SPIRIT OF BC WEEK

SPORTFEST IN NANAIMO

2007-02-23T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hey, who says you need ice to curl?

Nanaimo played a game of road curling and enjoyed the sunny afternoon during Sportfest - a huge success in Nanaimo that was also broadcast on the local Shaw TV station.

Click on "Current Episode" when you visit this website http://lockerroom.shawtv.com/

In addition, their free skate was fun for all.

FREE SKATES

Free skates are one of the most popular events to host during Spirit of BC Week. Even if it's only for a few hours, skating is a pasttime that the whole family and community can enjoy.

Check out how popular the free skates were in Merritt and Chase during Spirit of BC Week:

SPIRIT OF BC WEEK IN HUDSONS HOPE

2007-02-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

Hudson's Hope hosted an amazing curling event during Spirit of BC Week. And no one's better to describe the event than the event organizer herself:

"Our curling bonspiel was a great success. We had 13 teams curling & many spectators. The total number of people in attendance was 112. That’s close to 10% of the town!"

"We played two end games on 2 sheets of ice, and used our third sheet for games and practice for the younger players. Half the people there had never curled before, and it was an exciting adventure for them!!"

"It did generate some interest in curling and I would’t be surprised to see our curling clubs numbers up next season. Our youngest curler was 4 and our oldest was 68. Each team played two games, and everybody received a prize. It was an all round great day and everybody left with a smile."

-Dawn from Hudson's Hope

Could this be the next Brad Gushue?

Find Hudson's Hope on Google maps

SPIRIT OF BC in Quesnel - The Jackrabbit Meltdown

2007-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

Looking at these pictures makes me wish I didn't grow up in a big city.

What a dream it would be to live in a community where cross country skiing is the cool thing to do for kids and youth and Spirit of BC week helps you to enjoy it - and encourage it.

Ah, to be a kid again.

This was an official Spirit of BC event - see the arrow pointing to the sign? - and a great idea to ensure physical activity, healthy living, sport, recreation...and maybe a budding Olympic athlete in the world of nordic skiing?

Jackrabbit Meltdown Event

from Sunshine Borsato (the event manager)...

"It was a beautifully sunny day with warm temperatures Saturday, February 17th for the Spirit of BC's Jackrabbit Meltdown Season Finale and the jackrabbits came out in droves for a party on skis. "

"With relay races including an egg and spoon race, horse and buggy race, and obstacle course, the four to thirteeen year old cross country skiers couldn't hide their enthusiasm or spirit for a fun-filled winter season of skiing."

"They concluded the day with a chocolate egg hunt along the ski trails and cake and prizes. Cross country skiing is an excellent way for anyone to enjoy the snow and incredible BC winters. The Jackrabbit Program is a fun-filled kids' program emphasizing fitness, balance, and agility while playing on skis. It is an easy way for families to enjoy BC's winter wonderland."

Congrats Quesnel on a great event! Find Quesnel on Google Maps

2007-02-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

SPIRIT OF BC - PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS

2007-02-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in the photo contest. It was a tough choice but here they are in no particular order...

Enderby Balloon Release

Surrey Provincial Launch

Blue River Cross Country Race

We love Spirit of BC Photos

Missed the photo contest? No worries. You can still send you images in to us and we will post them here! Just be sure to add your name, contact details, and the location of the image.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

2007-02-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

A province-sized thank you to everyone who organized, participated, administrated, attended, got involved, volunteered, worked, enjoyed and smiled through Spirit of BC Week 2007.

It could not have been done without the true "spirit" or soul of British Columbians from all areas of our province.

So - once again - a big thank you!

Events in Every Corner

There were over 300 events this year throughout BC. From Richmond to Revelstoke, Castlegar to Comox. What a party.

Rumour has it Vanderhoof had upwards of 40 events during Spirit of BC week! Vanderhoof really set the benchmark high for next year.

Speaking of 2008

The dates are not set for 2008 but now is the time to recap on your successes in 2007 and think about building on them. Because next year will be only 24 months until the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games...and Spirit of BC is going to be a big part of it, darn tootin'. You can bet your gold medals on that!

Recap on Richmond's Spirit of BC

2007-02-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

On February 9, 2007, Richmond celebrated Le Carnaval as part of Spirit of BC Week.

