TIKIRARJUAQ/WHALE COVE
Taking home gold was a landmark moment for Whale Cove's Tikirarjuaq soccer team after a hard-fought tournament.

Kam Lake resident Jason Simpson voices concerns over the fact Niven Lake's contamination levels are not identified on maps released in a public health advisory last week. He argued all lakes within the city should be included on the map and that officials should not assume everyone knows whether the lake is safe or not. - Kirsten Fenn/NNSL photo

The regional co-ed battle, held in Whale Cove from July 27 to 30, pitted three local teams against one from Coral Harbour and the Rankin FCs.

Whale Cove prevailed, with Tikirarjuaq beating Coral Harbour 1-0 in the final gold medal game. Kayla Jones scored the only goal of the game, catapulting her team to a victory where they seized the first-place prize of $5,000.

Coral Harbour took silver and Rankin Inlet took bronze.

Whale Cove's Jeannie Crystal Jones was named the female most valuable player (MVP), while Coral Harbour's Sebastian Sabiakjuk was named MVP for the males.

"This was one of the better tournaments I've seen. We're so happy that good players from each community - their best players - came," said Chris Jones, Whale Cove's recreation co-ordinator.

"It was very good for our fans to watch, and it was really exciting, so we're grateful for that. It shows they don't have to go to a big place to see really good events."

Jones, who organized the tournament, said all of the games were very close, with teams facing each other in a round robin format before moving into semifinals and finals.

But Whale Cove had an edge, he said, due to the long hours they've spent practising on the home turf.

"(Coral Harbour and Rankin Inlet) are both very strong teams, but we've had our turf now since October and we play here every day," Jones said.

"There was such a huge improvement in our players."

This is the second tournament in Whale Cove where players have had artificial turf to play on. Jones said he plans to continue that tradition in the future with a tournament every summer.

"This was such a success here, it was just packed," he said.

"This is a real soccer town now."

Before the community had artificial turf installed for soccer players to practise on, the teams played on sand. Jones said the community held its first soccer tournament three years ago and learned some hard lessons from Rankin Inlet's players.

"We got killed by Rankin Inlet. They showed us you can't just go out there and play soccer - you need to have structure and a plan," he said.

"(Our teams) practised, got some coaching, and they improved so much. I've watched all the games since it started and there's a world of difference now."

Major improvement happened after Whale Cove brought in professional soccer players from Ottawa to coach a clinic. In June, Ashley Lawrence and Kadeisha Buchanen - who play for the national women's soccer team and won bronze at the 2016 Olympics - flew to the community. They brought their bronze medals with them for players to see, something Jones said helped to inspire the players.

Jones said the lessons local players learned from that clinic were vital to the teams' improvement.

"They just showed them the positioning and how you have to support (each other) as a team ... Everybody seemed to get it after that. The ball movement here is very good now," he said.

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