- Talisman Centre
The Talisman Centre, formerly known as the Lindsay Park Sports Centre, is a multi-sports complex in
Calgary ,Alberta ,Canada . The name of the facility was changed in March 2002, after the City of Calgary sold the naming rights for 10 million dollars toTalisman Energy for 30 years.The complex attracts 1.8 million visitors annually, and its initial capacity was 2 million visitors. With the major expansion in 2003, the capacity has increased to 3.5 million visitors annually. It is the second largest multi-sports complex in North America and the largest sports facility in Canada. The Centre opens from 5AM to 11PM Mondays to Fridays, every day of the year except Christmas Day. On weekends, The Centre is open from 6AM to 10PM.
The complex itself is run by the non-profit Lindsay Park Sports Society a 22 member board and semi-autonomous arm of the Calgary Municipal government. Member of board consists of various sporting organizations, government, public and private school board representatives.
Original structure
The structure itself was built in 1983 for the
Western Canada Summer Games . The white inverted v-shaped roof, comprises a steel arch spine with a concrete perimeter. The skin of the roof is a Teflon-coated fibreglass outer skin, that achieves 4% transparency reducing the need for artificial light.The original project cost was $24.7 million dollars. The original facility was opened as 130,000 square feet area. [ [http://www.aaa.ab.ca/pages/public/csaa/csaa-23.aspx Alberta Association of Architects] - Information on Construction of the Talisman Centre]The facility was built at the same time as the
Pengrowth Saddledome which is just across Macleod Trail. The project site (between the neighbourhood of Mission and Erlton) was chosen because of easy access to theC-Train that began operation in 1981, and access to theElbow River pathway.Major Expansion in 2003
In 2003 the facility went through a $22 million dollar face lift and expansion as a 2005 centennial project. Talisman Centre added two olympic sized 25-meter pools, 3 meeting rooms, lounge with latest flat panel TV and personal fitness area. It also built a separate room for drop in classes such as yoga where special lighting is preferred.
The facility holds sporting events both professional and amateur, and all facilities are open to the public. Talisman Centre hosts many regional, national and international competitions in swimming, basketball and other sports. It is one of only three complexes that are capable of hosting swim competition in western Canada.
On-going expansions
Talisman Centre renovated Cafe Sante and opened Jugo Juice within the building. Menu items became much better choice for healthy eating, although you can find cold beer and coolers from the menu.
The Talisman Centre has had a few controversies over the years. One was surveillance cameras in sensitive areas, such as change rooms. The presence of cameras throughout the facility was included in the privacy policy. [ [http://www.talismancentre.com/privacy.pdf Talisman Centre] - Privacy Policy] The complex also came under fire when the naming rights were sold to Talisman energy, some lobby groups claim the oil company is responsible for funding atrocities in Sudan when it primarily did business in the country. These controversies never made an impact on attendance or operations.
Other nearby sports facilities in the area are the
Stampede Corral ,Pengrowth Saddledome andStampede Park Grandstand , and Shaw Millennium Park.References
External links
* [http://www.talismancentre.com/ Talisman Centre home page]
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