Games Kick Off with a Party

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The official newspaper of The arcTic winTer Games

March 19, 2018

Games kick off with a party

Yukon athlete aims to break record

The Arctic Winter Games flame is lit

Team profiles of Nunavut and Alberta North

Thorsten Gohl photo

2 ULU News, Monday, March 19, 2018

ULU News, Monday, March 19, 2018 3

Let the Arctic Winter Games begin

TJ Kaskamin of Fort Good

Hope carries the NWT flag into the March 18 opening ceremony in Hay River for the 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games.

Paul Bickford/NNsL photo

Arctic Winter Games launched with ceremony in Hay River

by Paul Bickford Winter Games Host Society,

Lynn Napier-Buckley of Fort Winter Olympics in Pyeong- Olympic Games."

Smith, Chief Roy Fabian of Chang, South Korea – wel-

The late Pat Bobinski, a the evening included the

K'atlodeeche First Nation and coming the athletes to his Hay River volunteer who was Hay River Filipino March-

Kristy Duncan, the federal hometown.

instrumental in developing the ing Band, The JBT Jiggers

The entertainment for

Northern News services

recalled the region's failed

After years of planning

attempt to obtain the games

for 2008.

and work, the 2018 South

Slave Arctic Winter Games officially kicked off with a flashy opening ceremony on March 18 in the brand-new recreation centre in Hay River.
Close to 1,900 athletes from across the circumpolar world gathered in Hay River for the opening ceremonies, including about 800 competing in Fort Smith who were bussed in just for the event and returned after it was over.
Nine teams – from Canada,
Alaska, Scandinavia, Greenland and Russia – marched in one-by-one to the cheers of Hay River residents and fellow competitors.
At the end of the ceremony, Jens Brinch, the president of the Arctic Winter Games International Committee, declared the 2018 games officially open.
"To all the athletes and participants, I say do your best in the competitions and performances," he said.
On behalf of the Arctic
Winter Games International Committee, Brinch also thanked the people who worked to make the games possible – volunteers, sponsors and members of host society.
Prior to the declaration to open the games, there was a fast-moving ceremony featuring music, dancing and numerous inspirational messages.
Greg Rowe, the president of the 2018 South Slave Arctic
"With renewed vision and a lot of determination we bid on the 2018 games, and here we are today," he said.
Rowe also especially thanked the Town of Hay River and its recreation board for its support, and the town's construction of its new recreation centre which opened just days before the games began.
"This spectacular facility is one of our greatest legacies of the games," he said.
In a video message, Premier Bob McLeod noted that Hay River and Pine Point had hosted the Arctic Winter Games in 1978.
"Now 40 years later the games are back in the South Slave region where I know the communities of Hay River, Fort Smith and K'atlodeeche First Nation will serve as tremendous hosts and show all that this region has to offer," he said.
McLeod challenged the athletes to use the games to help develop their characters, and become more confident, responsible individuals and leaders in their communities.
"To Team NWT athletes, you are our ambassadors. Represent your team and our territory with honour and pride," he said, adding they should do their best and always compete with fairness and integrity.
Welcome messages were also played from Mayor Brad Mapes of Hay River, Mayor minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities.
"I'm proud to say that sport of biathlon in the NWT from Fort Smith's Joseph Burr
I'm an Arctic Winter Games and a long-time member of the Tyrrell School, the Tuktoyak-
Hay River's Olympic biath- alumnus," he said. "For me, Arctic Winter Games family, tuk Siglit Drummers and lete Brendan Green also sent it led to a career in sport was also honoured with a spe- Dancers, and the K'atlodeeche

a message – recorded at the as well as three Winter cial tribute.

Drummers.

After the lighting of the Hay River cauldron for the 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games, four youngsters, left to right, Nikhlin Kipling, Emrys Kipling, Carlyn Monkman and Annalee Monkman gathered for a photo.

Arctic Winter Games flame lit

Numerous people, including many families, posed

for pictures with the cauldron for the 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games. One of the families consisted of, left to right, Emiliana Poitras-Dewar, David Dewar, Emmanuelle Poitras-Dewar, Emmy- lou Poitras-Dewar and Sarah Poitras-Dewar.

