2016 ARCTIC WINTER GAMES Team Alaska Shawn Maltby Chef De

APRIL 2016 CHEF DE MISSION FINAL REPORT 2016 ARCTIC WINTER GAMES Team Alaska Shawn Maltby Chef de Mission Team Alaska would like to thank the 2016 host society for their hospitality and preparation for the 2016 games. We all know that the host society puts in long days and nights and this was obvious with the success of the games. It takes many great volunteers to pull the games off and the volunteers were a great part of making the games a success and making Team Alaska feel welcome. Section I – Evaluation of Performance of the Host Society Registration and Accreditation Was pre-Games registration convenient and functional? Did the accreditation system at the Games work well? Provide comments or recommendations. The pre-Games registration system was helpful to get Team Alaska registered. My suggestion for the GEMS with pre-registration is to get rid of the “apply“ button. It gave you two options, Ok and apply. The apply button cleared the entire application. During the approval process, it would be nice to have a “select all” button so we aren’t clicking on every athlete. We need to have the email address of parents/legal guardian. Athletes entered their own email addresses which made it hard to communicate with most of our families (since athletes rarely check their email). Welcome/Arrival Services Was the arrival of your team handled in a timely manner with a minimum of confusion? Provide comments or recommendations. Team Alaska left Alaska on time with two charters even though delays were expected in Kangerlussuaq with bad weather in Nuuk. There was not a member of the host society on the ground in Kangerlussuaq, which would have been nice to welcome the teams. The volunteers and airport staff that were on the ground did an outstanding job making us feel welcome and keeping the team calm, considering the delays Leaving Kangerlussuaq enroute to Nuuk, was smooth and went well. Upon arriving in Nuuk, it would have been nice to have a staff person other than the contingent guiding us to the bus. Luggage handling upon arrival went fine. There were several bags that were missing for a few days, but eventually were found and delivered. Future games should look at different luggage handling for mission staff and special guests, as bags were left on the ground in front of the airport and we physically had to go through each bag at another location of arrival to find bags. Opening Ceremonies Did the Opening Ceremonies do a good job of kicking off the week? Were they well organized and choreographed? Provide comments or recommendations. The Opening Ceremonies went well for the 2016 games once we were able to get in. In the future I would include the athletes for all of the ceremonies. We were not able to see the cultural part of the ceremonies, which would have been nice to see. The gathering point for the opening ceremony was small for all contingents and became hot quickly. I also thought that we were required to arrive really early for staging. The less time standing around the better. Conclusion of opening ceremonies were chaotic and could have been handled different. utilize the MC to give instructions for exiting the building. Team Accommodations Were accommodations sufficiently spacious or too crowded? Well located or too spread out? Were there sufficient washrooms and shower facilities? Was cleaning during the Games adequate for the maintenance of hygiene? Was security in the accommodations area functional and effective? Provide comments or recommendations. Housing was gender specific which was great. We thought there was plenty of space in the rooms for the athletes and coaches. The shower plan was a bit odd, as many had to shower at venues and stand outside in the cold waiting on transportation with wet hair. One shower facility had the boys and girls right next to each other which is not optimal. Security in accommodations was fantastic and brought issues to us right away to correct. Food Service Were the hours of operation/serving sufficient and convenient? Was the quality of food adequate? Was enough food available to meet your team’s needs and appetites? Did the box lunch program work well? Provide comments or recommendations. The hours of operation were good and the volunteers were wonderful. Would have liked to see better options for grazing The salad bar was a hit and very good. The box lunch program was chaotic and had several issues with. It was eventually worked out. Having us turn in forms the day before didn’t work and honestly wasted food as we were turning forms in for anything just to make sure we had food. Awards Ceremonies Provide comments or recommendations on awards ceremonies both at sport venues and at the main awards venue. The awards ceremonies were well organized. Having the ceremonies after the competitions was effective and saved time. Information Technology/Communications/Computer and Network Services Evaluate how the Games’ IT system and staff, communications system and computer and network services performed and provide any comments or recommendations. Team Alaska didn’t use the computer during the games because it wasn’t compatible with our equipment. We used our own laptops. The printing at the mission office was not good. Our laptops were not compatible with the printer and never got it fixed, so we never printed anything. The cell phones we had were small, and did not work all the time and we had many dropped calls and tough time reaching each other. Maybe the cell towers were overwhelmed. Mission Offices/Services/Accommodations Were the Mission Offices located in a place that facilitated the work of the Mission Staff, and were the offices conveniently reached by coaches? Were the Mission Offices sufficiently spacious and adequately furnished? Were the supplies provided adequate for the Mission Staff to do its work? Provide comments or recommendations. The location of the Mission Offices was located nicely to the competition venues. They were more than large enough and laid out nicely. The volunteers in the mission headquarters were more than helpful and did a nice job. Mission staff housing was ok. In the future it would be nice if our entire mission staff were housed together. The chef and asst chef were housed at different location than the other mission staff. Cultural Program and Facilities Did your cultural delegation feel that they were an integral part of the Games? Did they have enough performance opportunities? Too many? Did your Unit members attend entertainment events? What is your impression of their experience? Provide comments or recommendations related to the Cultural program only. See Entertainment Program section below for other comments. We had a small delegation this set of games. Our sole performer had a great time and did a great job at the galas and performed at other events as well to include a foster home for kids. Forms and Publications Evaluate the effectiveness of forms provided by the Host Society and any publications of the Host Society; including Ulu News, directories, sport schedules/programs, results, posters, etc. Would be nice if the host society developed an application for all updates to include bus schedules, sports schedules, dining times, etc… Sports schedules in the GEMS system were not accurate with what the “academy” had and became confusing for some. Media Describe the media coverage you saw in the host community, both print and electronic. Provide comments or recommendations. Media did a nice job broadcasting the games and results. All interviews were not all focused on Alaska but did a great job telling the story of the other contingent’s success. Medical Services/Polyclinic Was the medical staff helpful? Did they provide quality care? Was the location of the polyclinic convenient and the hours it was open sufficient? Provide comments or recommendations. The medical crew did a nice job keeping our athletes/coaches healthy. They operated very professionally and the location of the polyclinic was located nicely! All of our athletes that visited the clinic/hospital were in and out quickly We traveled with a medical mission person and she was busy. There were some venues that the medical staff was at best first aid responder. Would like to see more advanced medical at more of the venues for comfort of the injured. Results Were accurate results produced and disseminated in a timely manner? Provide comments or recommendations. No complaints on the results side. Appeared that all were updated regularly and ran smoothly. Security Did the security arm of the Games work effectively? Were the security people helpful? Did you note any security lapses that affected members of your team? Provide comments or recommendations. The securities at the games were good. All staff was professional. Social Program Were there sufficient opportunities for your young people to socialize with their peers from other delegations? Were social functions well run and well supervised? Provide comments or recommendations. The dances were not well attended the first two days. With the schedule changes due to arrival delays, the social aspect was affected as the athletes didn’t have a ton of time to socialize. We would like to see the dance more promoted if you choose to do it. Maybe pick a time in the schedule where everyone can attend. We had many teams not able to make it due to them playing games. Transportation at the Games Provide comments or recommendations on the internal Games transportation system. Buses were confusing for some. Many athletes got on buses that were pay only. Never were kicked off and often locals paid the bus fare which was amazing.

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