One guilt trip and some emotional blackmail thrown in, and Greater Vernon B.C. Winter Games organizing committee president Akbal Mund had his man in Garry Van Soest.
Mund recruited Van Soest to be the director of registration and results for the Games, which run Thursday to Sunday in Vernon, Armstrong, Coldstream and Silver Star after hearing of Van Soest’s successful past in helping organize the K2 National Alpine Ski Championships at the Star.
“We put on the K2 nationals for a two-year commitment and it was almost the same size of the Winter Games,” chuckled Van Soest, 47.
“Somebody told Akbal, he came and talked to me and found my weak spot.”
Van Soest’s role entails the accreditation at the opening of the Games of all the athletes and volunteers.
To help him, he recruited some Vernon Ski Club alumni.
Sheryl Bolton is responsible for setting up the management of the 2,000-plus volunteers through all of the directors.
Lauren Stahl has been responsible for volunteer recruitment for the registration and results directorate.
The husband and wife team of Ted and Laurie Spearin will be responsible for all of the results, managing them, getting result reports out, collating the results and sending them to all the provincial sport organization bodies behind the event.
The only non-ski club alum in the management group, Todd Hanna, is responsible for the computer infrastructure running the events.
“We’ve been planning for more than a year,” said Van Soest of his group. “
We’re looking forward to the Games. It’s going to be a difficult, stressful, wonderful exciting week.”
Van Soest, who competed in waterskiing at the 1986 B.C. Summer Games in Cranbrook, will be at Silver Star helping out with alpine skiing and watching his middle daughter, Kristina, compete.
