2014 WINTERFEST – Collingwood, ON
February 10th–16th
What is WinterFest?
WinterFest is a week long, mid-winter ski racing festival taking place against the backdrop of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and during the U18 National AND U16 Can Ams championships, and culminates in our own exciting version of the winter games in Alpine Ontario’s WinterFest Olympic Challenge! We invite all AOA families to join us at WinterFest and help us celebrate the sport we love. The Challenge starts with a non-stop action dual slalom where our young racers will not only be mentored by our former National team member, Ontario Ski Team athletes, and some of our fastest U18 racers; they will then test their mettle against them. The WinterFest Olympic Challenge then takes the battle to the streets for more mini-Olympic events! Then meet back in the Village square to enjoy awards, live music, a lively bib draw, and take part in creating a very special message to our athletes competing in Sochi. Celebrations continue at the WinterFest Lounge at Kaytoo with an Olympic-themed cocktail reception with old friends, new friends, food, drinks, music and auctions!
What about the rest of the week?
This year’s marquee event, the WinterFest Olympic Challenge takes place on February 14th, but the entire WinterFest week is filled with so many exciting and fun events for all. Bring your families for days of exciting racing when the country’s fastest U18’s and U16’s each vie for the championship title, ski with National and Ontario Ski Team alumni, take part in bib draws, fun activities, Fast and Female Power Hours, awards, giveaways, entertainment, auctions, and PARTIES…AND…a chance to be a STAR in our new WinterFest video!
How does WinterFest all play out?
The schedule of events looks like this:
U18 Nationals U14 Can Ams
Discipline Location Discipline Location
Date:
Monday, Feb 10 Giant Slalom Georgian Peaks
Tuesday, Feb 11 Giant Slalom Georgian Peaks
Wednesday, Feb 12 Slalom TSC
Thursday, Feb 13 Slalom TSC Giant Slalom Osler Bluff
Friday, Feb 14 Off (see below) Giant Slalom Osler Bluff
Saturday, Feb 15 Slalom Devil’s Glen Slalom
Sunday, Feb 16 Slalom Devil’s Glen Slalom
AOA WinterFest Olympic Challenge – February 14th, Blue Mountain Village
Time Activity Location
2:30pm Participant Sign In The Village at Blue
3:00-5:00pm AOA WinterFest Olympic Challenge – On Hill with CAST/OST Alumni Blue Mountain
5:00-6:00pm Olympic Challenge continues in the Village Blue Mountain
6:00-7:00pm Awards, Bib Draw, Presentations, Video, & Music Center Stage, Village
7:00-10:00pm Cocktail Reception & Auction at WinterFest Lounge Kaytoo, Village
AOA Fast and Female Power Hour sessions (more tba)
Date Venue 1 Venue 2 Venue 3
February 13th Toronto Ski Club (Champ Camp)
February 14th Osler Ski Club Devil’s Glen
February 15th Craigleith Ski Club Georgian Peaks SC Milton Heights
How to get involved?
• Sign up for the WinterFest Olympic Challenge on February 14th and race head to head with your heroes! All ages and abilities are welcome. Go to alpineontario.ca/winterfest to register.
• Come out to the Bib Draw/Awards at the Village in the Square and meet us after at the WinterFest Lounge at Kaytoo for music, videos, refreshments and shopping – no tickets necessary!
• Sign up through your club or email us to take part in the AOA WinterFest Fast and Female Power Hour or Champ Camp sessions across the Escarpment throughout WinterFest week.
• Come out and watch the excitement of the U18 Nationals and/or the U16 CanAms throughout the week.
• Get your Audi Speed Nation Raffle Tickets and win a chance to drive away in a band new Audi!
What are the Fast and Female Power Hour sessions?
Alpine Ontario brings Fast and Female to WinterFest, hosting the organisation’s signature events here in Collingwood starting February 13th in support of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Fast and Female is an organization dedicated to empowering young girls through sport, and encouraging them to make healthy and positive choices. At AOA, we believe this program embodies the values most essential to building champions in the truest sense of the word, helping them succeed in all aspects of their lives…programs like these capture the spirit of WinterFest, we think it’s a great fit.
We will be hosting separate Fast and Female events throughout the Collingwood area and beyond; including several Power Hour sessions and one Champ Camp at Toronto Ski Club. Not only are the sessions fun, they are also be a great way to support the women competing in the Olympic Games AND in our community at the same time. Ontario athletes like our Erin Mielzynski and Larisa Yurkiw not to mention other Canadian women like Marie-Michele Gagnon and Brittany Phelan of Quebec will be competing in the Winter Games and these athletes have all worked so hard to achieve, they deserve our support as they head into the games. Please come and support our women and this amazing cause!
There are several session options available to any young women from 9 to 19, for full listings see the event schedule above. Everyone is welcome. We’ve several sessions to choose from; if your club is not hosting one of our sessions, join in one of the other sessions or join the large gang at the Champ Camp at Toronto Ski Club.