Marie-Eve Larocque, the social media chair for the 2018 South Slave AWG, takes a photo at the lighting of the Hay River cauldron for the games.

At the lighting of the

Hay River cauldron for 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games were its builders, left to right, Jason Coakwell of Aurora Manufactur- ing; Shawn Demarcke, a gasfitter with Stittco
Utilities; Rodney Burrows of Aurora Manufactur- ing; and Riley Boden of

Mayor Brad Mapes oversaw the lighting on March

16 of the Hay River cauldron for the 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games.
Aurora Manufacturing.

Ceremony

Feature

by Paul Bickford

The ceremony was organized by Peter
The flame for the Arctic Winter Games was Magill, the tourism and economic develop-

lit on March 16.

ment co-ordinator with the Town of Hay River.

Magill said the flame will burn for the duration of the Arctic Winter Games.
Actually, there were two flames – one in
Hay River and the other in Fort Smith.

The cauldrons were designed as two identi-

“And then these two cauldrons will be left

cal halves of one united flame, representing the behind as a legacy piece for the two communtwo communities co-hosting the international ities,” he said, adding it will be a reminder of

sporting event from March 18 to March 24.

the 2018 games like the inukshuk is a reminder

In Hay River, a crowd gathered to see a of the 1978 games co-hosted by Hay River and cauldron – the left side of the flame – lit next Pine Point.

to the fire hall.

At the same time as the lighting of the

Mayor Brad Mapes officiated at the light- cauldron in Hay River, Fort Smith Mayor Lynn ing of the cauldron, which stands over three Napier-Buckley was overseeing the lighting of metres high. the cauldron in her community.

Watchful eye

Yamal figure skating coach Alfia Babenko supervises her skaters during scheduled free time on sunday afternoon before heading to Hay River for the opening ceremonies.

Paul Bannister/NNsL photo

Volleyball to debut at new curling club

Dylan Short/nnSL photo

Taylor McDonald looks to beat the block during a Team Alberta North practice. The Hay River Curling Club is set to serve as the venue for volleyball at the Arctic Winter Games.

New venue described as ‘a little cold,’ but ‘amazing’

by Dylan Short tournaments.

Centre.

“The curlers were a little also has a really beautiful new to town say the venue

is already providing a great

Volleyball will be the first

While many feel it would upset,” said volleyball chair venue.”

The Hay River Curl- sport played in the newly- have been ideal to open with Steve Campbell, “but they

While some curlers may atmosphere.

ing Club is set to open this constructed, curling-specific curling in the new curling understand that although have been hesitant to give up week as it hosts the junior facility, within the brand club,FortSmithishostingthat Hay River would love to their facility to a new sport,
Team Alberta North’s

Please see page 8

men and women’s volleyball new Hay River Recreation sport.

host every event, Fort Smith some athletes and coaches

'I’m really excited to be playing in the same venue that the food is in'

are already enjoying the venue, the space is a little more Miller, outside hitter for Team Alberta North’s junior female cramped than a standard court. Normally, there are three volleyball team. “It’s a little cold but I think that it will be

Continued from page 7

junior female volleyball squad practised Sunday morning to metres of free space on either side of the court’s boundaries, nice when we’re playing.”

the beat of DMX and the Black Eyed Peas in front of close but AWG athletes will only have two metres to work with

Miller also mentioned some upside.

to 50 spectators.

this year.

“I’m really excited to be playing in the same venue that the

“It’s amazing!” Erin Henning, the team’s coach, said of the

But for those that have already practised on the court, food is in,” she said.

building. “We didn’t know how they were going to set it up, the challenges of the new venue haven’t put a damper on the

The first game in the new club will see the Team North-

west Territories play Team Yukon on the men’s side on Mon-

so it’s better than we expected.”

excitement.

Campbell said that while athletes, coaches and spectators

“It’s not really bothering me that much,” said Stephanie day at 9 a.m.

Paul Bannister/NNsL photo

Greenland buses to hay river

Team Greenland took one of 20 buses that shuttled athletes from Fort smith to Hay River for the AwG opening ceremonies on sunday.

