Friday, March 9, 2012 Players for Team Yukon and Team NWT scramble for the basketball Photo credit: VINCE FEDOROFF Whitehorse STAR published by Hockey Playoff Preview...2 Close-ups & Snapshots...7 Your AWG Cultural Beat...10 2 ULU News Friday, March 9, 2012 • Whitehorse 2012 Arctic Winter Games THE DAILY HYPE AWG NEWS AND UP & COMINGS BY THE NUMBERS AIPAI NUNAVIK! CURLING The font-tastic cheer from Nunavik-Québec This roaring game originated by Heather LeDuc in Scotland in the early 19th It started with an AWG Facebook post: Aipai laguma Nunavik lar- century and has always been itsi!!! Aipai!!... Aipai!!... a chivalrous game – let's It looked like a cheer, but I wasn’t sure. I Googled Aipai, and came up have a look at some impor- with a reference to a syllabic font developed for the Nunavik Inuttitut. I tant numbers of this sport. was stumped. How does a font relate to a cheer? Nunavik-Québec’s Chef de Mission Jean Dupuis gave me the scoop. 1970 – year curling At the Grand Prairie Arctic Winter Games in 2010, the contingents debuted at the Arctic were all waiting to participate in the opening ceremonies. The wait dragged Winter Games. It was one on, and the young athletes were growing bored and restless. Something had of the 10 sports selected to be done to motivate them and keep them from nodding off. for the inaugural Games. That’s when Nunavik-Québec’s head coach Tunu Nappartuk came up 91.44 – maximum with an idea. On the spot, he made up a cheer, and began chanting: Aipai circumference of a curling NWT Midget Male Colby Wallis celebrates a penalty shot goal in laguma nunavi lagitsi! aipai... nunavik; aipai... nunavik; aipai... nunavik! stone in centimetres. Wednesday night action. (If I say Aipai repeat after me Aipai nunavik aipai nunavik!) 73 – minutes of playing That was the spark that lit the room. The athletes perked up, and soon time each team receives all the contingents were chanting cheers of their own. for a ten-end game. PLAYOFF PREVIEW: IT’S Aipai is an Inuttitut computer font developed by the Kativik School Board and a source of pride for the people of Nunavik. Combine “Aipai” 60 – duration of a time-out in seconds. ALL IN THE NUMBERS with “Nunavik”, and the words roll off the tongue. Each team may call two The cheer, like the font, is now part of the culture, and followed the time-outs per game by JOEL WITTEN Nunavik contingent to Whitehorse. Tunu Nappartuk wasn’t able to come to the 2012 Games, but he’s excluding any extra end. As we get closer to the medal advantage will be the difference when here in spirit, and in cheer. 45.72 – length in metres round, the players sense that more is the Ulus are handed out. of the sheet from the inside on the line, the hockey games grow In the Bantam Males category, edges of the back boards. more intense, and the quality of play Team Alberta North looks like the team points. Both of these squads are very determining factors. A hot goalie can 19.96 – maximum is improving. to beat. Undefeated in four games, Al- strong both offensively and defensive- lead a team to victory, so too can a for- weight for a curling stone Wednesday night at Takhini Are- berta North has averaged more than 8 ly with nearly identical goals for and ward with the Midas touch. Ultimately, including handle and bolt na, the Nunavut Midget Males won a goals a game for an impressive total against. Alaska has tallied 33 for and to walk away with an Ulu it will come in kilogram. The minimum hard fought battle against their north- of 34 goals scored. They have been 5 against and Alberta North posting 30 down to preparation, execution, and a weight is 17.24 kg. ern neighbours: NWT. This put these stingy at the other end of the ice, only for and only 4 against. It will take a ma- little bit of luck. 10 – minutes each team teams and the Yukon hosts all in simi- allowing 8 goals so far. Team NWT is jor upset to unseat one of these teams is allowed to practice lar positions, each team having won 2 second, going 3-0-1 for 6 points. Alas- from a berth in the final medal game. prior to each game. games and lost 1 for a total of 4 points. ka stands third with 4 points and a 2-2 Teams Yukon and NWT Junior Fe- Whoops! Team Alaska stands 0 and 3. record. At 1-3, Yukon has two points. males have each gone 1-2-1 for 3 points, 8 – number of stones In the Thursday March 8 each team uses. At this stage, NWT Midget Male Despite a solid effort, Team Nunavut while Nunavut