Baker Lake (Jun 14/06) - When Brad Mainse first came to Baker Lake four years ago, the 33-year-old gym teacher saw a golden opportunity to work with sport-hungry kids in what was, and is, a challenging situation.

The hamlet had no baseball diamond or soccer pitch and lacked other southern luxuries, but Mainse was determined to give students at Rachel Arngnammaktiq Elementary school a well-rounded sports education.

Last week, Mainse was rewarded for his efforts - which include teaching everything from bocci ball to cricket - with the Physical Education Teaching Excellence Award for Nunavut.

He was one of 13 instructors nation-wide to receive the honour from the non-profit Canadian Association for Health Physical Recreation and Dance. The award recognizes teachers with innovative lesson plans who are also role models for their students.

"It was quite an honour," said Mainse. From Kingston, Ont., originally, he is also a high school coach and an important part of the Baker Lake Blizzard. The organization raises money to help community teams travel across Nunavut and hosts tournaments like the 2005 territorial basketball championships.

Without the facilities that most Canadians take for granted, Mainse has had to be creative.

He set-up two lacrosse nets on a sandy field outside the school where so his students could play soccer. He just finished about two-weeks of bocci ball, which he said the students loved. And that came after a session of cricket.

"You have to make do with what you have," he said.

Mainse has started to see talented multi-sport athletes coming up through the Baker Lake system. Part of the reason for that is a community-wide push towards promoting athletics, he said.

"We are seeing lots of skill development. That's something that lasts a lifetime."

Physical education also promotes a healthy living, which is especially important given a national upswing in obesity rates, Mainse said.