Easter memorial Rev. Al Tysick remembers victims of the street Friday Page A3
NEWS: Firefighters promoting smoke alarms /A3 ARTS: Jazz pianist has the world on a string /A12 SPORTS: Meet curling’s Team Canada /A16
VICTORIANEWS Friday, March 29, 2013
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Victoria has its chance to shine
Volunteer team helps city get ready to welcome curlers, fans to 2013 Ford World Men’s Championships
I
t’s a sunny morning and two grown women are busy digging in the sand behind the Victoria Curling Centre on Quadra Street. But for Susan Morriss and Judy Tuson, filling up faux curling rocks to weigh them down – they’re part of a display in the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre lobby – is just one small job among many that volunteers are undertaking in preparation for the 2013 Ford World Men’s Curling Championships. The nine-day event gets underway tomorrow (March 30) at the Save-On Centre. Canada’s Don Descoteau Brad Jacobs’ rink takes on Team China in the first Reporting draw at 2 p.m. Volunteer co-ordinator Todd Troyer, a longtime curler himself, was part of the volunteer crew for the 2005 Ford Worlds, the first sporting event held in Victoria’s new arena. He remembers things being somewhat frantic heading into that event. “It was a new beast. We hadn’t had one of these since the 1985 Briar (at the old Memorial Arena),” he recalls. “But we got into a rhythm.” Not surprisingly, the majority of his roughly 500-member volunteers crew are curlers, primarily from the Victoria Curling Centre but also from Esquimalt, Juan de Fuca and Glen Meadows clubs. Those working the main venue will be easy to spot in their official blue jackets, engaged as scorers, ice cleaners, statisticians and in other jobs. Many more work behind the scenes as drivers, set builders, banquet organizers and more. A key member of the ceremonies committee, Barry Turner of Colwood is co-ordinating much of the pre-game pomp and pageantry for each games draw. A veteran volunteer with the 2005 Ford Worlds and the 2009 Scotties Canadian
Volunteers Susan Morriss, left, and Judy Tuson fill up mock curling rocks with sand to weigh them down, before taking them to the front of the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The rocks became part of a display that will greet spectators for the 2013 Ford World Men’s Curling Championships, which open tomorrow (March 30). The team of roughly 500 volunteers is doing a wide variety of jobs in preparation for and during the nine-day event. Don Descoteau/News staff
women’s championships in Victoria, he is excited to once again be part of a worldclass event. “Victoria is a showcase city and we’ve got a pretty good show for the rest of the world to see,” he says. From the piping in of the teams, to assigning placard holders and flag bearers for each country, even arranging the dignitaries for the opening ceremonies, the goal is to create a good performance for the live crowd and the TV cameras. “Putting on a good show is what the ceremonies group does, three times a day,” Turner says. “We have to work closely together and under pressure of a timeline.”
Fellow volunteer Debra Gibson is on the rallies and banquets committee plus lounge duty. She doesn’t curl, but comes from a family of curlers and has been a huge fan of the game for years. Her first shift starts at 10 a.m. Saturday and she can’t wait for everything to get going. “I’m really excited and really looking forward to whole week,” she says. “It’s my first time volunteering for something like this. I wasn’t able to do it last time, but I really wanted to get involved. This is about the city, and the chance to make the city look good to the world is just amazing.” Victoria Curling Centre general manager
Bill Chester is impressed with the large number of people from his club who joined the volunteer ranks for the event. “There’s no doubt curling comes from the heart, so whenever there’s an event of this nature coming to Victoria, everybody gets involved,” he says. “You put aside what you can and you help out.” Volunteers have been working on the various aspects of the nine-day competition for more than a year – toplevel committee members even longer, as the city was awarded the event in October 2011.
PLEASE SEE:
Curling world’s eyes, Page A6