Dressed for success in Arviat
Business community helps minor hockey, film society
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
ARVIAT
Minor players from atoms to midgets will be among the best-looking hockey teams in Nunavut when the Arviat Wolves take to the ice during the 2017-2018 hockey season.
Thanks to the generosity of four sponsors, Arviat minor hockey teams from atoms to midgets will be sporting new home-and-away jerseys for tournaments they compete in during the 2017-2018 hockey season. - Illustration courtesy of Gleason Uppahuak |
Arviat minor hockey received a boost from the business community earlier this month when a group of four sponsors came together to outfit the local atoms, peewee, bantam and midget players with brand new home and away jerseys and socks for tourney play in the coming year.
The announcement was music to the ears of outgoing Arviat Minor Hockey Association president Gleason Uppahuak, who is moving with his family to Winnipeg in a few short weeks.
It addition to working hard to develop minor hockey in Arviat, Uppahuak has teamed with David Clark of Rankin Inlet to develop a Junior Canucks regional program.
Uppahuak said it was important to him to see the Arviat minor hockey players receive new jerseys before he leaves for Winnipeg.
He said a couple of the sponsors had started talking about a set of new minor hockey jerseys, when he decided to see if he could take care of most of the players all at once without any one business or individual picking up the lion's share of the cost.
"I starting brainstorming about it and I began wondering if, maybe, I asked four different businesses to consider sponsoring just one age group among the atoms, peewees, bantams and midgets if they might consider it," said Uppahuak.
"We're putting their company logos on the shoulders of the jerseys as an acknowledgment of their help and that approach has worked out pretty good.
"We'll be receiving 136 jerseys, 68 home and away, for Arviat's minor hockey atom, peewee, bantam and midget teams to use during tournaments, and we have a new recreation director in Arviat, Chris Mikeeuneak, so I'm going to talk to him about caring for the jerseys when they're not in use and keeping track of them during tournaments so they're well-cared for and last minor hockey for a while.
"We have Sanaqatiit Construction sponsoring the atoms, Natik Projects the peewees, Eskimo Point Lumber Supply the bantams, and Agnico Eagle Mines the midgets."
The Arviat Film Society (AFS) has also benefited from the help of a local business.
The AFS has been trying to increase exposure for its members for a while now, and longtime member Eric Anoee said Arctic Connections helped them take another step forward earlier this month.
"We were able to get new AFS (crew) T-shirts with the help of a generous discount the Arctic Connections store gave us on the T-shirt order," said Anoee.
"We hope to get more exposure for the AFS with the kids wearing them, and, hopefully, have other kids see them and become interested in getting involved with the society.
"We also got toques this winter, so, I'm hoping, when folks see this kind of branding, they'll get interested in the society and what we do.
"They might start thinking they'll be part of a team and receive a T-shirt and a hat if they go to the meetings, so there's a chance we could grow our numbers and attract even more interest that way."
