It is with sadness that we notify the equestrian community of the passing of Sherman Olson. His legacy to the Canadian equestrian community started at the provincial level establishing Horse Council BC. He was the founding President and served from 1980 – 1990. He advanced to the National scene and served as a director of the Canadian Equestrian Federation (now Equine Canada) from 1981 – 1986, Vice-President from 1986 – 1996, and vice-president Recreation 1999- 2003. During his tenure he was very active promoting the ‘vision’ of the new face of the CEF. He was part of the committee to restructure the CEF and its constitution to better serve the national membership. He developed programs such as the certified coaching program, fund raising for athletes preparing for National and international competitions and local insurance plans for equestrian activities.
During the eighties Sherman organized the committee that hosted the World University Student Riders Competition. Teams from Japan, Austria, Ireland, England, France and the USA participated.
In l982 he was chairman of the committee, which hosted the American Continental Young Riders Championships, which was held at the Maple Ridge Riding Centre. This competition was the first of its kind in Canada. Riders from across Canada, the US and Mexico participated.
In 1992 he coordinated a national relay named ‘Ride for Canada’. This was to commemorate Canada’s 125th year as a nation. This highly publicized event involved equestrian enthusiasts from across Canada taking four months to cross the country. The relay from coast to coast to coast concluded on Parliament Hill in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen. He was honoured and received a Governor Generals award for this project.
In1993 he became a director of the Trans Canada Trail Foundation, and President in l996. He provided guidance and direction to all the provinces to complete the trail. His leadership and ability to project to others the great potential of the Trans Canada Trail turned what began as a grand dream into reality. Sherman orchestrated the official opening of the trail with three original relay vessels that carried the water of the three oceans to be mixed in Ottawa. Thousands of citizens from every community along the TCT participated with the relay ending in Hull Quebec. The waters were united in a moving ceremony symbolizing “Unity, pride, and love for our country”.
He was a gentleman who volunteered a lifetime of effort and commitment to Canada’s equestrian community. He was an honorary member of Equine Canada, Horse Council B.C. and Trails B.C. All of Canada’s equestrian community have benefited from his efforts.
He will be greatly missed. He wished for friends and family to celebrate life together. We will do so in his honour at The Act in Maple Ridge July 16, 2:00 pm.
Trails BC will be hosting our 19th annual HALLER TRAIL RIDE on INTERNATIONAL TRAILS DAY June 1st. The event is already fully booked with two dozen riders having signed on for this year's event, with three days of trail riding along BC's Fraser Canyon. Four horsemen from Manitoba will drive here to join us again this year! The remainder of this year's riders come from various BC communities.
The Trails BC 2013 Annual General Meeting occured in Coquitlam, BC on May 4-5. We would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to a great weekend of "trail talk"!
The April 2012 Edition of Trails BC News is now on-line in PDF format (6 MB)
Some highlights from the newsletter include:
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International Trails Day TCT Challenge Sunday, June 3, 2012.
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Trails BC AGM in Pemberton Saturday, April 28, 2012.
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2011 AGM & Conference Highlights.
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Vancouver Island Update.
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Lower Mainland Trail Improvements.
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Resolution of Trail User Conflicts in the Chilliwack River Valley.
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The Columbia Trail. International Student Rides Haller Trail.
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and more…
Trails BC Withdraws from the Canadian Trail Federation over concerns in its involvement with the National Trails Coalition.
Effective March 5th, 2009, the Trails Society of British Columbia (Trails BC) has formally withdrawn its membership in the Canadian Trails Federation. We have taken this action because we do not believe that the CTF is fulfilling its mandate to represent the interests of non-motorized trail users in its dealings with the National Trails Coalition.
The NTC is the vehicle through which the Federal Government will allocate $25,000,000 for Canadian trails. There are three partners which make up the NTC: the Canadian Off Highway Vehicle Dealers Council, the Canadian Council of Snowmobiling Organizations, and the Canadian Trails Federation. Clearly, with two of the three partners representing motorized organizations, the NTC is weighted in favour of their interests and Trails BC does not believe that this entity meets the requirements of being a fair and balanced association that will provide an equitable allocation of funds to the various user groups.
The two motorized organizations not only represent summer and winter motorized use, but they also strongly advocate for it. The CTF has not provided a similar advocacy role for non-motorized users. Spokespersons for the NTC have been advocating for multi-use trail systems. The notion is admirable, but the reality is that as soon as motorized vehicles regularly use a trail, that trail becomes alienated from all other users. Without strong support from the CTF the interests of the non-motorized community are lost. We do not see evidence of this necessary support.
In addition to withdrawing their membership from the CTF, Trails BC will also be asking the Federal Government to organize a National Trails Symposium to address the interests of all trail users, and to help find options and solutions for trail systems that will meet the needs, not only of those who choose to drive the trails, but also of the hikers, cyclists and equestrians who wish to enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors.
For further information contact:
Leon Lebrun – Trails BC Vice President
(604) 942-6768
southwest@trailsbc.ca
or Al Skucas – Trails BC President
(250) 489-1083
rockies@trailsbc.ca
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