I was lucky to be able to spend some time at The Charles Jago Northern Sports Centre as part of the squash event for the Canada Winter Games. The games were a success and I think it is important to thank some of the people responsible for this success.
Thank you to The Citizen reporters for their story and photos on the glass courts and athletes. Lisa Shaw-MacLaren was tenacious in her efforts to get the courts to P.G. Bryan Mix was asked to come on board and help get the courts assembled. He did a great job, getting Darcy Bryant to fulfill the electrical requirements and working with WIC construction, who generously supplied 800 pieces of plywood and a crew of carpenters to build the subfloor and and help put the courts together.
This contribution alone was a donation worth $10,000. (Many other organizations like this
deserve thanks for all they did to make the games possible.) The minor officials were
responsible for ensuring the playing area was ready for play. They performed their jobs in a
professional manner and contributed much to the success of the event. The officials from
Squash Canada handled their duties to a high level. Thank you to Gerry Poulton and his crew.
The local squash SOC (Sport Organizing Committee) put in many hours and were an
instrumental part of the games' success. Thanks Barry Hirtz, Josh Maclver, Reg Foot, Tech Fu, Jenny Hogan and Nini Tran for your contributions. Thank you to Emmy Blouin for being the liasion between the Winter Games and our local squash group. Thanks to Alan Cook and Rebecca Fouchard Vassilakakis for being such great ambassadors of the sport of squash. Alan and Rebecca are children of Rick and Winnie Cook and Joe and Cathy Fouchard, avid squash players and valued members of the P.G. squash community. Alan and Rebecca were introduced to the sport at an early age and with the help of the local squash players who provided coaching and competition improved and became members of Provincial and National Squash teams. They have continued to enjoy all aspects of squash and are currently giving back. Alan is coach of the Ontario Men's Team which won Silver in the Games. Rebecca coaches the B.C. Women's Team.
She led them to a fourth place finish and had a player win gold in the individual event. What a great story! The cycle from learning the game in P.G. to returning to P.G. to give back to the next generation is a wonderful one. Finally, I would like to thank the Canada Winter Games for allowing these young athletes the opportunity to meet new friends, compete at a high level of skill and make memories that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.
Bill Maclver
Prince George
