and building up that interest in cross-country skiing so that the Nordic centre is a part of the whole area.”
Training courses are underway if anyone is interested in learning to be an official for Nordic events.
An entry level biathlon volunteer course will be given in Squamish on Nov. 17th and again on Dec. 1st. Both entry-level courses will be at the Squamish Campus of Capilano College from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a break for lunch, which is provided as part of the course. The course will include classroom activities, and a mock biathlon competition with air rifles. Participants will have the chance to play the role of competition volunteers as well as athletes.
Even people who have significant cross-country competition experience should attend a training course so they gain an overall fundamental education in biathlon.
The cost for the course is $20. Each participant will receive a Biathlon Canada Officials' License and Log Book, lunch and a membership in Biathlon B.C.
“I would like people to know that there is a ton of opportunity for Nordic,” said Imbeau. “Unlike other sports where everyone is already here. You can take officials courses and become involved inside the gate. If you are involved in 2008 you will be involved in 2009 and if involved in 2009 you will be involved in 2010.”
