Using an analogy given by a fellow BC Summer Games director, president Michael Jackstien compared the final days of preparation for the humongous sports event in Langley this week to an arcade game called Whack-A-Mole.

Just as directors extinguish one small fire in one area, two new fires pop up elsewhere.

“We’re doing a lot of scrambling to make sure everything has been done, and that everything is going smoothly,” explained the retired senior manager with the federal government who took the reins of the Township of Langley event last February.

It’s a good thing, given his years of organizing events and projects, as well as managing people, that he doesn’t let things rattle him.

Despite an onslaught of small, unexpected hurdles that are cropping up in the eleventh hour, Jackstien described the coordination of this massive event as a challenge he’s enjoying and would gladly take on again.

“I enjoyed the challenge of it. Let’s see how it goes off, though. Maybe no one will want me to do it again,” he said Friday, taking a break from the chaos of the volunteer accreditation and all the other hustle and bustle in the Games offices that was associated with the event’s organization.

Jackstien’s secret, staying focused on the bottom line, he said.

The Games will provide a launching point for many talented young athletes to eventually excel into the national and international level, it brings thousands of generous Langleyites together to work for that cause, and it provides an invaluable opportunity to showcase the Township of Langley, and all its facilities, to thousands of guests.

“We want to make it a great experience for the athletes… if we’re feeding them well and getting them where they need to be, and their excelling in their sports, then they’re going to go away remembering the 2010 BC Summer Games in the Langley Township as a great experience,” Jackstien told the Langley Advance.

Witnessing what he described as pride and excitement among the volunteers who attended Friday’s accreditation, he was confident the Games in Langley are going to be “sensational.”

“It is rewarding working with people committed to this project, working together to put on something memorable for kids, and the community.”