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FORT MCMURRAY, ALTA
Jamie Airut of Rankin Inlet brought some glory to the Rankin Inlet junior boys curling team's first appearance at the Canadian Junior National Curling Championship at Fort McMurray, Alta., earlier this month.

Canadian Junior National Curling Championship host committee cochair Jodie Mercier presents Jamie Airut of Rankin Inlet with a super broom for being named the male third recipient of the Fair Play Award in Fort McMurray earlier this month. - photo courtesy of Kevin Bussey

Airut was named as the male third Fair Play Award winner at the event.

Team coach and Nunavut Curling Association president Kevin Bussey said he was extremely proud of how Airut and the team handled themselves at the event.

He said the team members showed themselves to be good sports while being on the losing end of the scores at the championship.

"They always remained very positive and never got down on themselves," said Bussey.

"The teams they played against, especially the better teams, were very helpful to them.

"If they were beating them by a big score, they were giving them advice on what to do to improve their shots.

"Jamie was representative of how the team handled itself both on and off the ice and, I can honestly say, they were one of the hits of the show."

The next big moment for local curling fans comes this weekend with an important bonspiel being held in Rankin.

Bussey said local president Angela Dale and the Rankin Inlet Curling Club are ready to host Nunavut's other two active curling clubs from Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay.

He said this will be one of two bonspiels to help select the male and female teams for the 2014 Arctic Winter Games (AWG) and Canadian junior nationals.

"Iqaluit is expected to host the second event sometime in the coming fall, and the teams with the best totals from the two bonspiels will get to represent Nunavut at the AWG and/or the nationals.

"Cambridge Bay has a small club that plays on a natural ice surface, but they're doing their best to grow the sport in their community and that's, really, what it's all about at this stage in Nunavut."

Bussey said he expects Cambridge Bay to send a full compliment of girls to the Rankin bonspiel.

But, he said, he's not sure how many boys to expect at the event from Cambridge.

"However many come, we're really delighted they're taking part because it sounds to me like it's a sign the junior program may be catching on in the territory," Bussey said.

"Every community we see get involved is another step forward for us."

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