础听small work bee of volunteers gathered at the new 麻豆社国产Legacy Sports Park Saturday morning to get the site ready for this summer.
The work marked the end of the first portion of the 18-acre site, which Sea to Sky Nordics will use year-round to train both youth and adult athletes in Nordic sports.
鈥淭he first phase is basically done,鈥� said the club鈥檚 John Heilig. 鈥淭he goal for this year was to get it ready for the summer programs.鈥�
This summer, Sea to Sky Nordics will offer multi-sport summer day camps for young athletes to help with training. These will run during the week starting July 4 through to Aug. 12.
Some of the activities will focus on summer training for Nordic events such as ski jumping and biathlon, but there will also be others, such as disc golf, hiking and mini-golf.
鈥淭he idea is that these are multi-sport camps for basically anyone in the community,鈥� Heilig said.
Last fall, an eight-metre ski jump was installed at the park, although at that point there was only a tarp laid out in the landing area. On Saturday, volunteers spent time grooming the new sod, put down only days before.
One of the club鈥檚 young ski jumpers, Annabel Zarow, had tested the local jump out last fall, but since then she has been practising at the Whistler Olympic Park on the larger jumps.
At the time she tried it, she found the eight-metre jump a bit intimidating.
鈥淭his jump looks so tiny now,鈥� she said during Saturday鈥檚 work bee.
The eight-metre jump offers a good entry point into the sport though, and with the Whistler facilities, Heilig said 300 kids have now been able to try the sport.
Nearby, the shooting range, which is adjacent to the 麻豆社国产Gun Club, is ready, except for few more targets still to come, and will allow young athletes to train for the biathlon event.聽
For the activities such as the disc golf, Sea to Sky Nordics has set up tones 鈥� poles that ring when struck and serve as the 鈥渉oles.鈥� These are visible at different spots throughout the woods and will provide a challenge for the disc golf players.
The legacy park team is even working with local climbers to set up a climbing wall on the side of a small cliff.
鈥淲e鈥檇 sure like to have a little novice climbing area for our kids,鈥� Heilig said.
While the main idea behind the site is to offer a place for young Nordic sport athletes to train locally, it is being set up to offer additional activities in order for more people to use it.
鈥淚 think it鈥檒l be a great community asset, as we go,鈥� Heilig said.
For as many activities as site will offer, a lot of the work is not even visible, such installations for the electrical, storm water and irrigation infrastructure.
The entire project will take place in several phases, which could last up to five years.聽
Heilig said the next phase will involve more fundraising first before work begins on new elements, such as paving the roller skiing trail. They will also add a 30-metre jump beside the current jump.聽
The official opening is this Sunday at 1046 Raven Dr. A plaque will be unveiled at the site鈥檚 pavilion, which was erected with support from the 麻豆社国产Rotary Club.聽
