2026 WORCA AGM + Director Nomination Details
Notice of WORCA Annual General Meeting
Date: Thursday, October 1st, 2026
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Location: Hilton Hotel, 4050 Whistler Way, Whistler, BC V8E 1H9
Pre-registration is required to attend the WORCA AGM. We will also be running a Toonie Ride before the AGM. Click Here for registration details.
Board of Directors Election
We only received one application for each position, so all directors will be elected by acclamation at the AGM.
Existing directors being re-elected
President: Ben Hryciw (currently the Trails Director)
Community Events: Olly Duquemin
Advocacy: Sarah Hryciw
Positions not up for election (directors in the middle of 2-year terms): Vice President (Omer Dagan), Secretary (Layla d’Emanuele).
Nomination details for new directors
Treasurer: Isabelle Chouinard
Dear WORCA Members,
I would like to put my name forward for the two-year Treasurer position on the WORCA Board of Directors.
I’ve lived in Whistler for the past 10 years, and the trail network has been a big part of my life here. I regularly use the trails for mountain biking and trail running, or simply to get outside and enjoy them. I really believe WORCA’s work is fundamental to the well-being of this community and to what makes Whistler such a special place to live.
To me, our trail network is much more than a mountain biking asset. It provides opportunities for walkers, runners and riders to get outside, stay active, connect with others and support their physical and mental well-being. It is also an important part of Whistler’s tourism offering and contributes to the diversification, attraction and long-term strength of our community. I would love the opportunity to contribute to supporting and developing this asset for the future.
From a professional perspective, I’m a CPA and currently work as Manager of Financial Services with the Resort Municipality of Whistler. Before joining the RMOW, I worked at BDO, where I gained audit experience and developed a strong foundation in financial reporting, controls and accountability. I also worked for Vail Resorts as Manager of Revenue and Audit. Overall, I have more than eight years of experience in accounting and finance.
The Treasurer role feels like a great fit with my experience. I would be comfortable reviewing monthly financials, supporting the budget, helping ensure WORCA’s financial records are well maintained and compliant with the Societies Act, and being a resource to the Board on financial matters. I would also be happy to support fundraising and contribute wherever my skills could be useful.
I haven’t served on a board before, but I’ve been looking for the right opportunity to become more involved in the community I love. I chose to work for the RMOW for much the same reason, I wanted to contribute more and give back to Whistler. Getting involved with WORCA feels like a natural extension of that.
I would be excited to bring my professional experience, along with my personal connection to Whistler and its trails, to the WORCA Board. Most importantly, I would bring a genuine desire to contribute to the organization and help support the trail network and community that I’ve enjoyed so much over the past 10 years.
I am supported in my nomination by two current WORCA members, Ted Battison and Marisa Harder.
Trails: Eli Tindall
The skills/experience that make you a strong candidate for the position:
Growing up in Whistler, I’ve spent many years riding bikes and enjoying the trails throughout the valley. In my younger years, much of that time was spent in Lost Lake or the Bike Park, including working as a DFX coach. Over the last few years, I’ve spent significantly more time exploring the broader Whistler trail network. The Toonies in particular have been a great way to discover new trails and have been a regular reminder of just how much our trail network has to offer. Attending WORCA volunteer trail days with my family over the last few years has also given me a connection to the trails that I didn’t previously have. I come from a family of foresters and have spent a lot of time working and recreating in the woods, but the volunteer days were my first real opportunity to get involved in trail building and maintenance. Through those days, I’ve gained a better understanding of the work that goes into maintaining the network and have made valuable connections with people involved in the trail community. My professional experience in forestry, wood products, and project management has also given me experience coordinating projects, solving practical problems and working with a variety of people. I’d like to bring that experience, along with a perspective shaped by growing up riding in Whistler and becoming more involved in the broader trail community in recent years, to an already knowledgeable and skilled WORCA Board.