Meet Kechi, the AWG mascot

Snowy owl set to spread cheer throughout the Games

by Dylan Short female owl, as 11 is a master

number, according the host
Kechi, the snowy owl society.

mascot for the 2018 Arctic

“It is instinctual, charis-

Winter Games, says her goals matic, dynamic and capable for the Games are to extend when its sights are set on positive energy and to make a concrete goal. It is also sure that everyone feels com- associated with faith, psych-

fortable.

ics, and strength,” the offi-

“I want to spread cheer, to cial AWG website states in show comfort to people that regards to the dynamic numare nervous and uncomfort- eral. able in their new environment,” says Kechi.
For those wanting to meet
Kechi, the owl says that best
Kechi – pronounced Kee- way to find her is to attend as chee – is the Cree word for many events throughout the power. The snowy owl was week as possible. The best selected as the official mas- way to make an impression cot by the AWG 2018 Host on this snowy owl is to offer Society board after a call to a high five, she reveals. the public prompted feedback from 80 people.
The mascot will be accompanied this week by
“The owl was chosen to her spirit squad, who will be represent wisdom, the over- teaching as many spectators seer, the wise one,” says as possible the Kechi dance. Joanne Fuller, director of the Those choreographed moves 2018 host society. “The owl were to be debuted at the

NNsL file photo

Kechi the snowy owl is the official mascot for the 2018 Arctic Winter Games. Her name is derived from the Cree word for power.

sees all.”

opening ceremonies on Sun-

Kechi is an 11-year-old day evening.

Another large contingent for Alberta North

Close to 240 members head to NWT for 2018
Arctic Winter
Games

by James mcCarthy

Apart from the NWT,
Team Alberta North had the least ground to cover to get to the 2018 Arctic Winter Games.
After all, everyone who's part of the team is North of the 55th parallel.
Alberta North has come with a total of 239 athletes, coaches, mission staff and cultural participants, and they are set to go.
Jerry George is back as the team's chef de mission, a position he's occupied since 2012, and he said the excitement has been building for quite some time.
"We had our big staging event back in February where the uniforms were handed out," he said. "I think the athletes realized then that this isn't just your run-of-the-mill tournament. It's a big event and I think they understood that."
The team was assembled between November 2017 and this past January, and George said the provincial sport bodies did most of the legwork in getting things organized.

Ron wassink/Arctic winter Games photo

Team Alberta North's Mercedez Batke meets up with opposing goaltender Ayesha Barlas, of the NWT, during action at the 2016 Arctic Winter Games girls hockey tournament.

Please see page 12

'We have athletes and coaches from 36 communities'

Yukon, Alberta North hasn't in most sports but we aren't sent a full delegation. They sending a full complement."
"We work with the gov- will compete in 14 sports and Some examples of that are erning bodies in the province some of those sports won't in futsal, where there's just a
"If we're hosting the Prairie and Fort McMurray
Games, we will have a full – but those aren't the only contingent," said George. communities represented, "The capacity in some of our said George.

Continued from page 11

" It's a big event and I think they understood that."

and they designate when their have full representation.

junior boys and junior girls

Northern communities just

"We have athletes and

trials are going to happen," he

"We don't have any teams team, and in hockey, which

isn't there so we try and put coaches from 36 commun-

together a list and group that's ities in total represented on

said. "We tried to co-ordinate in dog mushing and no basket- has no Alberta North midget

schedules so there wasn't too ball teams," said George. boys team. They've also sent much of an impact to club "When the Games aren't in just 11 cross-country skiers,

manageable."

this year's team," he said. "It's

A large majority of the not just the big cities and team comes from the major that's something we're very centres in the area – Grande proud of."

teams."

Alberta, we don't send a full even though the maximum a

Unlike the NWT and contingent like others. We are team can have is 18.

Jerry George

Speed skating kicks off Games in Smith

Cody Punter/NNsL photo

Anders John-Eric Petersson (Yukon) leads the pack, followed by Miles Brewster (Nunavut) and Rudi James Slagter (Northwest Territories) during the juvenile male speed skating semifinal on Sunday morning in Fort Smith.

