Torch Relay to start a community celebration on its journey through Whistler Village, March 8

Get ready to celebrate! The Paralympic Torch Relay is stopping in Whistler on Monday (March 8), during its 10-day journey.
When the Paralympic Flame arrives in Whistler, it will ignite a community celebration, which will showcase the extraordinary achievements of local Paralympians and community members.

“As Whistler prepares to host the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, we look forward to this milestone and invite the community to celebrate our Paralympians and their achievements,” said Mayor Ken Melamed.

The community celebration kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with a Lil’wat Nation Fire Lighting Ceremony at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) featuring Lil’wat Hoop Dancer Alex Wells. At noon, the Paralympic Flame will start a journey to the top of Blackcomb Mountain over the Peak to Peak Gondola, down Whistler Mountain and throughout Whistler Village.

More than 40 torchbearers will carry the Paralympic Torch in Whistler, many of whom live and work in the community. Whistler’s community torchbearers include Matt Hallat, Brian Rode, Leslie Clark and Leslie Goldsmid.

The Official Ceremony and community celebration starts at 3 p.m. in Village Square. Festivities include live artist painting, face painting for kids, music from Dehli to Dublin and dancers.

The relay, supported by the Government of Canada, focuses on amazing stories of courage and perseverance rather than geography. The 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay started with a special Aboriginal-themed lighting ceremony in Ottawa involving 600 torchbearers. The relay will visit 11 celebration sites before arriving at BC Place in Vancouver for the opening of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games on March 12.

The Paralympic Winter Games will see upwards of 1,000 athletes from more than 40 countries compete in five sports (alpine and cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling and biathlon).

Matt Hallat, Leslie Clarke, Lillian Goldsmid and Brian Rode honoured for contributions to Whistler community

The 2010 Paralympic Torchbearers are the heroes of their communities, providing inspiration on daily basis.

In Whistler, Matt Hallat, Brian Rode, Leslie Clark and Leslie Goldsmid were chosen as community torchbearers for their contributions to community and disabled sport.

Matt Hallat is a member of the Canadian Para-Alpine Ski Team and he is gunning for gold at the upcoming 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. In fact, the moment Hallat heard the news of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2003, he moved to Whistler to pursue his dream.

Brian Rode has worked with the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program (WASP) since it’s inception. Whether it’s teaching people with disabilities how to ski or ensuring WASP equipment is finely tuned, Rode’s passion is evident.

Lillian Goldsmid has been a dedicated volunteer in Whistler for 40 years. In the 70s and 80s she organized the food for the volunteers at all the World Cup races. Goldsmid has also been reading to Miss Christopher’s Grade 1 and 2 classes at Myrtle Philip School for more than 20 years. When Whistler Community Services opened the Food Bank she was one of the first volunteers and when the Re-Use-It Centre was started, she volunteered on a regular basis.

Goldsmid is known in the community as “Nana” and can be identified in her car with the license plate “Nana G”.

Clarke has lived in Whistler since the early 80s, with a few minor stints out of town for various jobs over the years. Her driving passion has been skiing for work and for life. In the early days she worked for the innovative Ski Scamps program, skiing with the top level “red stars”.

Skiing has also taken Clarke on many travels from New Zealand to Europe to the far reaches of British Columbia. As Head Coach of Canada’s National Para-Alpine team, Leslie led the squad in the 2006 Paralympics in Torino where they racked up a number of medals for Canada.

So plan to come out and celebrate Whistler’s torchbearers on Monday March 8!

Paralympic Winter Games line up includes daily après concerts 

Each day during the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Whistler Village Square will continue to epitomize the après action Whistler is famous for!

As the heart of Whistler Live!, this venue pumps the stroll with the energy and passion of the Games. After showcasing the best in Paralympic competition on the big screens, our favourite Sea-to-Sky artists warm up the crowds for national bands who rock the stage until the sun goes down.