Le Carnaval was an exciting, FREE winter event, bringing families together for a unique cultural and educational celebration. The event connected with the French culture in the community, bringing a distinctive Quebec Winter Carnaval feel to Richmond...je ne sais quoi - joie de'vivre!

Exceeded Expectations

Event organizers were expecting only about 1100 people and over 2200 showed up! The activities were really enjoyable and the activities were really enjoyable and the smiles on everyone's face was great to see. Children could make "bonhomme" hats, taste syrup on snow while listening to lively french canadian jigg music. Other actitives were carnavl games and a hockey shoot run by two of our very own Sockeyes Hockey players, a bouncy castle slide and custom-made balloons hats.

The ice sculptures were a big hit.

Music & Dance

Local schools performed songs and dances on stage to appreciative spectators and proud parents. Thanks to the dedicated teachers for coming out on their own time to help the families experience this mini Quebec carnaval in Richmond.

French Food

It wasn't just french fries. L'ecoles Des Navigateurs had a booth and sold some of the most delicious french type foods such as crepes, tourtiere, pea soup. They were awesome. For others there were free hot dogs, popcorn and hot chocolote. Tim Horton's was on site as well to keep the crowd warm with coffee, hot chocolate and timbits donuts.

Media

CTV was onsite and broadcast their weather news and eventually stayed the whole time because of the fun and excitement.

Spirit of BC Week in Abbotsford

Spirit of BC Week in Abbotsford was full of fun and laughs. Here's a crowning achievement of a photo...!

Visit the Abbotsford website for more photos.

SPIRIT OF BC IN BURNS LAKE

2007-02-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

The small community of Burns Lake celebrated their third annual Winterfest from February 9 - 11, 2007 as part of Spirit of BC Week.

Small communities throughout BC that celebrate Spirit of BC with community-wide events really give the week meaning and value.

Bringing out families, friends, kids, seniors, and the whole town to celebrate and have fun - and wear a smile! - makes Spirit of BC truly worth it.

Burns Lake celebrated the following....

Northern Lights Parade
Bonfire and Opening Ceremonies
Grapevine Mini Golf Tournament
Legion Crib Tournament
Legion Winterfest DanceRotary Pancake Breakfast
Minor Hockey Tournament
Family Winterfest Games
Bulkley Valley Credit Union Coloring Contest
Cold Smoke Ice Races
Lakey the Moose (our Burns Lake Mascot)

Quite a line up for the little community!

Friday Night in Burns Lake (during Spirit of BC Week)

Friday night started with the Northern Lights parade with a variety of brightly lit floats, walking participants, Lakey the Moose and Emergency Response Vehicles. The streets were lined with the smiling faces of young and old, watching and waving as the procession went by.

The parade ended at Radley Beach where the opening ceremonies took place, next to a blazing bonfire.

Saturday Night in Burns Lake (during Spirit of BC Week)

Winterfest tournaments of Mini Golf, Hockey and Cribbage with prizes to the winners. That evening the Legion hosted the Lakes Winterfest Dance for the adults.

Sunday Morning in Burns Lake (during Spirit of BC Week)

A Rotary Pancake Breakfast at the Tom Forsyth Memorial Arena
Ice skating and taking part in Winterfest Family Games
At the park families were playing snow golf, giant soccer, competing in smooshing races and sliding down the mountains of snow
Lakey the Moose and the A&W Root Bear were sliding down the hills with the kids
Everyone enjoyed healthy snacks as they played and enjoyed the day

Sunday also brought the Cold Smoke Ice Races on Burns Lake. This 200 mile race brought in machines from all over the province competing for top prizes.

The Burns Lake Spirit Square Is Coming...

All of this took place in front of Radley Beach and Nourse Park where Burns Lake plans on developing their Spirit Square over the next few years.

A new Spirit Square will be a fantastic new feature for Burns Lake!

Where is Burns Lake?

Find it on Google Maps.....

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=burns+lake+bc&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1&iwloc=addr

SPEAKING OF TIME...

2007-02-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

Time to get those favourite images into www.SpiritofBC.com for the photo contest. The contest deadline is this Friday!

Check out last year's winners of the photo contest.

THE TICKING OF THE CLOCK!

2007-02-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

"Hurry, there's no time to lose..."

"Time is of the essence..."

"What time is it?"

"Time to get some work done!"