Your capacity to commit to a volunteer role, and why you are interested in being on the WORCA Board:
My job typically involves a fairly standard 40-hour work week, with occasional busier periods and site work depending on the projects I’m involved with. Outside of work, I have a flexible schedule, with much of my free time spent biking, snowboarding, and enjoying the outdoors. I’m confident I have the capacity to commit the time required to be an active and reliable member of the WORCA Board. I’m interested in joining the Board because I’d like to contribute more directly to a trail network and community that I’ve benefited from for many years. Becoming more involved with WORCA has made me appreciate how much work goes into maintaining that network and creating opportunities for people to get involved in the riding community. WORCA provides a sense of community for riders throughout Whistler and the Sea to Sky. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Toonies, volunteer trail days, and other WORCA events I’ve been able to take part in over the last few years, and I’d like the opportunity to help create that same experience and enthusiasm for others while contributing to the continued stewardship of our trails.
Full names of two current WORCA members that support your nomination:
Ben Hryciw and Sarah Hryciw
E-Bike Advocacy: Pete Tongue
My name is Pete Tongue. I would like to put my name forward for the new e-bike advocacy role at WORCA.
I started a small business last year revolving around ebikes and tourism to Whistler. I work as a Bike Park Patroller as well in the summers. I have worked for Whistler Blackcomb for the last 7 years and have previously had a fair bit of involvement in the Bike Park planning and operations departments.
I grew up in the UK working in bike shops as a kid and have had some sort of involvement in the bike industry my whole life. When moving to Canada, I worked at Mount Washington for 12 years (prior to relocating to Whistler.) At Mount Washington, I spent a number of years building and maintaining trails.
Prior to working for patrol, I was working as a lift options manager for many years. One of the main parts of the job was working with many different departments with different priorities. One of my key skills is problem solving and making sure as many things as possible are considered.
I will be honest, when e-mountain bikes came out I was not a fan, at all! Obviously these days I feel very differently about them. I love seeing them as a tool for more people to access the outdoors and the amazing place we live.
As for my capacity, I will always make time for what is important to me. The summers are a busy time for work, but I will make time for what is needed. I love the idea of working on projects over the winter time (when I have more time) to be well prepared for the upcoming summer season.
I feel I could be a good ebike advocate for WORCA because I understand both sides of how people feel about them. It's something that is only getting more and more popular. I believe we should try and capitalize on as many people getting outside riding bikes while making them feel welcome. My goal would be to see WORCA memberships go up as more people are riding and more people are feeling included.
Omer Dagan and Laura Bryce are supporting my nomination.
Special Events: Gavin Brown
The skills/experience that make you a strong candidate for the position:
I've spent most of my career running the operations side of organizations, similar to what the role requires — setting up processes, making sure the right people are accountable for the right things, and keeping an eye on risk. Right now I own and run a business in the leadership development space, so I'm used to being the one who owns outcomes end to end rather than just contributing to them. Before that I owned and ran a couple of other businesses I'd acquired, and earlier in my career I ran Executive Education at a business school, managing a team of 18 and a large P&L, plus corporate development work in Europe. A lot of that involved coordinating people and logistics across different stakeholders and making sure things ran safely and on plan — which feels pretty relevant to overseeing a calendar of races and events and making sure they're being run properly and safely under the club's insurance.
I don't have direct event-sanctioning or race-organizing experience, but I'm comfortable building out a calendar, working with a manual/rules framework, and being the point of accountability that liaises with the Community Engagement Manager and outside bodies like the RMOW. I'd take the time to get familiar with the events manual and existing processes quickly.
Your capacity to commit to a volunteer role, and why you are interested in being on the WORCA Board:
As for time and interest — I'm local, my whole family rides, and I'm on the trails a lot, so this isn't a cause I'd be volunteering for out of obligation, it's one I actually care about and use. I have flexibility with my schedule, and a volunteer board role like this is something I can realistically commit real time to over a one year term. I like being useful in a hands-on way rather than just showing up to meetings, so helping build out the events calendar and supporting other directors when needed are things I'd enjoy doing.
Full names of two current WORCA members that support your nomination:
Michelle Blattner and Chris Winter