Most athletes consider themselves fortunate to qualify for one or two Canada Winter Games. These are John Cushing's fifth.
Cushing, a 68-year-old from Edmonton, is in Prince George in a volunteer capacity. He arrived in early February and helped with the setup at Tabor Mountain, host venue for freestyle skiing. Once the Games started, he shifted his focus to media services. He has spent time at Tabor, the Otway Nordic Centre and the Northern Sport Centre, assisting various media outlets in the gathering of their stories.
For Cushing - who holds a Masters degree in recreation administration and sport studies - being involved in the Canada Winter Games over the years has been his way of staying close to sport and lending his expertise to the organizing committees.
"You are doing something for the enjoyment of others," Cushing said. "There's a real positive vibe with these Games and they always have been that way. When we do cross country ski events or biathlon events in Canmore - usually at the international level - it's the same thing. You get return thanks and gratitude from the athletes and coaches and so on."
Cushing loves being around high-level athletes and seeing them compete at events like the Canada Winter Games.
"It's just their enthusiasm, and that they've trained so hard for this moment," he said. "This is their moment and it doesn't matter how you compare to another athlete from another province or territory."
The positive energy of the athletes, he added, is contagious.
"Definitely, and I can see it in other volunteers here," he said. "That's why they love being a part of the Games. And it doesn't matter what you're doing, you get those vibes."
Cushing's first Canada Winter Games was in Grande Prairie, Alta., in 1995. Leading up to Prince George, his others were in Campbellton and Bathurst, N.B. (2003), Whitehorse, Yukon (2007) and Halifax, N.S. (2011). Cushing was also on staff for the 1997 Canada Summer Games in Brandon, Man.
As well as working at international competitions in places like Canmore and nearby Lake Louise, Alta., Cushing was a volunteer during the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Vancouver-Whistler. For the Olympics, he worked at Cyprus Mountain, which was the venue for freestyle skiing and snowboarding. And, at the Paralympics, he was stationed at Whistler for the para-alpine events.
Cushing is passionate about sport, and not just the various ski disciplines. His other loves include squash (he is a national-level official and has worked at previous Canada Winter Games in that capacity) and triathlon. His volunteer involvement in triathlon has included multiple world championships in Edmonton and the Kelowna Apple Triathlon.
Cushing is single and semi-retired so he has a certain degree of freedom to travel to events. Here in Prince George, he has been staying at the home of Derek and Vicki Plummer, who have also been giving their time to the Games.
While Cushing said he doesn't like to compare any one Canada Winter Games with another, he had nothing but positive comments about the 2015 edition.
"It's excellent - there are some really good attributes here," he said. "Your venues are excellent, the opening ceremonies were excellent. I think your transportation is very good - you seem to have three systems in place. And the advantage is that your venues are concentrated so it's not difficult to get around. Transportation is always difficult at any Games and I think you've done it very well. I don't know the insides and outs but that's a cursory, outside perspective. And Canada Games Plaza is an excellent setup."
Cushing is also a big fan of having athlete accommodations in the downtown.
"Halifax and these Games, the athletes are staying in downtown hotels and I don't know if it's a paradigm shift but it's great," he said. "It allows the athletes and support groups to be downtown, taking in all the activities and entertainment."
The next Canada Winter Games will be in 2019 in Red Deer, practically in Cushing's back yard. He said he hopes to be a part of them.
"I can't guarantee anything but yes, it would certainly be a good opportunity," he said. "I'm getting older, so we'll see."
