A plea from the head coach of Canada's national surfing team has helped secure local support for a high-performance surf centre on Vancouver Island's West Coast.
Tofino's municipal council has endorsed a proposal by the West Coast Multiplex Society to add a surf centre to a previously proposed ice rink and swimming pool facility after hearing a pitch from surf team coach Shannon Brown.
“I’m not sure exactly what council needs to hear, but I see this as a really huge thing for the local community, especially for the local surfers,” Brown said.
“There’s so many kids that are growing up in the area and taking to surfing, but it’s really limited here. We’re so far away from the major surfing hubs that to have a future in competitive surfing, kids have to travel really far to have access to the competitions or the training facilities that they really need to excel to a level where they can compete against others on the world’s stage. All of a sudden, we have a chance to tie in something that would benefit them hugely and give so many kids some kind of future in this sport that is a sport for life kind of sport.”
Brown had recently returned from Teahupo’o, Tahiti, where he had coached Canada’s first-ever Olympic surfer and Tofino's own Sanoa Dempfle-Olin.
“She’s such an incredible story. She grew up on Cox Bay just up the road from here and, with obviously tons of support from the community, having had access to be able to travel and compete she’s gotten to the level where she’s qualified for the Olympics,” he said.
“She’s done all that without having access to the types of facilities that we’re talking about…That’s an incredible story and I’d love to see that story repeat itself. There’s so many kids coming up that have potential to get to her level and if we can help that along and foster that talent, it would be amazing. I really hope that council gets behind this and writes that letter of support.”
Neighbouring Ucluelet had already unanimously agreed to write the letter of support for the surf centre — similar to facilities in Portugal and Australia but the first in Canada.
The surf centre, which the society is proposing to build adjacent to the proposed multiplex near Long Beach Airport on Alberni Clayoquot Regional District lands, would include a weight training room, an office with video reviewing equipment and a half-pipe facility with foam landing pits.
Both communities had voted to provide operating funds for a recreation multiplex in a 2012 referendum, but securing the capital costs to build the facility has been up to the society. The project’s latest cost estimates stand at around $50 million.
Brown had been part of a West Coast Multiplex Society meeting with B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham who, he said, was excited about the potential addition of a high-performance surf centre.
The society plans to meet with the province again this month, adding an official endorsement from West Coast communities to the table as it chases funding.
“Tofino, known for its world-class surf breaks, has a thriving surf community and attracts surfers from all over the globe. Including a high-performance surf facility within the multiplex will not only cater to local surfers and youth but also position Tofino as a premier destination for surfing (and other) training and competitions,” read a letter signed by society chair Samantha Hackett.
“This facility will provide training opportunities for local athletes, make surf and other sports more accessible, diversify tourism, and foster a stronger, safer connection with the ocean, a vital aspect of our community’s identity. Your support is crucial in helping us all realize this vision.”
Hackett said the centre would be both accessible to locals as well as a draw for high-level athletes.
“Tofino is already a place that athletes are coming to train,” she said. “So to be able to bring them into a facility that has some attention could really make those athletes then connect with our community. It would be something really inspiring for all ages and just benefit our community in general.”
