Way to go Red Deer! Now you’ve gone and done it.

All those volunteers and hours of hard work and what did it get you?

The 2019 Canada Winter Games is what.

Unless you were in a cave somewhere you know our City beat out Lethbridge for the right to host the largest multi-sport event in our nation and it was done on the backs of the people who do most everything in this town.

Volunteers!

They are the fuel which keeps this City’s motor running when it comes to getting and hosting these events.

So what does this victory mean for the residents of this burg? Well, for starters , it means thousands of people are going to see what we call home when the games get going.

Athletes, coaches, visitors and members of the media will be crashing this party in 2019 and the door is wide open for them to come on in.

Of course there is a price to pay for being the host city with the suits in Ottawa and Edmonton chipping in to help but there is also a very large injection of cash to the area to consider.

So when the guests leave the party what is left behind will be some impressive facilities for the rest of us to play with for years to come.

Now I have already heard some grumbling about this being an opportunity for our City council to spend like drunken sailors and put us into deep debt.

I’d like to think we have some very sharp people sitting in those chairs and any thought of a huge tax hike to allow them to do just that might be met with an angry mob making a trip to City Hall armed with torches and pitchforks.

There was a rumble when the Enmax Centrium was built but that faded quickly and things have turned out pretty good I would say as it allowed us to host the best junior hockey tournament in the world.

These games can be viewed in a similar light as places for recreation will be spruced up or built in order to make this a success before, during and after.

So kudos to the bid committee who wowed the judges and have now set the stage for one heck of a bash in 2019.

Yep, you created more work for those volunteers but my guess is they will knock it out of the park when the time comes.

sports@reddeerexpress.com