Hockey and ringette players who prefer NHL-sized rinks and don't like the idea of playing on an ice surface that's 15 feet wider won't have to worry about it at the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
The 200-foot long by100-foot wide Olympic-sized ice surface at Kin 1 will be used for short track speed skating and figure skating, but not hockey or ringette.
During the first week of the Games, short track speed skating will be featured from Feb. 15-20, while the long track oval at Exhibition Park (behind Kin 3) will be in use for Games competition from Feb. 14-19.
Kin 1 will be the place to be to watch Special Olympics figure skating, scheduled for the duration of the Games, Feb. 13-March 1, 2015, while figure skating's competitive stream men's and women's singles, pairs and dance competitions are scheduled for Feb. 23-26.
The hockey venues for the Games are CN Centre and Kin 2. Women take the ice first, from Feb. 14-20, followed by the men from Feb. 22-March 1. Ringette will be based at the Coliseum and Kin 2 and 3 from Feb. 14-20.
One of the requirements of hosting the Canada Games is for the host committee to oversee a series of test events. Earlier this month, gymnastics was featured at the Judges Cup/B.C. Winter Games qualifying tournament at the Prince George Gymnastics Club, while the Prince George Golf and Curling Club hosted the B.C. Scotties Tournament of Hearts provincial women's and curling championship.
Next up on the test event schedule is this weekend's Western Canadian biathlon championships, Saturday and Sunday at Otway Nordic Centre, while snowboard sports will be featured at Tabor Mountain Ski Resort. The B.C. Snowboard Association's Like Me Snowboard Series slopestyle competition is set for Saturday, followed by the snowboard cross event on Sunday.
The Prince George Alpine Ski Club will host the Under-16 provincial alpine championships Feb. 17-22 at Purden Mountain Ski Resort.
In other Canada Games test events upcoming this winter, the big ice at Kin 1 will be the venue for the Canadian short track speed skating championships, March 14-16, hosted by the Prince George Blizzard Speed Skating Club.
In hockey, Prince George will host this year's bantam tier 1 boys provincial championship tournament from March 16-21. The Farr Fabricating bantam Cougars will be the host team.
The ringette test event is the 2014 provincial A, B and C championships, set for March 6-9, at the Coliseum, Elksentre and Kin 2.
This year's test event for figure skating -- the B.C. provincial championships -- will also be at Kin 1, but that won't be until Nov. 6-9.
