Red Deer delegates in Prince George to take notes

Representatives from the next city to host the Canada Winter Games have been in Prince George to get an idea of exactly what they're in for when the Games are held in Red Deer in 2019.

"After watching Prince George and some of the great things they're doing, we're recognizing we have a lot of work to do," said 2019 CWG chairperson Lyn Radford on Friday.

Decked out in red hockey jerseys with the number 19 on the back to show they're from the Alberta city, Radford and a small team of delegates were in the city over the weekend touring the venues and taking in some of the sights and sounds. She also plans to be back for the closing weekend.

Almost as soon as she got off the plane, the size and scale of the Games was driven home as Radford encountered the throng of athletes, coaches, officials and parents collecting their baggage at the Prince George Airport.

The seemingly simple acts of matching athletes to their equipment and luggage is among the many organizational challenges for which Radford said organizers will have to be prepared.

"The logistics is unbelievable," said Radford.

Radford was in Prince George for the opening weekend and planned to spend plenty of time at Canada Games Plaza next to the Civic Centre where evenings have been filled with a steady stream of musical acts - Alan Doyle drew a big crowd on Sunday evening.

"The competition is important but a lot of times that is easily handled by the sport organizations, they do it all the time, so it's the other things that have to dovetail with it," Radford said. "And one of them is the cultural extravaganza."

Radford said she will also be striving to learn more about the "inner workings" like financing, accreditation, security and food services.

"It's a pretty broad spectrum but we are looking forward to it," Radford said.

Campaigning on the motto "Red Deer is Ready," the city of 100,000 won out over Lethbridge, which had hosted a Canada Winter Games in 1975. Grande Prairie was the host city in 1995, the last time it was Alberta's turn to host the Games.

"It was a hard-fought battle but quite an amicable one," Radford said.

Like Prince George, the Canada Winter Games will probably be the biggest thing Red Deer will have ever hosted. Advantages include Red Deer College's decision to close down its student dorms for three weeks and turn them over to the athletes and the fact it's just a 70-minute drive away from both Edmonton and Calgary, adding up to a market of about three million people.

Radford is hoping Edmonton's recent decision to drop out of the race to host the 2022 Winter Olympics will mean more volunteers and fans for the Games in Red Deer. The Memorial Cup will also be held in Red Deer in 2016, which Radford said could provide some valuable lessons.

As for the weather, Red Deer has largely escaped the untimely warmth that has struck Prince George.

"But we've had our years where it's been warm too, so you never know," Radford said. "You work with it, you do all your planning, and you go from there."