Four additional directors - including former Olympian Tuppy Hoehn - have been appointed to the 2015 Canada Winter Games Host Society board.
Also appointed to the board were chartered accountant Alison Hoskins, Pioneer Log Homes executive Marcel Therrien and B.C. Games CEO Kelly Mann. The society requested nominations for additional board members in September and early October. A selection committee reviewed the nominations and selected the four new members.
"I think people are going to be amazed at what the games will do for Prince George," Hoehn said. "I'm excited about what is going to be happening in the community, leading up to the games."
Hoehn is the owner of Stride and Glide Sports in Prince George, and represented Canada in biathlon in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan.
"My interest came from being a participant in the [Canada Winter] Games in 1991, when I was 15," Hoehn said. "For me at the time, it was a really big deal. That was my first step toward being an Olympic athlete."
Hoehn said she hopes to bring an athlete's eye view to the board.
On the other side of the coin, Hoskins will bring a strong financial approach to managing the games. Hoskins is the controller at Integris Credit Union, chair of the credit union's advisory council, coach with the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club and Prince George Youth Soccer Association, and organizer of the Otway Challenge.
"Years and years ago I participated in the B.C. Summer Games and it had a huge impact on my youth," Hoskins said. "I think this is a real opportunity for some great legacies."
Hosting the 2015 Canada Games will be a great opportunity for Prince George in both the short term, and in terms of longer-term impact, she said.
Therrien and Mann could not be reached for comment as of press time.
Therrien, from Williams Lake, was a Canada Winter Games gold medalist in volleyball in 1979. He was appointed to the board by the B.C. provincial government.
In addition to being CEO of the B.C. Games Society, he is founding chairperson of KidSport Greater Victoria, a board member of the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence, oversees the Olympic legacy programs VolWeb and Hosting B.C., and was a 2010 Olympic and Paralympic ambassador.
"We would like to thank all those in the public who took the time to express their interest in being involved on the Host Society," host society chairperson Anthony Everett said. "As a result of the diverse set of skills and experience these additional Directors possess , our board is now poised to prepare to host the nation in 2015."
Other members of the board include Everett, Derek Bates, Tracy Calogheros, Andy Clough, Paul Flaherty, Sue Hylland, Jim Martin, Blair Mayes, Bryan Mix, Geoff Paynton, Brett Robinson, Joshua Seymour and Finlay Sinclair.
