Northern Games tutorials offered
Coach, elder teach skills in advance of Arctic Winter Games
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, October 24, 2013
INUVIK
Sometimes it's possible to have a little bit too much personal attention.
Jovian Taylor had the chance to receive some personal coaching Oct. 18 at a Northern Games clinic at the East Three Elementary School gymnasium. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo
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That might have been the case for youngster Jovian Taylor Oct. 18 at the East Three Elementary School gymnasium.
Taylor was the only youth to show up for an Arctic Winter Games tutorial session being organized by veteran coach Steve Cockney and elder Abel Tingmiak.
The practice sessions and tutorials had started a week before, on Thanksgiving weekend, Cockney said, and had attracted more students.
That didn't let Jovian off the hook, though. Instead, Cockney and Tingmiak put the sole pupil through a gruelling session, primarily in the kicking disciplines, that left him gasping for breath at times.
Cockney said the classes were aimed at preparing local youth for the upcoming Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks, Alaska, and next summer's Circumpolar Games, which will be held in Inuvik.
It's an exciting time with the Circumpolar Games being held locally, while the Arctic Winter Games in Alaska are within relatively easy reach too, Cockney said.
Tingmiak, of course, has become an icon in the Mackenzie Delta region for his work preserving and sharing the Inuvialuit traditional culture, particularly the Northern Games events.
Jovian, a 13-year-old student at East Three, said he has ambitions to earn a spot at either games.
He said he was most interested in the various kicking disciplines, and specifically in the one-foot and two-foot high kicks.
Jovian said he found the two-foot kick the more difficult of the two, although he appeared to do better at it then the one-foot high kick. While he had the requisite jumping ability, Jovian clearly was having more difficulty in connecting the target, a swinging ball in that discipline.
Cockney nodded sagely and said that most people found the one-foot kick easier to master. The two-foot kick, he said, requires a bit more co-ordination since it requires the kicker to keep both feet tightly together.
"It all depends on the athlete, though," Cockney said, offering Jovian a non-stop stream of advice. "Some people are better at one thing, and some at another."
Cockney, along with other sporting aficionados, including James Day Jr., have been working steadily over the last few years to raise the profile of the traditional sports. While popular, he sees room for improvement everywhere in the region.
Cockney said about 1,000 athletes will likely arrive in Inuvik for the Circumpolar Games in July, 2014.
The games coincides with Inuvik hosting the Circumpolar Conference as well, meaning the town will be bursting at the seams trying to accommodate everyone.
He's not sure yet how Inuvik is going to hold everyone, but he said he sees it as a great chance for the town and the Delta to showcase its various talents, including in sports.
That's why he's offering the Northern Games clinics through the winter. That will give local youth a chance to learn from the veteran coaches and athletes who are available at no charge.
Cockney said he's confident the numbers will improve eventually as more information about the classes gets out into the community.
