NNSL (Mar 20/98) - The NWT is on track for its best performance in Arctic Winter Games history. Team NWT has kept up their incredibly hot pace, and as of deadline time at 5 p.m. Thursday night, the NWT with a total medal count of 107 has a 12-medal lead on 1996 AWG champion Alaska. NWT chef de mission Doug Rentmeister said all sports are contributing to the massive medal total.

"It's not one specific sport. Obviously speed skating -- I'm really surprised at the consistency in all sports. Obviously speed skating has done well. But the consistency in all sports is what I'm really surprised at."

The NWT's previous record medal performance at the Games occurred at the Slave River, Alta., where the team picked up a solid 151 ulus. Rentmeister said that's good, but notes this year, we've already won more gold.

"At Slave lake we won a lot of silver and bronze," 121 to be exact.

"It says a lot for our sport system when things like this are happening. To date NWT athletes have earned three more than the 30 golds they earned in 1994 in Alberta, and the weekend finals are still to come.