Pachi the porcupine, the official mascot of Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, high-fives three-year-old Nathaniel Kirkeby outside the Discovery North Bay Museum on Thursday morning. The Pan Am Games team was on hand to announce how North Bay residents can get involved as a torchbearer when the flame comes through North Bay next year. PHOTO BY LIAM BERTI
Toronto is getting set to host the largest multi-sport event ever held in Canada when it welcomes the Pan American Games next summer. But leading up to the opening cernomies, North Bay will be playing a major part in country-wide torch relay too.
Take it from a porcupine: the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games are something to get excited about.
Just one day after North Bay was announced as one of 130 communities throughout the province that will take part in the cross-Canada torch relay, Pachi the porcupine, the official mascot of the event, and a team from the Games joined city politicans at the Discovery North Bay Museum to officially announce North Bay’s involvement.
Former Olympian and World Championship medal-winning sprint kayaker Alison Herst was on hand to speak to the sensation of being a torchbearer for such an illustrious occasion.
While Herst never had the opportunity compete in the Pan Am Games, she was able to carry the torch for the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010 which she said was an unforgettable experience. She said getting involved in the Pan Am pre-games celebration is sure to be just as exciting.
“I was able to carry the torch for the 2010 Olympic Games and that was an incredible experience,” Herst said. “One of the neat experiences was I got to carry it because I was a former Olympian, but people who told their stories about why they wanted to carry it were very emotional; how it inspired them, inspired their kids, and how great of an experience it was.”
Herst said carrying the torch makes you feel a stronger sense of connection and involvement to the larger event.
Canadians from all across the country, including North Bayites, will now have the opportunity to share that thrilling experence that Herst talked about. While no specific details were announced or released on Thursday morning, the team said the relay is an invitation to the general public to try and get involved in a rare opportunity.
Canadian citizens aged 13 and up can enter to be a torchbearer for the cross-Canada relay, which will take place from May 30-July 10 and will involve 3,000 torchbearers from more than 130 communities.
The journey will begin in Toronto and will then travel by air to five other major cities throughout the country before returning to Ontario to tour the rest of the 130 communities.
Each community will host a unique celebration of their own, giving each town the opportunity to showcase their part of the flame’s journey en route to the opening ceremonies.
“There are amazing athletes that come out of North Bay and great programs to support kids and developing sports,” said Herst. “This is a really big opportunity to get people in town more excited about this.”
Mayor McDonald said the city hasn’t been told when during the 41-day relay North Bay will host the flame or where the planned route will be. He did say that the relay is another excellent opportunity for North Bay to be involved in a renowned event and will put the city on the map in a unique way.
According to the organization, the flame represents the history and spirit of the Games and is symbolic of the 41 Pan American Sports Organization member nations.
Upwads of 7,000 world-class athletes from Latin America, South America, the Caribbean and North America will be competing at the games in Toronto.
Some of those athletes include the volleyball players who participated in the North America, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Beach Volleyball Tour tournament at Marathon Beach this past July.
For more information of to enter to be a torchbearer, click here: http://www.toronto2015.org/torch-relay
