Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 27/01) - Ever heard of the Island Olympics?
Thirty athletes, all brawny Yellowknifers from the tourism industry, travelled to Horseshoe Island last week by boat and plane to vie for both prizes and prestige.
The event's hosts, Bluefish Services and Arctic Air, opened the games with a ceremonial fish fry. The feast included fresh bread, baked beans and peaches for desert.
Soon after, contenders were paired off, given small Tupperware containers and told they had 10 minutes to catch mosquitoes. Bonus points, Scott Robertson of Bluefish Services explained, would be awarded for still-living bugs.
The mosquitoes proved easy to locate, but difficult for some to catch. Everyone concocted a different strategy for catching the pests. Actor Murray Utas stripped off his shirt, held out his arms, and waited for the tiny beasts to attack.
The mosquito-trapping champions, Heather Sheppard and Joan Hirons, racked up 21 mosquitoes -- 16 dead mosquitos and five living.
Next, competitors were led to two huge Tupperware containers containing two large pike.
Blindfolded and wearing massive green rubber gloves, the athletes were instructed to move the fish from one bucket to the other. Kyle Bussell managed to switch the fish in 10 seconds and took home the gold.
The final event was a casting competition, won by tourist Greg Coffin.
At the night's end, prizes including tote bags, a fishing trip and a float plane fly-in video were awarded for spirit, bloodiest bug bites, and worst cast.
Arctic Air and Bluefish Services brought the group back to shore. "God, that was awesome," said Joan Hirons, owner of Island Bed and Breakfast, as she stepped off the plane.
