Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 18/00) - Jumping from an airplane may be challenging enough for the average person, but additional factors made it even harder for Ruth Proulx.

Earlier this month the 17-year-old Yellowknifer became the first female cadet from the North to pass the Canadian Forces Basic Parachute Course. She was one of 37 out of 50 people to pass the course held in Trenton, Ont. from early July to mid-August.

"I spent four weeks of hell and that's exactly what it was," she said, about the training portion of the course.

During six weeks of training, Proulx made five parachute descents -- including jumps at night, in a group and from the ramp of a Hercules aircraft.

The training aspect was even harder, according to Proulx. From 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. she did 10 chin ups every time she entered or left a building and ran everywhere, many times in a parachute training harness, and did 50 pushups and 60 situps about 15 times a day.

"It was really hard on me, I had no one to talk to and I hated being there and living with a bunch of guys," she said although obviously proud of her accomplishment.

"They treated me as an equal but there was still that element of, 'she's a girl' and people thought I wouldn't do as well.

"But I also had a lot of people believing in me even though support from people I was taking the course with was, like, zero.

"They wanted me to be GI Jane," she said.

Proulx is Cadet Master Warrant Officer of 2837 Yellowknife Army Cadet Corps and has been a member since she was 12.

But she has also spent the last two years living in foster care for personal reasons although she said she has a good relationship with her biological family.

"I'm extremely proud of her," said warrant officer Floyd Powder, who trains the cadets here.

"I wanted her to do it to be a good example to younger people and she is a good example for a lot of other kids."

After the rigorous four-week training period, she received word at 3 a.m. Aug. 5 that her father, Michael Proulx, had been killed in a motor vehicle accident on the Rae road the day before.

"I decided to stay in the course and do it for my dad," she said. "It was a really tough decision because I was mourning ... but if I went home then I'd have to go back next year and do it again. I'd have priority but I'd still have to go through those four weeks."

This is just one more accomplishment on a long list for Proulx, difficult as it may have been. She's received numerous cadet awards, competed in many sports, some at the Arctic Winter Games level and is on her grad committee and student council.

As for after graduation, she doesn't know for sure where she'll steer her future. If it ends up being with the military, she's considering training to be a SAR-TECH (search and rescue technician). But if not, something working with people.

"Criminology, sociology or psychology," she said. "They are all kind of intertwined so an -ology of some sort."