The B.C. Seniors Games are on the horizon and organizers for this year’s events are going full-steam ahead.
While most people are aware of what goes on during the actual event, they may not realize how much hard work and coordination goes on behind the scenes, often beginning a year in advance.
Trisha Davison, Trail’s director of parks and recreation, knows all too well how much effort it takes to put together an event of this size. She’s the sport venue planner for the city-owned venues that will be used by the Games Aug. 16 to 20.
She said the most difficult aspect of the planning may not be what one thinks.
“The co-ordination of booking of sports is not a complicated thing, however, there’s a lot of moving pieces to the actual hosting of one of those events,” she explained.
“I would say the largest work that’s been going on to date has been prepping the facilities for the actual event.”
The co-ordination of public works and trade staff, contractors and other resources used to ensure that venues are up-to-par makes up the majority of her work and to that end, Davison has daily meetings with the city’s public works department to ensure everything is going to plan.
“Even within our existing facilities some of them involved large capital upgrades that required timing and quote-seeking, consultant or contract co-ordination,” she said, adding that all of that is all coming to a head throughout the month of July.
And Seniors Games projects aren’t the only projects going on in the city either, which means that resource co-ordination is key. Some projects overlap, which has worked out well.
She wouldn’t say it was tough, but only that it required being on top of everything that’s going on, all at once.
“It’s more just having the pre-planning of how things are going to all unfold to jive with the start of the Games.”
Davison said there hasn’t been a lot of impact on activities that are usually held at local venues during the summer, which has made her job a whole lot easier.
The director is no stranger to coordinating big events — she was an integral part of the 2008 BCSSA Provincial Championships that were held in Trail.
The difference between that event and this one though, is the number of venues she has to co-ordinate. And while Trail is no stranger to hosting large events, the degree of co-ordination between multiple venues all at once is challenging but one that Davison looks forward to tackling every day.
“This city takes tremendous pride in the facilities they have and we want them to look fantastic when all these people are in town to come to the Games,” she said.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to work on the city side and help make all the things they hope these Games to be happen.”