After six months of work, the committee to bring the Manitoba Summer Games to Steinbach is nearing the final stage in the bid process. Steinbach has been identified as a finalist for the games along with three other communities (Selkirk, Killarney and Swan River).
The next and final step for Steinbach is to guide Sport Manitoba on a site tour this Saturday, June 6th. The committee will guide a group from the Games Selection Committee around the community and the committee needs the community’s enthusiasm and support on that day!
“We would love to have a big group of people there to show community spirit and support,” said Jason Peters, City Recreation Programmer. “This will go a long way in helping us bring this event to Steinbach.”
The Committee will be meeting Sport Manitoba at 3pm on Saturday, June 6th, at the Rolls Royce (big red car) at the northeast corner of the Clearspring Centre’s parking lot. They are asking for you to bring your families, friends, and anybody else, to help welcome Sport Manitoba here on June 6th at 2:45pm. They encourage people to come out (bring some signs or paint your kids faces if you want to get really crazy) and welcome the selection committee to Steinbach. The welcome will be completed by around 3:30pm, so it will not take much of your time.
“I am very confident that Steinbach’s residents will step forward to not only pull for the games, but make them the best ever,” said Peters. “We need to show Sport Manitoba our spirit and that our community is ready to embrace an event of this magnitude.”
Peters adds, “We are very confident that the City’s facilities, along with its commitment for improvements at these facilities, will be very suitable for us to host the games.”
Please feel free to let Jason Peters know if you plan to attend, 346-6217.
For those unfamiliar with the Manitoba Games, or what the benefits to Steinbach would be, here is more information:
The games will be held over a one-week period in the summer of 2012. They are held every four years, just like the Olympic Games. The Manitoba Games are aimed at participants between the ages of 10 and 17 (depending on sport) and are meant to increase participation, physical activity, and athletic achievement for our next generation. The Games also serve as a key developmental tool for our future Olympians and international caliber athletes. Cindy Klassen is a great example of an athlete that used the Manitoba Games as a stepping-stone to great success.
Steinbach would see a direct economic impact of over a million dollars from this event, which would be by far the largest sporting event ever held in our region. We would be home to 1800 athletes plus their coaches, officials, and families. The athletes would be housed in two separate Athlete Villages (located in two schools) and would be a part of our community for that week.
If Steinbach is awarded the games, the community will see significant facility upgrades and some new construction. The Bid Committee and its partners, the City of Steinbach and Hanover School Division, are committed to this process which will see construction of a brand new hard surfaced track for the athletics competition; upgrade and addition of a new beach volleyball court; construction of a track for the cycling portion; addition of a building with change rooms and canteen at the new Steinbach Soccer Park; as well as a grass infield for the baseball diamond at the A.D. Penner Park, upgraded infields, dugouts and fencing on softball diamonds and more. These upgrades and new facilities will be left in the community providing first-rate recreational opportunities and creating a legacy for many years to come. Another huge positive is that these facilities will be built with considerably less public finances than would normally be required as the City is eligible for significant grant opportunities and funding streams through Sport Manitoba and its corporate sponsors.
If you have any questions, or would like more information, please feel free to contact Jason Peters at 346-6217 or at jpeters@steinbach.ca.
