DEH CHO - A lesson about the importance of sports came packaged in the guise of a hockey clinic last week for students in the smallest Deh Cho communities.

Between Jan. 14 to 17 two representatives of the Aboriginal Sports Circle of the NWT visited Kakisa, Trout Lake, Jean Marie River and Nahanni Butte as part of the Fun on Ice Community Tour.

Participants in the Fun on Ice event in Trout Lake included front row, from left: Katrina Deneron, Aaron Chonkolay, Angel-Rose Betthale and Branden Jumbo; middle row: Timothy Pierre, Greg Hopf, Sheyenne Jumbo and Deanna Jumbo; back row: Donovan Punch, Corey Jumbo, Justin Kotchea and Maria Jones. - photo courtesy of Greg Hopf

The purpose of the tour was to introduce aboriginal students to the power of sports and the benefits sports can bring, said Greg Hopf, the program manager for the Aboriginal Sports Circle of the NWT.

To get this message across Hopf, and Jan Larsson, the executive director of the circle, used hockey.

"It's promoting the power of sport through hockey," said Hopf.

In each community, the pair spent an afternoon with school students teaching them basic hockey skills.

"The whole focus was having fun out there," Hopf said.

Students learned about skating and shooting pucks and played games including tag and dodgeball on the ice.

The on ice session was followed by a presentation in the school emphasizing the importance of sports.

Hopf talked to students about nutrition, fair play, what it means to be part of a winning team and what you can learn from that and the opportunities that sports can open up.

Hockey was chosen as the platform for the message because it's one of the most popular winter sports and Hopf played hockey at a university level.

Travelling to the Deh Cho communities that don't have indoor arenas was important for the Aboriginal Sports Circle because many times the smaller communities are told to attend events in places such as Fort Simpson. Staying in the communities personalizes the experience, said Hopf.

"That's meaningful grassroots work," he said.

The students were very accepting of the whole program, Hopf said.

"What I really enjoyed is how the communities pulled together," he said.

In each of the communities, except Trout Lake, residents cleared off existing outdoor ice rinks or made one on a river. In Trout Lake students played road hockey. In the evenings a community hockey game was held incorporating students and their parents.

In Kakisa students at the Kakisa Lake school welcomed the tour stop.

"It was cool and fun," said Dalton Simba.

The event helped him strengthen his hockey skills, Simba said.

Waylon Simba said he also enjoyed the event. Although he wouldn't call himself a hockey player, Simba said he might pick up a stick more often now.

Students gained a lot from the tour, said Sheila Hilliard, the teacher at the Kakisa Lake school.

"It was great. They were really excited," said Hilliard. To prepare for the event Patrick Chicot, one of the student's parents, built a rink on the Kakisa River.

On the ice the students were given good pointers on skating, stopping and puck handling skills, Hilliard said.

Having an organization come to the community to run a sports event is a welcomed opportunity, she said. Because the community is so small Kakisa can't field their own youth team, but with basic skills the youth are able to go out on the ice and play for fun, she said.

"It's really nice to have someone work with them and develop their skills," said Hilliard.

The Deh Cho was the first stop for the Fun on Ice tour. Hopf plans to visit the other regions in the territory by the end of February, visiting a total of nine communities that don't have indoor arenas.