Get ready for a wild ride Prince George.
In three years, the city will play host to a sporting event like no other -- the 2015 Canada Winter Games -- one that will forever change the city in much the same way the 2010 Winter Olympics left its mark on Vancouver-Whistler.
That's a message John Furlong will be bringing to Prince George next weekend as guest speaker of the Bob Ewert Memorial Lecture and Dinner at the Civic Centre. The 61-year-old CEO of the 2010 Winter Olympics speaks from experience and knows what the people of Prince George are capable of when it comes to putting on a spectacular show.
"This experience you're about to have will be profound, it will be one of the great experiences in the city's history," said Furlong, in a conference call from Vancouver.
"The event in Prince George is a smaller version [of the Olympics] but it will feel just as big. It's going to be a very overwhelming experience, but in a positive way. It will touch every citizen and no matter how hard you try to stay away from it, you won't be able to, and that's a good thing.
"When you come out of the Games you will have facilities that you have put in place for the Games, you'll have dressed the city up, but the most important legacy will be the human one that's left behind. It's the attitude in the city and the feeling that you can take anything on and deliver it a high level because you will have already done that."
The Games, set for Feb. 12 to March 1, 2015, will attract an estimated 3,700 athletes, 6,000 volunteers, 1,300 officials, media, medical staff, and thousands of tourists, resulting in an economic impact of at least $70 million. Furlong says it will be an opportunity local residents should embrace.
Furlong's Prince George roots go back to 1974, when he moved to the city from his home in Dublin, Ireland to head the phys-ed program at Prince George College. That led to a job with the city as recreation director and his involvement as general manager of the inaugural Northern (B.C.) Winter Games in 1978.
"That was the largest version of the Northern Games ever. We had 5,000-plus athletes and they were all billeted in Prince George and for the months leading up to these Games there were predictions that we'd never manage it," said Furlong. "And when it was over, people couldn't stand that these athletes were going home.
"Those Games are tiny compared to what you are going to be dealing with in 2015. You'll see the best young athletes in the country come together to perform at their best. These are future Olympians, future Olympic champions, and because of how good they are, how hard they try, and how competitive they are, they have an effect on everyone to live better lives. It has an incredible inspiring element to it. There will be a glow on the city that will catch you by surprise."
The Winter Olympics under Furlong's unfailing tenacity and inspiring leadership was one of the most successful ever.
"Hopefully I'll be able to give [the organizing committee] a glimpse into the future of what's coming and also give them some sense of when they are confronted with some adversity -- and it will happen -- that you can overcome these challenges and come out of it a far more vibrant, stronger tolerant community when the Games are over," said Furlong. "You will find yourself living almost the same experience we had. You will be confronted by things you didn't expect, and because you've built an organization that's based on character, desire and drive and you've got a common vision and a core set of values, you'll figure out a way to get past it."
"I feel when I go up there I'm coming home," Furlong said. "It's time Prince George had a chance. You are truly a northern [city] and I'm certain you won't have any problems with it being cold enough."
