TATAMAGOUCHE - Central Nova Scotia lost out on hosting the Canada Winter Games but the Tatamagouche area will be home to hundreds of the athletes for two weeks next winter.
The North Shore community of Bayhead has been selected to be a satellite athletes' village for next year's Games that are being hosted in Halifax. An estimated 260 athletes, competing in the freestyle (80 athletes) and alpine skiing (180 athletes) events at Ski Wentworth, will be housed at the Tim Horton's Camp with coaches and managers.
"All of the rest of our athletes will be staying in the athletes' village in the downtown core of Halifax," said Games communications co-ordinator Andrea Young.
The travel time and winter road conditions were factors in the need to set up a satellite village.
"It's just because Wentworth is that much further outside of the city. In order to give the athletes the competition experience they require, we wouldn't want them to be on the road for that amount of time coming and going," Young said. "That's why it's ideal to have a satellite village."
The Games will take place from Feb. 11 to 27 and will be the largest multi-sport event in Nova Scotia history.
A satellite athletes' village is not new. Young said in 1995 the Winter Games were hosted in Grand Prairie, AB but alpine skiers stayed in Jasper.
It is expected to be quite a boon for the Central Nova Scotia with family of the athletes expected to stay between Truro and the Tatamagouche to be close to the action.
Organizers will be looking for hundreds of volunteers over the two-week period at the satellite village. They will be needed in variety of roles, including athlete entertainment, guess room services and equipment handling. These will be on top of the volunteers that will be needed at Ski Wentworth.
Organizers recently held an open house in Tatamagouche and have received some applications.
To learn more about volunteer visit: http://www.canadagames2011.ca/en/home/default.aspx
Volunteers who have completed and submitted their Criminal Records Check by June 17 will automatically be entered into a draw for a chance to win tickets to see the 2010 Royal Nova Scotia international Tattoo on Thursday, July 8.
