Harvey Lavigne – Builder
The sport of Olympic Air Pistol became popular in Prince Albert and around the province of Saskatchewan through the dedication and hard work of Harvey Lavigne. Lavigne was instrumental in the formation of the Prince Albert Pistol and Air Rifle Club (PAPRC) and has served as a major official at many provincial and national events.
He started with the PAPRC in the early 1970’s and became a keen competitor. He was an active volunteer with the club from the beginning, assisting in building the club facilities and participating in fundraising events. He was a board member, including time as President, for over 30 years. When Olympic Air Pistol was introduced as a Saskatchewan Winter Games sport he was instrumental in the formation of a junior program. Lavigne’s administration and coaching with that group resulted in a number of athletes taking up the sport and competing provincially and nationally.
Lavigne was a member of the board of the Saskatchewan Handgun Association from 1982 to 2013 including 4 years as President and many years as Chief Range Officer. As Chief Range Office he organized and officiated at matches, provided training to officials and coached and mentored less experienced officials. He was the Pistol Sport Technical Liaison for the Saskatchewan Winter Games from its inception through the 2014 games in Prince Albert.
He has been the Chief Range Officer for the Canadian National Pistol Championships for 16 years including in Prince Albert in 2002, 2005 and 2007, events he was instrumental in bringing to the city. As Chair of the National Officials Development Committee for the Shooting Federation of Canada, Lavigne also officiated at the Canada Winter Games in New Brunswick (2003), the Yukon (2007) and Nova Scotia (2011).
Internationally Lavigne officiated at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, BC in 1994 and the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1997. These two events allowed him to qualify for an International “B” Level Officials License which qualifies him to officiate at World Cup and Olympic events.
