TTHEK'EHDELI/JEAN MARIE RIVER - Combine skiing and marksmanship and you have a sport that the recreation co-ordinator in Jean Marie River hopes is perfectly suited for the community's youth.

On July 25 instructors Bruce Green and Pat Bobinski of Hay River led a biathlon clinic in Jean Marie River. Allan Browning, the community's recreation co-ordinator, plans to use the clinic as a starting point to draw youth to the sport.

Instructor Bruce Green, left, gives Jonah Sanguez some tips during a biathlon clinic in Jean Marie River. - photo courtesy of Vanessa Sanguez

Biathlon should be a good fit for the community's youth because they already do a lot of skiing as part of their school program, said Browning. The clinic demonstrated that interesting them in marksmanship won't be a problem.

"Once they started shooting they couldn't stop," he said. Browning, who encouraged participation in biathlon and skiing during his previous post on the Hay River Reserve, said he'd also like to promote the sport in Jean Marie River.

"It's important that our kids get exposed to some of this high-tech stuff," he said. noting that biathlon is different than the current reigning sport of soccer because you need more specialized equipment.

In addition to being a natural sport for the community, biathlon also offers a lot of valuable lessons about gun safety, Browning said. Almost every family in the community has a rifle.

"Us being a traditional community, all the gun safety we can get for our kids is really important," he said. The 11 youth who attended the afternoon clinic listened to Bobinski describe the different types of biathlon and the importance of firearms safety.

"As Pat says, treat all rifles as if they're loaded," said Browning.

After the safety lesson the participants learned how to load the air rifles and position themselves in a prone position to shoot. The participants tried firing at a paper target before testing their skills on metal knockdown targets.

Zaida Sanguez, 8, said shooting was the best part of the clinic. "It was fun," Sanguez said. Rhonda Norwegian, 11, said she learned some important lessons including how to hold a rifle and that you can't cross the firing line while someone's shooting or you could be shot.

"It was fun. I like shooting the guns," Norwegian said. The two instructors will be invited again to Jean Marie River in the winter for a follow-up clinic when the students are back on their skis, Browning said.