By Duncan Cairns-Brenner

Positive outlook for N.B. bid to host Winter Games

Feb 11, 2016 | 6:28 AM

On an unseasonably warm February morning a small crowd gathered outside of North Battleford’s Cuplex, awaiting the Site Selection Committee for the Saskatchewan Games Council to emerge from the building, to show its support for the city’s bid to hold the 2018 winter games.

Crowd members chatted with each other as the Battleford Central School Drumline went through last minute practice.   

“I think [the Sask. Winter Games] is a pretty big event and it will get some exposure for the Battlefords,” said retiree Bill Volk. “It will pull the community together.”

Most of the milling crowd were elderly, however there were some families and members of the law enforcement community present. Almost everyone was holding a sign, declaring in bright blue letters, “We want the games.” 

When the commissioners finally came into view, the crowd cheered, its members waving their signs. Thirty seconds later the committee members were on their bus, off to tour Blue and Table Mountains.     

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When asked about the morning’s turn out, Volk smiled.

“Actually I think it was pretty good,” he said. “It shows enthusiasm and apparently at noon when they come back there is another [rally] planned.”

At noon the crowd waiting in the Cuplex square was slightly smaller, but similar to the mornings: mainly elderly, with a smattering of civil servants. 

Zoë Schultz, a local high school student and veteran athlete from the 2010 Sask. Winter Games in Moose Jaw, was the afternoon crowd’s youngest member. When asked whether the demographics of the crowd represented those in the community interested in the city’s bid for the games, she shook her head.

“My whole school is getting into it,” she said. “We’ve been decorating the school today and everyone is into it and ready to go. We want the games here.”

Executive Director of Destination Battlefords, Ryan Bater, was similarly optimistic that the whole community is behind North Battleford’s bid for the games.

“We drove by Lawrence School and the school yard was filled with children all waving posters as we went by, and as my former elementary school, I got a little tear in my eye and thought that was really neat,” said Bater. “We are seeing young people throughout the day; at every venue we visit we are greeted by a new group of people and it’s just been fabulous.”

When asked about the potential obstacles to North Battleford’s victory in its bid, Bater was again optimistic.

“Organizational capacity and community support, those are the big things,” he said. “We need a strong team of people to be able to lead the process and we already have that with the bid committee. We know the community is behind us, and we are really pumped.”

Judy MacLeod Campbell, chair of the Site Selection Committee, was impressed with North Battleford’s performance.

“It’s been fantastic,” she said. “And above facilities, the welcome, the amount of greetings and the different people and organizations that have been involved so far has been quite overwhelming.”

The Site Selection Committee will make its decision on which community will host the 2018 Winter Games on Thursday, Feb. 18.

dcairnsbrenner@jpbg.ca