The speedskating oval in Wakamow Valley was full of Olympic spirit Thursday night, as Moose Javians and Olympians celebrated the Olympic torch and the Jan. 10 torch relay.
During Thursday’s event Moose Jaw’s final Olympic torch runner was also announced.
While introducing the lucky Moose Javian, Jasmine Jackman, city recreation supervisor and torch run committee chairwoman, said when it came to choosing the final runner, each member of the committee came to the table with a couple of names and in the end they all felt they could not have chosen a better person for the job.
Diane Therrien, local business owner, founder of Moose Jaw’s Relay for Life and now the organizer and founder of the Cause for a Walk, rose above all of the other contenders.
Jackman said it is Therrien’s countless contributions to the Moose Jaw community that made it so easy for the committee to make its decision.
Thursday night’s event also featured former Olympians and Olympic hopefuls, including Lisa Franks, Pat and Cindy Simmons and Fiona Smith-Bell, a barbecue, hosted by the Kinsmen Club and the 2010 Olympic torch.
This really is more or less to make the community aware of what is going on Jan. 10 and the significance of the actual Olympic torch. We should be excited that (the torch) is coming through Moose Jaw. It’s a real privilege. - Jasmine Jackman
