SPIRIT OF BC WEEK: 02/12/07

Nanaimo Gets the Spirit

Meanwhile over on the island, Nanaimo caught the Spirit of BC with events, fun and sports at "Sportfest".

Everyone got their smile on especially with the warm and sunny weather. Beban Park's Frank Crane Areana & Mezzanine and the Breezeway between the Arena and Social Centre were ideal locations for showcasing the festival's activities and presentations.

Events included:

Outdoor Curling

Luge run

Wheelchair basketball

Face painting

Skating

A mascots vs. celebrities hockey game

Local MLAs and Athletes

Nanaimo local, figure skater extraordinaire, and Olympic hopeful Kelsey Ross performed a skating routine. Her image is to the left with local MLA Ron Cantelon for Nanaimo Parksville.

Kesley has her skates sharpened for the 2010 Olympics. She's already won gold at the 2004 BC Winter games, gold at the 2005 Western Challenge in Ontario and gold at the Vancouver Island Region Championships.

The B.C./YT. Section of Skate Canada has recently chosen Kelsey to be part of a hand picked group of other competitors from our province training for the 2010 Olympic Game Plan.

Congratulations Kelsey! Keep on training!

For more post-event coverage, images, and bios on up and coming young athletes in the Nanaimo area please visit www.teamnanaimo.com/sportfest

Abbotsford Plans for Spirit of BC Week

Abbotsford is another community in BC that has spent a lot of time and hard work to make Spirit of BC come alive. Events included:

A flag raising at City Hall
Local entertainment by the Pacific Mennonite Children's Choir and the F.V.Yevshan Ukrainian Dancers
Provincial proclamation reading by MLAs and hot chocolate
Walk to Whistler led by the 861 Air Cadet Squadron marching band
A Community challenge for Walk to Whistler with Fire, Police, Chamber, Service Clubs, Brownies/Guides/Scouts, Sports teams, etc

The community was invited to join the fun at the Sport Legacy Centre for the Abbotsford Spirit of BC Mini-Cultural Festival. Arts and Culture displays, ethnic food and taste samples included yummy bannock bread and entertainment and costumes from local organizations.

Background on the F.V. Yevshan Ukranian Dancers

They began over 28 years ago
Started with 3 dancers and now have 36 energetic dancers ranging in age from 4 to 14 who share a love of dance, music and the Ukrainian heritage
Have performed at the PNE, the Dragon Boat Festival, in Victoria, and in the Okanagan, the Western Canada Summer Games, at Canada Day celebrations in Abbotsford, with the Fraser Valley Symphony Orchestra, at the Malanka of the FVUCS, and at many more events

Aren't they adorable in their outfits?

Background on the Pacific Mennonite Children's Choir

A local community choir of talented children aged 8-16
Earned gold at the International Riva del Garda choral competition in Italy
Singers have served organizations as divers as Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Missions Fest Vancouver and the Abbotsford Spirit of BC

Spirit of BC Week Kick Off - Entertainment

Besides watching our Premier playing sledge hockey there were many other opportunities to enjoy some quality entertainment - all for free and great for families.

First Nations dancers provided colour, movement, and the perfect welcome.

SportFit was there. It's an online sport education program that matches a student's personal preference and physical attributes with sports.

It was free to sign up, kids got a free t-shirt and the opportunity to learn what their skill level is in a number of sports.

Some of skills include the stork stand, basketball throw, a vertical jump, and partial curl ups. SportFit was a great complement to the healthy snacks freely available.

Meanwhile...

Meanwhile, out on the ice the North Surrey Figure Skating Club provided an interactive demonstration. This was just a number of performances on the rink. Others included: