Volunteers leave their own legacy at Canada Games on P.E.I.

You can't miss them in their green and blue shirts and jackets.

Whether it's stamping hands at the admission gates, cleaning up after the events, even grooming the ski hill — volunteers are everywhere at the Canada Games on P.E.I.

There are about 5,000 in total, and many more on a waiting list, eager to stand in the shivering cold or spend long hours in an arena or gym.

"I think they realize that the Games are very special for P.E.I." said Jennifer Blair, co-ordinator of sport and venue for the Games host society.

"A lot of people just want to contribute how they can and just do their part to ensure that these athletes have the best experience that they possibly can on Prince Edward Island."

While all volunteer roles are appreciated by the organizers and athletes, some are under more pressure than others.

Volunteers on the ice

The speed skating volunteers are a good example.

They had to be on the ice during the races, keeping the ice smooth. If one of the blocks marking the track got displaced by a skater, they would rush in, reset it, and get out of the way before the skaters came back around.

Scott van der Linden, chief track steward for short-track speed skating, said it helps that volunteers for speed skating are usually former athletes themselves.

"There have been accidents before, situations where people skate the wrong way down the track, or they can't get out of the way fast enough and it can create collisions with skaters and it's not a pretty sight."

Wayne Carew,  chair of Canada Games host society on P.E.I., said he was never concerned there wouldn't be enough volunteers, even with school out and many families leaving the province on vacation.

"When you walk in the venues, whether it's a shuttle driver or whatever, they're smiling and they're happy and they're having fun. And they're putting in some long shifts. You know, we had 34,000 shifts to cover and you know, some of these people are working 14,15 hours a day."

Just as the athletes formed new bonds and friendships, the volunteers did as well, said Andrea Kenny, a volunteer for curling in Montague.

"A lot of people that are new to P.E.I. that have moved here from Toronto or Nova Scotia, they have now found new friends within the volunteer community here."

It's all a sign the legacy of the Games will reach far beyond new infrastructure, Carew said.

"There's a lot of human legacy that we leave with those volunteers that [they] will remember for their lifetime … and actually it's a legacy that allows the communities to say, yeah, we can host these events because we know that we have the horsepower to do it."