Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

Inuvik ( Mar 03/00) - They came, they saw and they talked up a storm.

Sixteen students from Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk and Holman met at Samuel Hearne high school last weekend to take part in territorial debates. The event determined which two teams of senior and junior pairings would go on to the national stage.

"They were all really good, and it was a pleasant surprise just how well everyone spoke and how polite they were to one another," said occupational therapist and volunteer judge Kathleen Smith.

The Inuvialuit Development Corporation and Parks Canada sponsored the event and, along with the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Board, Municipal and Community Affairs and Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, contributed the majority of judges.

Hearne vice-principal Geoff Buerger organized the event and said -- this being the first time in several years that students have debated -- the emphasis was on participation.

"We're trying to ensure that this is not particulary competitive," he said. "The competitors are new, the judges are new and the only person with any actual experience is me -- we're trying to give the kids exposure as well as select teams to represent the territory."

Buerger said he began debating when he was in high school in the 1970s. He helped rejuvenate debating in the region when he arrived at Hearne last fall. It has clearly caught on, since eight Inuvik students took part in last weekend's territorials, joined by six from Mangilakuk school in Tuk and two from Holman's Helen Kalvak.

Tracy Davison and Sherry Rioux composed one of the Hearne teams, and Rioux gave what proved to be a popular reason for getting involved in debating.

"I wanted a debating team here, though never realized it would be so formal," she said. "I just always liked going around arguing."

Davison recently took part in debates in Winnipeg, Man., and said it's amazing how quickly competition makes confidence grow.

"I feel I have a lot more experience because of that," she said.

Among the competition in Inuvik was Holman's Cezley Alanak, 12, and teammate Helena Ekootak, 15. Both girls admitted to being nervous Saturday morning but had already settled down by late afternoon.

Ekootak also put on a display of public speaking in Inuinnaqtun, and sang a sweet, and slightly sad song she'd learned at Helen Kalvak school.

"It was called Kagyut's Song, after elder William Kagyut," she said, "and it tells the story of when he was in a TB hospital and sleeping and dreaming about someone telling him they'd make him better."

The only difficulty Ekootak had Saturday was when she and Alanak had to argue for development in their parliamentary debate, while Davison and Rioux defended the environment.

"I'm a native and I come from the North, so I can't rebut," she said.

"It's hard to debate something you don't believe in," acknowledged Rioux, while Parks Canada's Bill Brake said that fortunately or unfortunately, that's part of the debating process.

The students confirmed they learned a lot over the course of the two-day competition, and their may be more to come. Debating will continue to be encouraged in the region and Buerger said two teams of senior debaters will be selected to travel to the national championships in Ontario this April while two junior teams will head to Saskatchewan in May.