The Caldwell family is mourning the loss of 17-year-old brothers Jordan and Evan, the two boys killed in a Saturday morning incident on the sliding track at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park, where they once worked.
Late Saturday evening, Jason, Shauna and Katie Caldwell issued the following statement:
We were reminded today that life is but a vapor. Life is precious, life is fragile, and we must redeem the time we’re given.
Our boys Jordan & Evan were bright lights to all who knew them. We are grieving their loss but confident in their new home of heaven. Our brief 17 years with them were a gift: filled with much love, laughter, and fond memories.
They leave a huge void and will be sorely missed.
Evan Caldwell, a student at Ernest Manning High School, had recently been offered a full scholarship to Queen's University. The Calgary Board of Eduction says counselling staff will me made available to the school's students and staff.
Jordan Caldwell attended Westmount Charter School for gifted students where he was deemed to be the school's 'greatest student personality' by the Westmount Eye, the school's student body news publication.
"We will provide particular attention and counseling for our senior students who were Jordan's closest friends, his peeps," said principal Janneke Frank In a letter sent to Westmount parents and guardians. "Student Services and other counselors will be available at the school to offer support to students and staff."
In the early morning hours of Saturday, Jordan, Evan and six other teenagers attempted to slide the bobsled track at Canada Olympic Park on personal sleds, outside of the park's operating hours, when the group collided with a gate dividing the luge and bobsled sections of the track.
Jordan and Evan were pronounced dead at the scene. The surviving members of the group were transported to hospital by ambulance. Their conditions range from critical, life threatening to stable with minor injuries.
The Calgary Police Service and WinSport continue to investigate the incident and how the group gained access to the sliding track.
WinSport president/CEO Barry Heck confirms Evan and Jordan Caldwell worked as hill ambassadors at Canada Olympic Park duing the 2014/2015 winter season.
To honour the memories of the Caldwell brothers, WinSport Canada has created two memorial sites at Canada Olympic Park. Friends. family, and members of the general public are welcome to pay their respects at either the top of the start house or at the 88 plaque at the top of the stairs leading from the day lodge to the the bobsleigh track.
