Terrace 2010 BC Winter Games - Youth Leadership

Although the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics have come to a close and the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics have not yet begun, there was the Terrace 2010 BC Winter Games in between. While we have all undoubtedly witnessed and felt the presence of the Olympic Games here in Vancouver in the last few weeks, there is little to be known about the 2010 BC Winter Games that is held in various locations throughout British Columbia every two years.

The BC Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games "provide an opportunity for the development of athletes, coaches, and officials in preparation for higher levels of competition in a multi-sport event which promotes interest and participation in sport and sporting activities, individual achievement, and community development.”

I was fortunate to be selected as a youth leadership delegate after reading it in a local newspaper back in January. The 2010 BC Winter Games were held in Terrace, BC from March 4-7. The BC Winter Games is one of the biggest multi-sport events in BC and Canada that bring together young and developing athletes from every region of our province, and was broadcast live on Global TV. While competition may have been on the minds of everybody during this three-day event, together we built long-lasting friendship, strong teamwork, and set goals for our future.

The Winter Games doesn’t just simply focus around the athletes, but the countless local volunteers, officials and coaches that contribute together to making the event a success. All of the athletes and participants of the Youth Leadership Academy came from different regions of British Columbia. Some past BC Games Alumnus include Kelsey Serwa and Julia Murray, participants of the Canadian National Ski Cross Team, who placed 5th and 12th at the recent Vancouver Olympics.

While most were there to develop their skill at a particular sport, I was there to develop my leadership skills with interactive workshops regarding communications and event management, training sessions such as "Unleashing Your Leadership Potential," and special presentations from Robert Esmie and Anthony Wright, an Atlantic 1996 gold medalist for the 4×100 relays and a Beijing 2008 Olympian for Canada’s national field hockey team, respectively.

In addition, we were invited to attend the spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies and an interactive Hypnotist show, as well as the Dinner of Champions with many special guests from the local community including Robert and Anthony, who were the feature guest speakers at the formal banquet.

For myself, my four-day experience at the 2010 BC Winter Games as a youth delegate helped increase my leadership skills and develop the skills and confidence to be a better person in my local community.

For more details and participant results on the 2010 BC Winter Games, visit www.bcgames.org. If you are in grade 9 or 10 and wish to participate in future Winter Games as a youth leadership delegate, visit www.bcacademy.ca for the latest news and updates.