Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Mar 29/02) - "It was awesome."

That is the resounding message from Fort Simpson's Arctic Winter Games athletes who returned from the games over the weekend.

Speedskater Francis Isiah-Tanche, who finished first in one of his heats, said he will never forget the spectacular drummers and dancers who performed during the opening ceremonies in Iqaluit.

Juvenile soccer players Diedra Villeneuve and Jessie Loutit said the highlight for them was meeting so many other people. Competitively, they finished in fourth place, dropping a heart-breaking, semi-final decision in a shootout against Alberta. Regardless, they were grinning while reflecting on their experience on Monday.

For Chris Stipdonk, trying to talk to people who couldn't understand English was admittedly a challenge.

"I used very basic words and used my hands a lot," said Stipdonk, who finished fourth in singles badminton and fourth in doubles badminton in Nuuk.

Trying out different food, such as seal and whale, was a pleasure for some, an ordeal for others.

"It was gross," Villeneuve said, making a face.

Stipdonk said the seal tasted like regular meat, but the whale "wasn't too good."

Colin Stipdonk, who won a fair play pin for his good sportsmanship in speedskating, said he found Iqaluit to be a bigger community and enjoyed staying in the athlete's village.

It wasn't just the athletes that had a marvellous time. Deborah Stipdonk, a speedskating coach who went to Iqaluit to cheer on the athletes, won't soon forget the excursion either. She and her youngest son, Tyrone, had a chance to hop a flight to Pangnirtung. There, they watched women work on tapestries and some 2002 stencils from the print studio.

"We just had a blast. Everyone was so welcoming," she said. "People were just wonderful."