Darren Campbell
Northern News Services

Whitehorse (Mar 20/00) - Bruce McKitrick sure seems to have a good thing going in Coral Harbour.

The wrestling coach for Nunavut at the 2000 Arctic Winter Games watched his team, five of whom are from Coral Harbour, take home 11 medals at the wrestling competition.

Since the Coral Harbour resident started up the wrestling program there three years ago after taking a break to start a family, McKitrick has built up a small (12 senior kids) but talented program.

The proof of that is in the pudding. At the Whitehorse Games, which took place from March 5-11, Coral Harbour wrestlers made up half of the 10-member team. Along with that fact, Coral Harbour wrestlers picked up nine of the 11 ulu medals Nunavut won.

McKitrick said one reason his wrestlers have done so well in the sport is they are born to wrestle.

"They have raw talent," said McKitrick. "Some of our kids in Coral Harbour are naturally built like tanks."

And it's not just the kids in Coral Harbour that seem to have a talent for wrestling. Nine of the 10 Nunavut wrestlers came from either Coral Harbour, Baker Lake or Arviat in the Kivalliq region.

Taking home medals for Nunavut in the individual wrestling competition were Tony Eetuk (bronze) in the 62-kilogram class, Joseph Nakoolak (bronze) in the 75-kilogram class, Mimi Kadlak (silver) in the female 61-kilogram class and Kathy Angootealuk (bronze) in the 67-kilogram female class.

Nunavut did even better in Inuit wrestling, where the wrestler getting two out of three take downs wins the match.

In that competition, Nunavut got its lone wrestling gold ulu as Larren Nakoolak won the 82-kilogram class. Also winning medals were Eetuk (silver), Kadloo Illnik (bronze), Joseph Nakoolak (silver), Kadlak (bronze), Angootealuk (silver) and Amanda Ningeocheak (silver) in the 67-kilogram female class. The other wrestlers all competed in the same weight classes as mentioned previously.

McKitrick said competing at events like the Games is good for his athletes because the only way they will get better is if they face better wrestlers.

One of McKitrick's most experienced wrestlers, Joseph Nakoolak, is a prime example of this. Nakoolak has dominated everyone he fought this year but at the Games, Nakoolak could not win his weight class. It's an experience McKitrick said will be good for him.

"You've got to go against a guy that is going to beat you. You've got to know your limits," said McKitrick.

Eetuk agrees with his coach. Wrestling for three years now, Eetuk said the Arctic Winter Games competition was his toughest test yet -- and he has wrestled in eight provinces and territories.

"The Arctic Winter Games has been the toughest for me," said Eetuk. "But I look at it as a good experience. It teaches me well."