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Pro photogs prepare for Showdown

Pro photogs prepare for Showdown It's always a sold-out event at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, and this year's Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown is shaping up to be a similarly massive competition.

Pro photogs prepare for Showdown

It's always a sold-out event at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival, and this year's Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown is shaping up to be a similarly massive competition.

Five finalists have just been selected to go head-to-head for top spot at this year's competition, contending for a $10,000 cash grand prize and a fully accessorized Olympus E-3 digital SLR camera, and most importantly, all the prestige and glory that comes with capturing first place at this "Sundance Festival of Action Photography."

Scott Pommier, Ian Ruhter, Christian Pondella, Daniel Blom and Jordan Manley are the five photographers selected to create a nine-minute soundtracked digital slide show of the best work of their careers for the Pro Photographer Showdown, which takes place on Thursday, April 23.

Strong showing at WAC's 27th anniversary bash

Whistler Arts Council's annual bash, which took place at the Four Seasons Resort on Friday, March 6, was a sold-out event this year, with over $10,000 raised for WAC's many arts programs, which include the Whistler Children's Festival, ArtWalk, ARTrageous, and the Whistler Art Workshops on the Lake.

This year's festivities attracted a wide range of community members, with a special storytelling segment from 10 long-time locals, including Bob Daniels, who spoke about chasing love to South America and back, legendary ski patroller Cathy Jewett, talking about living a life of passion, and Terry Spence (a.k.a. Toulouse) sharing secrets from Toad Hall days.

Details for the 2010 "Our Whistler: Celebrating Our History" event will be announced later this year.

VANOC reaches out to performers

The Olympic clock is ticking, in more ways than one. There are less than two months to go before VANOC starts auditioning performers for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and organizers are still looking for almost 4,300 more people to sign up.

VANOC is hoping to have a pool of almost 7,500 volunteer performers to pick from, and since issuing the call for volunteers almost two weeks ago, 3,200 people have applied.

"The sooner interested candidates apply online by filling out an application at www.vancouver2010.com/ceremonies , the sooner they can find out if they have been successful in landing an audition," David Atkins, executive producer of the opening and closing ceremonies said in a recent press release.

"We need performers to bring out mass choreography to life on the floor of GM Place. But, just as importantly, we need performance volunteers to act as athlete marshals, placard bearers to lead countries into the stadium and audience leaders who'll help spectators participate in the show."

While previous experience is not a requirement for performers, dancers and athletes of all skill levels and disciplines are needed for the performances. To date, they have received applications from an entire women's hockey team, hundreds of dancers from all disciplines, and hopeful performers from across the country. Volunteer performers must be 17 years old as of May 1, 2009, but there is no upper age limit.

Sharpen your pencils...

Local artist, Maeve Bellmore, is hosting yet another round of life drawing classes, starting Monday, March 30.

Artists looking to hone their skills will have a chance to practice drawing the human form, drawing from a live nude model each Monday evening from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at MY Millennium Place. The drop-in weekly fee to participate is $20, while all eight classes are $140. LUNA members pay just $10 if they present their membership card, and high school students (with parental consent) can attend for free.

For more information, contact whistlerlifedrawing@hotmail.com.

Dancing for the kids

Daddies and daughters, lace up your dancing shoes and get ready to twist and twirl the evening away in just a few weeks - the 16th annual Father Daughter Dance takes place on Saturday, May 9 at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, from 5 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. (so no one will be up past their bedtime).

The annual event is being held to raise much-needed funds for the Whistler Children's Centre Society, which provides early childhood programs for over 250 children and families in Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish, and surrounding areas in the Sea to Sky corridor, and the Myrtle Philip and Spring Creek Community Schools. Each year, about 500 fathers and daughters from throughout the region attend the dance.

"...To continue to maintain quality programming and continue to provide a quality environment for our children to learn and grow, it is necessary for our Society to manage a strong and successful fundraising program," said a recent press release. "The past year has been a challenging one for the Center with the closure of the Spring Creek facility and with the increased difficulty in maintaining qualified staff."

Tickets went on sale Wednesday, and are available until April 17 at www.whistlerchildren.com or at the Whistler Children's Centre for $40 for fathers and $20 for daughters.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact tony@slopesidesupply.com .