The 2018 Manitoba Games went out in style March 10 with an elaborate closing ceremony that paid tribute to the athletes, coaches, volunteers and organizers who made this seven-day multi-sport event possible.
Much like the opening ceremonies that took place March 4, Saturday’s festivities got underway at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena and featured the same kind of spectacle from the previous week.
Once again, the athletes and coaches were put front and centre at the beginning of the ceremony, as they marched onto the ice wearing colours that represented six different regions of the province.
Members of Team Winnipeg Gold were in particularly high spirits that afternoon, since they finished the games at the top of the medal standings with 47 gold, 56 silver and 53 bronze.
Because of their accomplishments, Team Winnipeg Gold was presented with the J.A. Ernst Spirit of the Games trophy for showcasing the greatest level of enthusiasm throughout the week.
Meanwhile, Team North – which landed in last place with seven gold, eight silver and six bronze medals –was given the Larry Desjardins Sportmanship Award for their continued display of respect before, during and after the competition.
However, most of the dignitaries who took to the stage to provide closing remarks reminded all these athletes that trophies and medals are secondary to the real driving force behind the games: showcasing the spirit of competition.
“You rose to the occasion, you seized the opportunity and you captured the moment,” said Thompson MLA Kelly Bindle. “What I want you to do is cherish and share and celebrate this experience, because just like your coaches, your parents, your families, your friends and all the volunteers here, all Manitobans are proud of you.”
City councillor Kathy Valentino went even further by saying that watching these athletes perform over the past week has inspired her and other Thompsonites to keep fighting and get through the rough financial times that they are currently embroiled in.
“We watched you fall down, we watched you get up, we watched you win some medals, we watched some of you not win some medals, but you’ve inspired us to get up and work hard for what we believe in.”
Sport Manitoba CEO Jeff Hnatiuk also took the time to remind everybody in attendance that this was the largest winter games that have ever been held in Manitoba, with over 1,400 participants and 10,000 spectators watching throughout the week.
Thompson’s unique and multi-faceted facilities also allowed Sport Manitoba to include several athletic events that weren’t seen in some previous winter editions of the games, including swimming, alpine skiing, and speed skating, which was featured for the first time.
Hnatiuk went on to say that this year’s event was even more impressive when one considers the fact that the host society was saddled with the shortest-ever planning period to put on a games. Thompson took over hosting duties in January 2017 after Virden dropped out due to low volunteer participation.
However, host society co-chairs Murray Kissick and Sandra Ross-Hitch managed to attract around 800 volunteers, who were mentioned countless times throughout the closing ceremonies.
“It didn’t matter what role you played,” said Valentino “It was those Thursday night meetings for the last 14 months, or if you were the people that scooped out my scrambled eggs this morning at food services … you made a difference and the City of Thompson couldn’t have done this without you.”
The ceremony closed with a reminder of future large scale sporting events to come.
Once the Manitoba Winter Games flag was finally lowered it was handed off to the host society co-chairs of the upcoming Manitoba Games in Dauphin Aug. 9–15, 2020.
Many of the athletes who participated in this year’s games have also been identified for Team Manitoba, and will go on to compete in the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alberta starting next February.
