Fort St. John’s Olympic gold medal speed skater, Denny Morrison, was in town yesterday to unveil Olympic memorabilia that will now hang on the walls of the Enerplex.

Morrison, Mayor Bruce Lantz and Hazel MacMillan of the local Royal Bank unveiled the Olympic torch used in the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay, which passed through Fort St. John, and a painting, created onstage by Fritz during the Torch Relay celebrations in Centennial Park.

“I think it’s just kind of neat,” said Morrison.

“It shows some of the connection that Fort St. John has to the Olympics, and part of the reason this oval was built, I think, through the support of the community and the support of Fort St. John.”

Lantz said the Olympic memorabilia, which is the first of many artistic additions to the Enerplex, is a reminder of all the hard work that went into the Olympic Torch relay in Fort St. John and around the country.

“The community really came together to help make it happen. To have Denny here as our own Olympic champion means a great deal. It doesn’t surprise me that Denny would make the effort to be here, because he’s all about community. He’s all about giving back to his town and to the young people that are coming up through the ranks,” he said.

“It means a ton both to the City of Fort St. John and to the young people that he’s here this week to do the speed skating camp and that he would take some time out of his lunch hour to participate in this event is just wonderful.”

This fall marks the second season of Enerplex use and this week was the first time this season that both hockey ice surfaces and the speed skating oval are all in use at the same time, with the Best Performance Hockey School, the Fort St. John Figure Skating Club School and the Fort St. John Elks Speed Skating Summer Camp.

“This arena is going to be used by a lot of upcoming sports enthusiasts,” said MacMillan, a customer service representative with Royal Bank, who donated the painting to the City. “It’s something that’s been long awaited. It’s just something that I think is really needed and it’s a big boost for Fort St. John, it’s well-deserved.”

When he was growing up, Morrison and the other Elks skated on the outdoor long track oval.

“I remember those sweet, sweet warm days in November, December and January in Fort St. John skating outdoors on the 400-metre long track, it was -5 that one day,” he chuckled.

“The rest of the winter was pretty cold and I feel like I was hardened by the elements, but now to have this opportunity to skate here at this covered oval, I’m so excited for the club and all the athletes.”

The Enerplex will provide a controlled environment and training conditions for the athletes.

“With just controlled temperatures and not having to wait until November, sometimes the middle of December for it to get cold enough to actually make the ice. Just having that opportunity to train more consistently will give these skaters, especially long-track skaters, a much better opportunity to skate, compete and be some of the best in Canada.”

He pointed out that the Enerplex doesn’t only benefit speed skaters.

“I just look at these little kids and look at the opportunities that they have ahead of them, and I’m excited for them and I hope that they make the most of it.”

Morrison has been coaching the Elks’ summer camp this week and said it’s been great to reconnect with his club.

He said some of the younger kids have been too busy watching him with wide eyes to concentrate on their technique, much like he was inspired when another Fort St. John Olympian came to the outdoor oval when he was young.

“I remember when Linda Blair-Johnston came, she just did a few laps at our oval one time, I remember seeing her skate, I remember seeing how perfect her technique was and how fast she was going and I just remember thinking ‘hopefully one day I can be like that,’” he said.

“I only have one image of her in my mind and I feel like that image has inspired me my entire career and pushed me to always get better and stronger and faster and lower, all of those things.

“If I can have any bit of effect on these kids, I hope I do.”

The goal is to have the Enerplex in use 12 months a year, said Lantz, who said it would be a great facility for various sports camps during the summer as well as trade shows.

“We’ve already proven that with the CKNL Trade Show that we had last year, it worked very well, everybody was very happy with it,” he said, adding that these are just his ideas for the space, not necessarily what the recreation programmers are planning.

“The sky’s the limit.”

The walking track is within days of being complete, said Lantz. They are just waiting on the materials to be shipped.

“Probably 90 per cent of the work to get the track is already done and once those materials get here it’ll be up and running and I know the community is really going to look forward to it.”

The Enerplex’s official grand opening is Oct. 13, according to the City’s website.