Towns laying out the welcome mat
Volunteers at forefront as communities hope to boost profile, tourism
Written by Lena Sin, and published in The Province newspaper on January 28, 2010
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| Olympic volunteer Alicia Tjutjunnik, 26, (second from right) gives Russian language training to (from left) Steve Kellock, Abbotsford Arena manager; Christine Lange, director of sales, Ramada Inn; and Allison Longshore, manager Tourism Abbotsford, at a training session at the Ramada in Abbotsford on Wednesday. Photograph by: Les Bazso, PNG, The Province |
Starting Sunday, [UFV employee] Alicia Tjutjunnik will become a volunteer concierge devoted to satisfying every need of the 2010 Russian figure-skating team.
From driving them to training sessions in Abbotsford, which is serving as the team's pre-Games host, to taking them sightseeing, the 26-year-old volunteer is ready for the call -- 24/7.
"I love Abbotsford, I'm very passionate about Abbotsford and I'm myself of Russian background. I think it's so exciting presenting our community to them and making them feel at home," said Tjutjunnik.
From Abbotsford to Penticton and Dawson Creek to the Comox Valley, B.C.'s small towns are laying out the welcome mat to more than 21 different countries whose athletes will train here in the lead up to the start of the Winter Games on Feb. 12.
For Tjutjunnik, it's all about sharing in the Olympic spirit. For Abbotsford and other pre-Games host cities, it's much more than that.
Abbotsford is expected to reap an estimated $150,000 for hosting the Russian figure-skating and Japanese speed-skating teams. The economic impact includes hotels, meals and transit, but not spectator expenditure, which will bring in additional spinoff revenue as the public flocks to see the Olympians train at the Abbotsford Recreation Centre.
"We're getting requests from school groups and people living in Vancouver and the I-5 [highway] corridor [in Washington state]. So there will be spinoffs," said Allison Longshore, marketing manager with Tourism Abbotsford. "It gives us local, national and international media coverage."
To ensure the Olympians have a seamless pre-Games training camp in Abbotsford, the city has recruited a large contingent of 55 volunteers, including Tjutjunnik, who spent Wednesday teaching basic Russian to staff at the Ramada Inn, where the Russian skaters will be staying when they arrive Sunday.
The same effort to cater to the world's athletes is playing out all over B.C.
In the Okanagan, 19 Olympic and Paralympic teams will be training in Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton.
At the Mount Washington Alpine Resort on northern Vancouver Island, 26 teams from 15 different countries will be training in the next few weeks.
Currently, there are 250 athletes and support staff, with another 200 Olympians and Paralympians expected in the coming weeks.
The Comox Valley resort has the benefit of similar snow conditions to those in Whistler and currently has the deepest snowpack worldwide.
Brent Curtain, spokesman for Mount Washington, could not provide an estimated economic impact for the resort, but noted it was significant. "The accommodation in the village is getting booked up to numbers we'd normally see in Christmas and holiday periods," he said.
lsin@theprovince.com
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