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Ringette parents give Games rave reviews

Kevin and Sara Tod had no idea what they were in for when they drove in from Calgary to watch their daughter Ali play ringette for Team Alberta in the Canada Winter Games.
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Kevin and Sara Tod of Calgary said goodbye to Prince George after nine days in the city watching their 19-year-old daughter Ali play ringette for Team Alberta.

Kevin and Sara Tod had no idea what they were in for when they drove in from Calgary to watch their daughter Ali play ringette for Team Alberta in the Canada Winter Games.

Having never been to Prince George, they weren't sure how prepared the city was to host 5,000 visitors over the 17 days of the Games.

The Tods wondered if there were enough restaurants to feed all those people, what they would to do to fill their time when their daughter's team wasn't playing, and whether the volunteer force gathered for the Games would be able to pull it off.

If last week was any indication, Prince George - with all its natural amenities, top-shelf sports facilities, friendly residents and caring volunteers - deserves a gold-star rating from the Tods, as does the organizing committee which made the Games possible. After nine days in the city they returned to Alberta on Saturday feeling like they've had a royal welcome.

"Last night, after we wrapped things up watching the gold-medal game in ringette, a number of the parents congregated to have a beer and we all had nothing but positives to say about the girls' experiences and our own," said Kevin, a Calgary dentist. "People were so friendly, the venues were so well-organized and the volunteers were there every time you had a question."

Not knowing anything about Prince George before they she arrived, Sara, a nurse, left with a similar impression of the Games.

"It was the best-organized event - for a small city they've done so much stuff and they're so proud of the work they've done," Sara said.

The Tods live active lifestyles and they packed their snowshoes, expecting winter weather. What that got instead was a taste of spring, with above-average temperatures and no new snow. But they still went for walks in the snow at Forests for the World and the Cranbrook Hill Greenway, where they discovered cougar tracks. While the unseasonable conditions forced organizers to move long track speed skating indoors in Fort St. John, there were plenty of pluses to not having to trudge through knee-deep drifts to get around to Games venues.

"Even the wheelchair basketball athletes came over to support us at the Coliseum in a number of games, as opposed to having to get on a bus," said Kevin. "We went to their games and they would come to our games. It was a fun week for Ali - mingling with the athletes, hearing a variety of music at the Civic Centre, and trading pins."

Only four of the 24 of the athletes from Nunavut were involved in the first week of the Games and their territorial team pins are among the most coveted. One of the ringette players found the asking price for a Nunavut pin was her Alberta team jacket. The wool lumberjack hats, complete with fake black beards, are also hot commodities.

The Tods took advantage of a special offer at the YMCA of Northern B.C. and bought a two-week membership for $26. They were impressed with the facilities and got to know a few of the regulars during their morning workouts.

They didn't miss the traffic of Calgary and liked the fact all Games venues are close together. The ringette players walked from their hotels to their games at the Coliseum and they were able to leave their equipment overnight in the rink to dry.

"We were 10 minutes to anywhere at any time of day and that was such a treat," Kevin said.

"The only lineup we were in was in the Canfor building for one of those lumberjack hats," added Sara.

The Tods know the parents of Alberta long track speed skater Kevin Yaholnitsky and went to the Exhibition Park oval to watch him race the 3,000m event Sunday, the only day the weather would allow long track competition in Prince George. They also enjoyed the opening ceremonies and how the event featured young entertainers.

They were impressed with the variety and quality of the city's restaurants and felt welcome wherever they went to eat, especially on Friday when the White Goose Bistro downtown extended its normal lunch hours to accommodate their group of 10 hungry ringette parents.

"Certainly, when people ask me about Prince George I'll be talking about the hospitality of everybody up here," said Kevin. "We talked to people from Vancouver who have moved to the area and they love the friendliness of the people, the different outdoor activities and the pace of life."

"There are so many options," said Sara. "You can see why Prince Georgians love their city. We've told everyone how great it's been, and everyone wants to know as well, all the Prince George people were asking what we thought.

"We feel very lucky to have come and we'll spread the word."