Unseasonably warm Prince George weather was causing concern for weeks in the Canada Winter Games offices. The weather was being especially hard on the Outdoor Ice Oval where the long track speed skating events were being held. They tried a few races this weekend in the early morning hours when the ice was firmest, but crews could not restore the surface for another day.
The bad news delivered on Monday morning was the remainder of the competition had been moved to the contingency site in Fort St. John.
The good news was, the remainder of the competition had been moved to the contingency site in Fort St. John. There was a Plan B for this event.
Weather events constantly hamper the long track speed skating portion of any Canada Winter Games. In oceanside Halifax, they got a cold snap and made it happen. In Whitehorse, said organizers who remembered 2007, there were medical concerns about the athletes' skin around their eyes and mouths – the only exposed places – because it was so cold.
And in 1999 in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, well, none of the organizers wanted that result. It was so warm, the event had to be cancelled altogether.
"All along, this group (Prince George's organizers) has been focused on that not happening again, and worked hard to have contingency plans in place," said Canada Games Council CEO Sue Hylland.
"Exceptional athlete experience is our top priority," added local Games boss Stuart Ballantyne. "It is great to have these contingencies in place. We were committed to competing in Prince George, and we had great competitions so far, but these athletes have trained for years for this opportunity and we are going to deliver it."
There are now travel logistics and racetrack logistics to carry out. Flights and buses were being arranged for 63 skaters and 75 parents, plus all the coaches, timers, track officials, and other personnel associated with the event.
Helping ease the situation was the large number of Fort St. John people who were already involved in the Games at the Prince George site, there to participate in and learn from this high-level competition. They got to experience a day of racing on the Prince George outdoor track (most in Canada are outdoor ovals) and now they get to finish the task on their home rink, the Pomeroy Sport Centre.
Craig Stanley, director of facilities and grounds for the City of Fort St. John, said that the whole Fort St. John team "was placed on standby for this possibility several months ago. We offered the use of the Pomeroy Sport Centre to the Canada Winter Games as the contingency facility and we are ready to jump in and help out.”
Christina Chénard, Speed Skating Canada's technical representative at the Games, said "the ice was fantastic yesterday, but the weather was not on our side" while lavishing praise on the Prince George team of skilled volunteers who stickhandled the ice up until the last minute.
She also praised the organizers for having the Fort St. John option so well-developed.
"The safety padding is ready to go. We have to move our office, but the facility itself is ready for us."
When asked if the Canada Games central headquarters ever considered dropping the long-track event to save itself weather forecasting headaches every time, or requiring indoor facilities of the bid-communities, the answer to both was no. The indoor requirement would cancel most Canadian towns and cities out of applying for the Games, and, said Chénard, "Long-track speed skating wants to be part of the Canada Winter Games."
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