There are three generations of a Prince George family volunteering at the BC Summer Games coming to Prince George July 21 to 24, with more than 2,800 athletes participating in about 30 sports.
Sam Cramer, 14, is on the Zone 8 basketball team (5x5), that will take on the rest of the province, while sister Abigail, 11, and Dad Brad are volunteering along with the children’s grandmother Terry Cramer.
Mom Alyson Gourley-Cramer works as the marketing and communications chair for the BC Summer Games, so the whole family is involved.
Sam was picked for both the Zone 8 volleyball and basketball teams.
“I find basketball more active and quite fun,” Sam said about picking basketball.
And basketball picked him first, Mom Alyson said.
“Practice has been awesome – I love my coach (Nick Novak),” Sam said, who also mountain bikes and skis.
Terry is a career volunteer, who is a masters athlete herself competing in swimming and mountain biking.
She has given her time at the Kordyban Lodge, countless Terry Fox Runs, and the 2015 Canada Games and intake of wildfire evacuees, to name a few.
“I think I’ve volunteered for everything in this town,” Terry smiled.
Terry said she hasn’t made up her mind where she’ll be volunteering but she is leaning towards food service.
“The BC Summer Games is important to Prince George and it’s good for the youth and I think it’s our responsibility to help them out,” Terry said. “It’s not really a big deal and as we work as a team we can do a much better job together.”
For Mom Alyson it was important for her that they came together as a family for the athletes, she said.
Children under the age of 14 can volunteer with a parent so that there’s an extra pair of hands helping get any job done.
“A lot of the needs are very simple – handing out merchandise, or helping serve meals, which don’t necessarily need a specific skill set, just a willingness to help out,” Alyson said. “Because Sam is here anyway we thought we could all be in it together. If your child is participating why wouldn’t you volunteer? It’s as little as a four-hour shift for time commitment.”
Brad thought it was especially nice that he could bring daughter Abigail with him to volunteer at the games.
“It just made sense because Sam is going to be here the whole week and it gives us something to do with the games so the fact that I could be with Abigail volunteering is something I’m looking forward to.”
Abigail knows it’s going to be fun to volunteer at the games, she said.
“It’s also going to be fun to watch all the sports and stuff, too,” Abigail said, who is a sprinter herself and came first in her age group at the recent Spruce Capital Meet at Masich Place, an event hosted by the Prince George Track & Field Club.
The family knows several athletes who are participating in the BC Summer Games so not only will they volunteer but they will cheer on the athletes as well, Alyson said.
“We’re an active family so to see the athletes compete is really neat,” Alyson said. “Abigail plays soccer, Brad is a ski coach and Sam is a huge mountain biker, and I participated in the Newfoundland Games as an athlete when I was Sam’s age so I think, too, we all know how important sport is to our youth. And Sam and Abigail’s grandma, Terry, is such an inspiration as she competed in the Masters Games (55+ BC Games).”
The family has sport in their DNA, Alyson said.
“I think it’s really fun that we can all volunteer together and I hope to inspire others to volunteer as a family as well," Alyson said. "If you’re here for your child anyway. I think if everyone could give a hand it would really be amazing. This type of event really enriches a community and we appreciate people are tired from Covid but it’s for the kids – it’s for our kids.”
