City's new sports tourism officer has lofty goals for Windsor

The newly appointed sports tourism officer has the lofty goal of bringing a Memorial Cup hockey tournament to Windsor.

Samantha Magalas still has to lay out her plans with her new bosses, but she is eager to make the city a premier destination for athletic competitions.

"That's definitely a goal of mine," she said when talking about the Memorial Cup. "Let's bring that in."

The Memorial Cup is awarded annually to the winnerof the Canadian Junior Hockey League.

Mayor Drew Dilkens announced the hiring of Magalas as the new sports tourism officer on Thursday just two months after council created the position.

Until now, Magalas has been working for Ontario University Athletics.She is scheduled to start her new job in Windsor on Feb. 8.

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Magalas is a former university athlete. She has coached and played on the women's national baseball team.

She wants to attract large tournaments that draw national and international attention to the city, which would generate significant economic spinoffs.

"I'm not coming in to bring in these tournaments that nobody wants to see," she said. "We want to fill up the facilities that we have and we have some really great facilities in Windsor."

Dilkenssaid measuring the success of the city's newest employee will be quite simple.

"She'll either bring the event or she won't," he said. "From that we'll be able to figure out how many hotel rooms are filled because of these events."

The position is a three-year contract that won't be renewed if council's gamble is unsuccessful, Dilkens explained. But he's particularly excited aboutMagalas, who he sayshas a "passion for sport" and thecity.

"Her experience, knowledge and connections within the sport community will be invaluable as we build on our success as a premier destination for sporting events,"Dilkens said.