Set your watch for après as Village Square opens up for patriotic crowds. Three back-to-back bands mix things up, showcasing a range of Indie up-and-comers, seasoned Blues vets and pure Rock ‘n Rollers.

The acts you’ll see on the Whistler Live! Village Square stage starting March 12:

Chaque jour pendant les Jeux paralympiques d’hiver de 2010, le Village Square continuera à personnifier les après-activités pour lesquelles Whistler est célèbre! Comme cœur de Whistler Live!, ce site donnera de l’énergie et de la passion des Jeux à la promenade. Après avoir présenté les meilleures compétitions paralympiques sur les grands écrans, nos artistes Sea-to-Sky préférés chaufferont la foule pour des groupes nationaux qui se présenteront sur la scène jusqu’à ce qu’au coucher du soleil.

Préparez-vous à des après-activités tandis que le Village Square ouvre ses portes pour accueillir des foules patriotiques qui agitent leurs drapeaux, bougent au son de la musique et chantent à haute voix au fur et à mesure que la frénésie augmente. Trois groupes consécutifs mélangeront les choses, y compris des groupes prometteurs indépendants, des groupes blues chevronnés et des groupes tout à fait rock ‘n roll.

Parmi les spectacles que vous verrez sur la scène Village Square de Whistler Live! à compter du 12 mars, notons :

March 12: Whole Lotta Led, Rich Hope & His Evil Doers, Thornley

March 13: Bluesberry Jam Band, Bitterly Divine, She Stole My Beer

March 14: Brother Twang, Mimosa, Luke Doucet and the White Falcon

March 15: Redeye Empire, Jim Byrnes Trio, Bassekou Kouyate

March 16: Tommy Honest & the Liars, The Paperboys, The Waking Eyes

March 17: Route 99, Anique Granger, Rah Rah Band

March 18: Papa Josh, Hey Ocean!, Spirit of the West

March 19: Kostaman Band, Alpha Yaya Diallo, Rafael-Energia Dominicana

March 20: Still Smokin, The Respectables, 5440

March 21: Cease & Desist, (TBA), The Sadies

Coming soon! Check out the line-up of Whister Live! events during the Paralympics this week at
whistler2010.com/calendar

2010 Paralympics Games just around the corner - what you need to know

TRANSPORTATION
1. Transit in Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton resumes its regular winter service as of March 1.

2. The #10 Games Express continues from March 1 to 21. It connects the Athletes’ Village to the Gondola Transit Exchange and runs every 15 minutes from 5 a.m. to midnight.

3. As of March 1, regular fares apply on the 99 Pemberton Commuter, the 98 Squamish Commuter as well as the local service in Squamish and Pemberton.

4. Visit bctransit.com for complete information on transit changes.

5. Paralympic event tickets are valid for use on local Whistler Transit on event day until 4 a.m. the following morning.

6. The Sea to Sky checkpoint is closed. In the days following the Olympic Winter Games road crews will begin to remove the Olympic lane markers.

7. Blackcomb Way is still closed to public access between MY Place and Lorimer Road March 1 to 21. London Lane, under the bridge in Creekside, open March 1 to 6, then closed March 7 to 21.

8. Localized permitting in effect, Nordic Drive at Taluswood Place, March 7 21st, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. As well as, London Lane at Highway 99, March 7-21, 7am to 5pm.

THE MOUNTAINS
1. Creekside gondola is open to the public with priority loading for Paralympic athletes and officials.

2. Some of the previously closed runs on Whistler Mountain are now open. These include: Bear Cub, Raven/Ptarmigan, Upper Whisky Jack and Crabapple.

2010 PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES
1. Did you know that Whislter’s hosting 62 of the 64 medal events?

2. Did you know that the Alpine Super Combined event will debut at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games?

3. Did you know that the official symbol of the International Paralympic Committee is the three “agitos” –representing mind, body and spirit?

4. Whistler Olympic Park reopens recreational trails March 1 for public cross-country skiing. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

5. For up-to-date information on everything the 2010 Paralympic Games related, check whistler2010.com often.