On Monday, February 12 in Vancouver, over 2000 people celebrated the unveiling of the Official Countdown Clock for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

VIPs made their speeches, First Nation dancers welcomed the crowds, and local Olympians offered their greeting. Everyone waited with anticipation for the unveiling.

Then, the curtain was yoinked and - low and behold - the three metre wide, six metres high Countdown Clock showed it's face.

People cheered, clapped and bounced their boomstix. (Boomstix are those red, cylindrical balloons).

Find out more from the Vancouver 2010 website

Recommended Spirit of BC Websites

2007-02-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

Visit these great websites that focus on Spirit of BC or have Spirit of BC highlights!

www.SpiritofBC.com - of course!

>http://www.village.ashcroft.bc.ca/ - a nice little website for a great little town

>http://www.investcomoxvalley.com/2010_CC/index.html - Good for the Comox Valley!

>http://www.abbotsfordspiritofbc.com/home.php - Well done, Abbotsford!

>http://www.initiativespg.com/ipg/spiritofbc/ - A fully interactive website from our friends in PG.

New Video from Golden

2007-02-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

On February 10, 2007 the town of Golden, BC celebrated their Golden Anniversary MasqueParade with the Return to the Snow Kings Castle. Watch the video by clicking on this logo! The video will open in a new window.

Special thanks to West Canada Films for providing the footage to us.

Nanaimo Gets the Spirit

2007-02-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Meanwhile over on the island, Nanaimo caught the Spirit of BC with events, fun and sports at "Sportfest".

Everyone got their smile on especially with the warm and sunny weather. Beban Park's Frank Crane Areana & Mezzanine and the Breezeway between the Arena and Social Centre were ideal locations for showcasing the festival's activities and presentations.

Events included:

Outdoor Curling

Luge run

Wheelchair basketball

Face painting

Skating

A mascots vs. celebrities hockey game

Local MLAs and Athletes

Nanaimo local, figure skater extraordinaire, and Olympic hopeful Kelsey Ross performed a skating routine. Her image is to the left with local MLA Ron Cantelon for Nanaimo Parksville.

Kesley has her skates sharpened for the 2010 Olympics. She's already won gold at the 2004 BC Winter games, gold at the 2005 Western Challenge in Ontario and gold at the Vancouver Island Region Championships.

The B.C./YT. Section of Skate Canada has recently chosen Kelsey to be part of a hand picked group of other competitors from our province training for the 2010 Olympic Game Plan.

Congratulations Kelsey! Keep on training!

For more post-event coverage, images, and bios on up and coming young athletes in the Nanaimo area please visit www.teamnanaimo.com/sportfest

Abbotsford Plans for Spirit of BC Week

2007-02-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Abbotsford is another community in BC that has spent a lot of time and hard work to make Spirit of BC come alive. Events included:

A flag raising at City Hall
Local entertainment by the Pacific Mennonite Children's Choir and the F.V.Yevshan Ukrainian Dancers
Provincial proclamation reading by MLAs and hot chocolate
Walk to Whistler led by the 861 Air Cadet Squadron marching band
A Community challenge for Walk to Whistler with Fire, Police, Chamber, Service Clubs, Brownies/Guides/Scouts, Sports teams, etc

The community was invited to join the fun at the Sport Legacy Centre for the Abbotsford Spirit of BC Mini-Cultural Festival. Arts and Culture displays, ethnic food and taste samples included yummy bannock bread and entertainment and costumes from local organizations.

Background on the F.V. Yevshan Ukranian Dancers

They began over 28 years ago
Started with 3 dancers and now have 36 energetic dancers ranging in age from 4 to 14 who share a love of dance, music and the Ukrainian heritage
Have performed at the PNE, the Dragon Boat Festival, in Victoria, and in the Okanagan, the Western Canada Summer Games, at Canada Day celebrations in Abbotsford, with the Fraser Valley Symphony Orchestra, at the Malanka of the FVUCS, and at many more events

Aren't they adorable in their outfits?

Background on the Pacific Mennonite Children's Choir

A local community choir of talented children aged 8-16
Earned gold at the International Riva del Garda choral competition in Italy
Singers have served organizations as divers as Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Missions Fest Vancouver and the Abbotsford Spirit of BC

Spirit of BC Week Kick Off - Entertainment

2007-02-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

Besides watching our Premier playing sledge hockey there were many other opportunities to enjoy some quality entertainment - all for free and great for families.