Medal rounds will begin today

by Cody Punter Alaska, Alberta North, the

Yukon and Nunavut in the
Short-track speed skating semifinals for what appears to was the first event to kick off be a tightly contested Monday the Arctic Winter Games in morning. Fort Smith on Sunday morning.
The juvenile female 1,000- metre race saw competition
Preliminary 1,000-metre in both the preliminaries and heats were held for both male semis wrapping up on Sunday. and females in the juvenile and Nunavut’s Emma Carpenter

junior categories.

had the fastest time in the

Alberta North’s Teneea preliminary heats, clocking in
Schoorlemmer set a blistering at 1:55.28. The semis saw the pace in her heat qualifying for Yukon’s Lisa Megan Freeman the junior female semifinals posting a time of 1:56.59, just with a time of 1:49.08, more three hundredths of a second than five seconds faster than quicker than Carpenter’s

her closest competitor.

second heat performance of

There will be a total of 10 1:56.62, setting up an exciting competitors vying for a spot in showdown on Monday.

the junior female final during

In the juvenile male heats

the semis on Monday with four it was two brothers from the from the Northwest Territories, Yukon who positioned themthree from Alberta North, two selves as favourites for the from Nunavut and one from gold. After advancing to the

the Yukon set to compete.

semifinals, Lucas Taggart-Cox

The Northwest Territor- and Caius Taggart-Cox posted ies’ Dalton McLeod narrowly times of 1:46.65 and 1:47.03, managed the fastest time in respectively, more than five the 1,000-metre junior male seconds faster than the other category. He clocked in at skaters.

1:39.81 with a handful of skat-

The finals for all 1,000-

ers behind him by just a few metre short-track races are seconds. McLeod will join 13 scheduled to get underway other skaters from the NWT, today.

Yukon athlete looks

Matt Jacobson prac-

tises the one-hand reach at the Fort

to break record

Smith recreation centre during a train- ing day for the 2018 Arctic Winter Games. Jacobson, who tied the AWG record in the one-hand reach in 2016, is hoping he can break the all-time best mark in front of

Matt Jacobson will perform the one-hand reach in front of NWT family on Monday night

family in Fort Smith.

Cody Punter/NNsL photo

by Cody Punter height of five feet, six inches.

But without the pressure of competition he was able to
After tying the Arctic add an inch to his tally.

Winter Games record for the

“He’s been pumped ever

one-hand reach in Greenland since he set that record to go in 2016, the first thing Matt higher,” said Colin Hickman, Jacobson did was go back to Arctic sports coach for the the dorm to see if he could Yukon.

best his result.

As he attempts to break

During the competition
Jacobson was able to reach a

Please see page 17

No passports, fewer issues

photo courtesy of Rex willie

Noah Qaunaq of Arctic Bay practises the snowsnake during the Dene games trials in Arctic Bay in January. Qaunaq will be competing in the open men’s division.

Team Nunavut fields big squad for Arctic Winter
Games

by James mcCarthy peting in 13 sports over the

course of the six-day event,
Seems it’s always easier while the cultural delegation when you’re competing in will have its big show in Fort your own country when it Smith on March 23.

comes to preparation.

Most of the territorial trials

That’s how it’s gone for took place a year in advance
Team Nunavut as it gets set with some teams finalizing for the 2018 Arctic Winter their rosters in recent weeks Games. but dePeuter said there were
Mariele dePeuter, in charge some welcome bumps in a of the team once again as the couple of sports.

chef de mission, said every-

“Arctic sports and Dene

thing was smooth in the days games is where we saw more leading up to the start of the participants, and that goes Games. back to the passport issue,”
“We’re at the point where she said.

it’s just the small details that

Athletes in various disci-

need finalizing,” she said. plines got together in some “The big help this year is no fashion before the Games passports, which makes our began and that was thanks to

jobs a lot easier.”

the school break in February,

Team Nunavut will number she added.

246 people from 19 communi-

“A lot of sports took advan-

ties. That total includes ath- tage of that break to have letes, coaches, mission staff camps or get together and and the cultural delegation, work on team building,” she which will be the Inuksuk said. Drum Dancers from Iqaluit.