has yet to post a victory. standout Colby Villebrun leads all was not able to win any of their first Jamie Rall of Alaska leads all edition of the Ulu News, 4 – total number of skaters in his category with 7 points. four games. hockey players with a stunning 9 goals the following stories were player per team. Nunavut’s Lodie Ipeelie and Yukon’s For the Bantam Males Brad Girard and 6 assists for a total of 15 points. misattributed: 2 – number of sweepers Tyson Glass each have 5, as does Vill- of Team Alberta North is setting a strong The next four spots in the Junior Fe- “Family Time, Courtside” per curling team. berun’s teammate Keegan Hnatiw. pace with 11 points. NWT’s Curtis Ger- males scoring race are held by Team (pg 3) was written by 1 – number of points a Watch for these players to continue to man is right on his heels with 10 points. Alberta North skaters Elisha Lam- Glenda Koh, not Indra Kley team scores at the end make a difference as their teams ad- With 9 points, Girard’s teammate Geoff ouche, Shyann Nicol, Morgan Loroff, of an end for each of its vance to the medal round. Gordon stands third. If these skaters and Charity Price. “Two minutes for looking stones located in or All the rink rats I conferred with, continue to produce at this level, their The statistics always dictate the so good” (pg 6) was written touching the house that are found picking a playoff winner in this teams will contend for gold. standings, but as we head towards the by Joel Witten, not Thomas closer to the tee than any grouping too close to call. As expected, The Junior Females is a tight race, playoffs the numbers can only tell us Schoeneich stone of the opposition. Yukoners in the stands are banking on with Alaska and Alberta North each so much. Power play and penalty kill- the home team, hoping that home ice having posted 3 wins and one tie for 7 ing effectiveness will be important Our apologies for the mistake. Builders Supplyland would like to wish all the athletes, coaches and volunteers of the 2012 ARCTIC WINTER GAMES A WONDERFUL YUKON EXPERIENCE. BUILDERS SUPPLYLAND PHONE 668-6068 • FAX 668-6052 • 414 BAXTER ST. WHITEHORSE Whitehorse 2012 Arctic Winter Games • Friday, March 9, 2012 ULU News 3 Arctic Sports WATCH World Records TOP set at AWG 2012 YOURSELF [as of Thursday morning, March 8] IN ACTION! TWEETS Kneel Jump Junior Female AWG Daily on TV @evaholland Monday, March 5 (Whitehorse cable I'm totally hooked. Veronica McDonald, NWT channel 9) and a You- Some of these girls 1.32 metres Tube gadget near you. move like gymnasts, (previous 1.31m) New episodes at 9 pm others like basketball daily during the Games. Triple Jump players. Huge range Open Female of approaches to the Wednesday, March 7 Day 5: Thursday, Anna Rivard, Yukon March 8 edition: jump. 8.55 metres Snowboard Cross (previous 7.9m in 2010) Dene Hand Games @paperless_crane Biathlon both Snow- You should go to Triple Jump shoe and Ski Open Male the basketball gold Wrestling Andrew Bell, Nunavut medal games. You 10.95 metres (previous 10.51 in 2004) AWG Daily captures could have a the flavour and pizazz chance to win Alaskan High Kick of the Games. Yukoner $10,000. #awg2012 Autum Ridley, Alaska Chris McNutt gives us 6’2” #halfcourtshot (previous 5’10”) a small sampling of the energy and excite- ment happening around @YukonSusan town. Catch the faces of Four new records set the kids, spot someone at AWG One of RECORDS TUMBLE AT ARCTIC SPORTS you know, see the ac- them set by Yukoner, It doesn’t happen very often that the Ulu News delivers the news of a new World Record to tion and feel the electri- an athlete. But there is a first for everything. Anna Rivard in triple fying energy in the air. jump She jumped 8 by THOMAS SCHOENEICH point 5-5 metres On Wednesday morning, Andrew Kugluktuk in western Nunavut in or broken – and there has been no been impressed so far with the level #cbcnorth #awg2012 Bell from Nunavut had finished the 2008. The athlete only took up Arc- shortage of that at the 2012 Arctic of competition in Whitehorse. But he Triple Jump in first position with tic Sports in November last year. Winter Games. thinks that even some long-standing a new record of 10.95 metres. He “Where I’m living now, I was On top of Bell’s record, Yukon’s Arctic Sports records will be chal- @danrueck jumped 44 centimetres further than looking for hobbies and activities Anna Rivard landed 8.55 metres in lenged sooner or later.