First Nations dancers provided colour, movement, and the perfect welcome.

SportFit was there. It's an online sport education program that matches a student's personal preference and physical attributes with sports.

It was free to sign up, kids got a free t-shirt and the opportunity to learn what their skill level is in a number of sports.

Some of skills include the stork stand, basketball throw, a vertical jump, and partial curl ups. SportFit was a great complement to the healthy snacks freely available.

Meanwhile...

Meanwhile, out on the ice the North Surrey Figure Skating Club provided an interactive demonstration. This was just a number of performances on the rink. Others included:

Silhouettes Masters Synchronized Skating demonstration

Langley Blades Speed Skating Interactive demonstration

Family Skate with the Surrey Eagles

Family Skate for Literacy

Mr. Premier Arrives

2007-02-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

Introductions. Thank yous. Spirit of BC week is here. Applause! Thank yous. More introductions. Applause. 2010 Legacies Now and for a long time after. Applause!! Now let's start the games...

Sledge hockey is a fast-growing and popular sport that's inclusive of everybody. So, before you can say SpiritofBC, Mr. Premier jumps in and starts playing a game of sledge hockey!

No, I'm not kidding.

I was there. And it looked like fun!

Surrey Mayor, Dianne Watts was all smiles (she's a real nice lady) and decked out in the Spirit of BC shwagg - matching scarf, vest, and support flag.

Sledge Hockey - The Game

There was a team on the ice playing along with paralympian athlete Gary Cormack. He got a medal in curling at the Torino Paralympics!

There were fireworks, a synchronized skating demonstration by local athletes, a drumming performance by the Children of the Rainbow Drum Group and much more.

More later. I'm signing off for the weekend.

I'll be back with news from around the province because Spirit of BC Week is province-wide!

There's events in Abbotsford, Vanderhoof, Campbell River, and many more communities where I'll be getting the full scoop.

Remember where to click your mouse: www.SpiritofBC.com

The Spirit of BC Week Kick-Off in Surrey

2007-02-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

SPIRIT OF BC WEEK kicked off in Surrey this morning. And it was fierce!

(Fierce, means super duper fun for all or amazingly brilliant.)

Super stars who were there: Premier Gordon Campbell, Mayor of Surrey, Diane Watts, "Fin" the Vancouver Canucks mascot, Canadian Idol contestents, Canadian Olympians and Paralympians, First Nation dancers, Children of the Rainbow Drum Group, www.VolWeb.ca , http://www.sportfitcanada.com/ , http://www.bcrpa.bc.ca/ , amateur athletes, soccer moms, hockey dads, and lots of kids enjoying the excitement.

The venue was the Surrey Sport & Leisure Complex. Not only does it have one of the only accessible ice rinks around, but it also has all the facilities to keep a family physically active and healthy (pools, ice rinks, etc.).

In good form - and in good health - www.2010LegaciesNow.com helped to sponsor the event and ensure that refreshments were provided, and all healthy refreshments.

There wasn't a hot dog or cookie in sight. Apples, water, fresh yummy fruit and vegetables were all available and all free. The patron saint of healthy eating would be proud of us today.

Then along came a Canadian Idol singer sensation Karen Lee Baton to liven the crowd with her powerful singing voice.

Moms and dads and kids and babies - they all loved it.

And then....and then....and then...Mr. Premier arrived...The Right Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia.

Stay tuned 'cuz it gets good after this!

SPIRIT OF BC WEEK IS HERE

2007-02-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

Spirit of BC Week is here!

The week officially kicks off tomorrow morning at 10:30am in Surrey with family events, super-special VIP guests, demonstration sports, and a ceremonial flag raising.

http://www.spiritofbc.com/PDF/Events/SoBCLaunch.pdf

Events continue throughout the province.

To date we have approximately 330 events happening across the province.
Approximately, 110 of these come from the Lower Mainland / Southwest committees.

Whoo Hoo!

2007-02-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

I'm back. The Spirit is back.

A spirit, like a gentle breeze off Qualicum beach.....

January 15 - Test Run

2007-01-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Spirit of BC blog.

This is the very first entry. A bit of trial run.

Don't forget that SPIRIT OF BC WEEK is from February 9 - 17, 2007.