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TWSSF becoming 'a victim of its own success'

Organizers hope to increase grass roots participation in 2008

Event organizers of the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival hope the 2008 events schedule gives more opportunity to local and amateur artists and athletes to showcase their talent.

This was the point driven home by festival managing director Sue Eckersley during a community input session, held Tuesday, Nov. 20 in Whistler.

“This event has become a victim of its own success,” said Eckersley.

“What saddens me with the huge growth of the event is that there really isn’t room anymore for the local artists who helped to make this happen in the first place,” she said.

In order to encourage more grass-roots participation, organizers have added new events and expanded old ones for the next TWSSF, which will take place April 11-20, 2008. One of the biggest ways Eckersley hopes to do this is by adding a second day to screening the films created during the Filmmaker Showdown.

Last year 70 short films were submitted, with only the top eight getting screened at the film gala. By adding a second day, the 40 films that never made it to the big screen will also get airtime during the TWSSF.

“The calibre of the event has increased so much since it started. In our first year, it was all local filmmakers. But now, as the popularity of the event has increased, we have filmmakers from the East Coast of Canada, L.A., Vancouver, and Montreal,” said Eckersley.

“The people who helped start this event are no longer getting in… And our local filmmakers are not something we want to forget. We want to ensure they continue to participate,” she said.

Yahoo is also looking at conducting a filmmaker search before the festival to get filmmakers across North America involved in the event. Participants would be able to enter online and would have two weeks to create an original movie, similar in length and style to those showcased at TWSSF. The winner of the contest would then get flown into Whistler to participate in the actual Filmmaker Showdown.

Another way organizers are hoping to get more people involved is by adding a qualifying round to the Big Air competition. Right now athletes who compete in the Big Air are selected by invitation. By opening up participation to those who make it through a qualifying round, TWSSF organizers hope more “unknowns” get to showcase their talent.

Unfortunately not many people were present at this week’s TWSSF open house to hear about the upcoming events.

Only seven people showed up to the afternoon session, which organizers put on to ensure the community had input into the festival.

“I am surprised that there aren’t more people showing up for this. But I guess the actual absence of people is a potentially good thing. You know, not having people coming in here saying, ‘That DJ brings the wrong kind of people to my hotel’ shows that people are pretty satisfied with what is going on,” said Eckersley.

“Though at the same time, the lack of people isn’t great either, because it reflects a lack of concern for the event,”’ she said.

One of the reasons Eckersley was hoping for a better turnout was to have input from local skiers and snowboarders on some of the changes being made in this year’s schedule. These changes include putting the Rail Session on hiatus for 2008.

“When we first did the Rail Session, we had it off the GLC, and it was called the Survival Rail. It was super cutting edge at that time and cool,” said Eckersley.

“But now, the crowds continue to be drawn to the event, but the athletes who compete are not as stoked. So we are going to think about it for a year and see if we can come up with a way to revitalize the competition and breathe new life into it,” she said.

Other additions TWSSF organizers are looking at making to the 2008 event lineup include adding a new event called Cold Fusion. Cold Fusion will be a Cirque du Soleil style choreographed show, where skiers and snowboarders will present tricks in an entertaining atmosphere.

The two Big Airs will also likely be combined into a single showdown. The purse for winners of the Big Air competition will also be the greatest it has ever been this year, with $25,000 for skiers and another $25,000 for snowboarders.

Organizers are also exploring options for Earth Day, the potential of having a Roundhouse party in conjunction with Whistler-Blackcomb at the top of Whistler Mountain, and having a multi-media photography and video contest, similar in format to the Photography Showdown.

Since its inception 13 years ago, TWSSF has grown to become the largest annual winter sports and music festival in North America. It encompasses 10 days of art, music, and sports competitions and showcases.

For more information on the 2008 TWSSF events schedule, visit www.whistler2008.com .   Those who were unable to attend the open house can still submit input by e-mailing info@watermarkinc.ca and indicating “2008 TWSSF Input” in the subject line.