Pan Am Tickets Part 2

Today is the last day to request tickets for the Pan Am Games in the initial lottery process. Have you sent in your request? I wrote last week about the criteria I was using to order my tickets. You can read that post here.

This post is giving a bit more information about the various events and venues. You can see the seating charts for the venues and ticket pricing chart below. They really help in choosing what price point to choose as some events will be much better with the most expensive seats (for example, along the 100m straight/finish line at the athletics venue). For others, cheaper tickets are great value. People who are used to seeing the Raptors at the ACC won't mind seeing basketball from any location in the much smaller Ryerson Athletic Centre.

I decided to request tickets for the opening ceremony, closing ceremony, triathlon and trampoline medal session through this ticket process. I'm hoping to get tickets for many more events once the general sale occurs and/or the schedule is revealed in more detail (who is competing and when).

I chose trampoline because there is only one medal session for the sport which means that we are assured of seeing Canada's best in men's and women's as opposed to artistic gymnastics which have various disciplines and are ticketed separately. It is also a great opportunity to hear the Canadian anthem played or see our trampoline athletes on the podium. I am making an assumption that medals will be handed out after the event.

I love this description for the triathlon:

"Grandstands will be erected for both water and road course sides, providing spectators with a prime location to experience all sports at this venue. Taking full advantage of the dual seating system will be the men’s and women’s triathlon – with the grandstands allowing for a view of the swimming course, the transition area and the course’s finish line."

I have never attended a triathlon event, but this sounds like a great vantage point to see the race.

For me, this type of special seating makes it worth going to the Pan Am Games. I would love to see track cycling and really hope to get tickets during the general sale and when I have a better idea of the specific schedule but I know that in the years to come, I will go to Milton to see track cycling. The venue will not change. This is also the case for many sports like swimming, diving, athletics, canoe, rowing, etc. so I am considering whether I will be able to see a sport (before and) after the Games when choosing my tickets.

Another venue that I am hoping to see is the Beach Volleyball Centre:

"Built as a temporary venue, the Chevrolet Beach Volleyball Centre will have 3,000 metric tonnes of sand brought in to create an urban beach. This must-see venue will welcome thousands of enthusiastic spectators for nine days of heart-stopping competition."

I know some beach volleyball players who could compete at the Pan Am Games so I am choosing to wait until the schedule is posted in the hopes of seeing one of them compete. Fingers crossed that it won't be sold out by then - although sold out events will be good news for the Pan Am Organizing Committee.

The Pan Am Organizing Committee announced a few days ago their top 10 ticket requests so far. This is probably a good indication of the events that will sell out first (depending on venue size). Gold medal and bronze medal games are also great choices if you don't mind who is playing but want to see the best representing Pan Am nations.

1. Soccer (Hamilton $20-$35) very affordable with strong Canadian teams.
2. Opening Ceremony (July 10 Rogers Centre $100-$350)
3. Equestrian (Caledon and Mono $25-$75) Choice of dressage, eventing, jumping
4. Track & Field (York University $40-$140) 10am prelims ($40-$70) 5/6pm medal ($80-$140)
5. Artistic Gymnastics (Pan Am Park, Toronto $45-$75) 9 medal sessions to choose from
6. Swimming (Scarborough $40-$140) 5 days: 10am prelim ($40-$70) 7pm medal ($80-$140)
7. Diving (Scarborough $20-$45) 6 medal sessions ($35-$45) to choose from
8. Beach Volleyball (Pan Am Park $20-$45) 25 prelims($20-$30), 2 medal sessions ($35-$45)
9. Indoor Volleyball (Pan Am Park, Toronto $20-$45) 18 prelims and 4 medal sessions
10. Synchronized Swimming (Scarborough $20-$45) prelims July 9, 2 medal sessions Jul 11

Here is an overview of the pricing for the various sports:

Here are the available seating charts with pricing for the various categories.

Opening Ceremony CatA $355 CatB $230 CatC $155 CatD $105
Closing Ceremony CatA $205 CatB $155 CatC $125 CatD $95

CatA $145 CatB $125 CatC $105 CatD $85

CatA $145 CatB $125 CatC $105 CatD $85
(note: CatC and CatD are in front of the diving facility)

CatA $145 CatB $125 CatC $105 CatD $85

CatA $80 CatB $65 CatC $50

CatA $50 CatB $40

Medal Games CatA $80 CatB $65 CatC $50 (Prelims $30-$50)

Medal CatA $80 CatB $65 CatC $50 (Prelims $30-$50)

CatA $80 CatB $65 CatC $50

CatA $50 CatB $40

Good luck to all of you who have requested tickets and thank you for reading.

Pan Am Games Torchbearer Contest

Olympic gold medallists Simon Whitfield and Catriona Le May Doan were the MC's this morning as Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games launched the torchbearer contest at the Eaton Centre in Toronto.

"To help ignite the Pan Am spirit, TO2015 is calling for Canadians to enter the TORONTO 2015 torchbearer contest for their chance to carry the flame in the TORONTO 2015 Torch Relay for the Pan Am Games. 

The contest is an invitation to the nation to join the journey, share the spirit and show community pride.

TO2015’s torchbearer contest for the Pan Am Games opened October 1, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. and will close on December 1, 2014, at 11:59 p.m. (ET). Torchbearers for this relay will be announced beginning in March 2015."

(source 2015 Pan Am Games website) 

The event was very well attended by dignitaries including Minister of Sport Bal Gosal and Premier Kathleen Wynne, sponsor representatives, media and spectators in the main area and the balcony above.

The highlight of the event was the introduction of the first torchbearer who will launch the 2015 Pan Am torch relay: Colonel Chris Hadfield. (pun taken from the announcement - I can't take credit)



Colonel Hadfield proceeded to take a selfie with a young girl who couldn't decide whether to become an athlete or a politician - or perhaps an astronaut. I'd love to see this second selfie and photobomb.

The torch relay will begin on May 30th in Toronto and will end when it lights the cauldron at the Pan Am Opening Ceremony at Rogers Centre in Toronto. It will visit 5 major Canadian cities outside of Ontario and 130 communities throughout Ontario.

5 cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal and Halifax.

In Ontario, the torch will travel through 130 communities including:

• South/west to Leamington, Windsor, Chatham/Kent, Sarnia, London and Woodstock
• Northwest to Thunder Bay, Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie
• North to Sudbury, North Bay, Parry Sound, Huntsville, Gravenhurst, Orillia, Midland, Collingwood and Owen Sound.
• East to Ottawa, Smiths Falls, Kingston, Belleville and Brighton
• and the GTA:

"The flame for the Pan Am Games is traditionally lit outside Mexico City in Teotihuacan at the Pyramid of the Sun, in a ceremony led by native Aztecs. Following the lighting, the flame will be handed over to a representative from the Host City. The flame will then be flown back to Canada to begin its nationwide journey before arriving in Toronto to light the cauldron at Opening Ceremony, which signifies the start of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games." 

(source 2015 Pan Am Games website) 

You can sign up for the contest at one of the two touch screen terminals at the Eaton Centre until Sunday October 5th (up one floor from the fountain), just like Olympic gold medallist Rosie MacLennan did just before I did.

(photo credit: TO2015 Twitter)

...or you can sign up online at the Pan Am Toronto 2015 website.

I can't finish this post without a photo of Pachi mingling and posing for photos with fans.

If you haven't requested Pan Am tickets yet, you may want to click here to read my previous post about my selection criteria for choosing which events to attend.