CMFS POSITION ON CALGARY NEXT

CMFS primary directive is to create awareness and ultimately get a fieldhouse built in the City of Calgary.  To that end we are excited to see that a fieldhouse encompassing all the aspects of our proposed plans for Foothills Athletic Park has been presented in the CalgaryNEXT proposal. We are also grateful to the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation for raising the profile of this long needed facility.

Working with the City we support the realization of a multisport fieldhouse facility in the shortest timeline possible.  If the CalgaryNEXT proposal becomes the viable alternative to meet this goal our position will be to ensure that the mandate of the multisport functionality, public access, and affordability for public use remain faithful to the original plans for the project currently destined for the Foothills Athletic Park lands.  In the meantime we continue our diligent work enlisting the community’s help in raising awareness and support for a Calgary Multisport Fieldhouse.

New faces, new energy for CMFS board

Goran Miletic – a track and field athlete with a degree in Human Kinetics, Goran has a wealth of experience in marketing. He currently works for FLG Sports as their National Trainer for both SportChek and Atmosphere. Goran sees the multisport fieldhouse as key infrastructure for athletes at all levels and has taken on the responsibility for communications for CMFS to help ensure that message is promoted.

Andrew Stordeur – a multisport athlete with special fondness for basketball (he captained the Dinos basketball team from 1999 to 2001) Andrew has a BA in Sociology from U of C and a Master of Business degree from Queen’s University. As Director of Sales for Molson Coors, Andrew is connected and involved with key sporting organizations both provincially and nationally. He believes all Calgarians, regardles of age,  deserve to have access to facilities that will allow them to participate in a wide range of sports.

Keenan Viney – a national-class distance runner, Keenan has a master’s degree in economics and currently works as a real estate analyst. Keenan would like to see Calgary’s fieldhouse reflect the growing depth of track and field in Calgary, to encourage new and current athletes to pursue excellence in a world-class training facility.

The three join Donna Dixon (Past Chair), Jason Zaran (Chair elect), Ursula Tabsh (Secretary-Treasurer), along with directors Dale Schoenthaler, Kathy Urquhart and Wendy Parker.

Fieldhouse in the News

Incoming CMFS Chair, Jason Zaran, reiterated that the Society still stands firmly behind the City’s plans for a multisport fieldhouse at Foothills Athletics park, but he said, “we will definitely evaluate the Flames plans when we see them.”

There are still many unanswered questions regarding the Flames plans – cost? who pays? will the City provide the land? what is the timeline?(A full discussion of these questions can be found  in the April 4 Herald. (http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/hall-monitor-answering-seven-questions-about-the-flames-arena-pitch.) But the proposal does offer hope that the long-held dream (dating all the way back to the ’60s) of a multisport fieldhouse in Calgary may finally become a reality. And that will be very good, not only for athletes, but for all of Calgary. In the words of the editorial writer on April 3:

It’s to be hoped the Flames’ new home includes features that make it a must-see meeting place, rather than an unimaginative grouping of sports venues. The ownership group, which includes some of Calgary’s most generous philanthropists, has hinted at a bold vision, so there’s every reason to believe it will live up to expectations when details are formally released. The project would be a tremendous source of pride and economic development for all of southern Alberta.

You can see the editorial in its entirety here: http://calgaryherald.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-flames-bold-vision

Supporters Update

To date, 31 local and provincial organizations, representing more than 200,000 individuals have formally expressed their support.

And individuals are making their voices heard as well. Local athletes recently had the chance at two separate events to have their say and they responded enthusiastically and emphatically. More than 200 track athletes at the Dinos meet in December and basketball players at the Youth Basketball tournament in March took the time to sign the petition. And their passion for the project is clear in their written comments: “Please!”, “Do it!” “Excellent idea!”, “Yes!”, “Yes!”, “Yes!!!” Needed!” “Needed”, “Needed!”, “Do it NOW!”

CMFS hopes to have a presence at a number of other events this spring to provide information about the Fieldhouse project and give more athletes a chance to sign the petition so we can get shovels in the ground on this badly needed and much wanted facility.

Some events where you may see the CMFS tent (and petition) include:

Calgary Police Half Marathon (April 26)
Soccer Minifests (May 30 and June 6)
Caltaf Classic (June 20)
All Sport One Day (June 20).