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 James Simon and Greg Cazon, left, gain a slight edge on Calen Hardisty, Joseph Haleschuk and Shawn Newsham in a Chariot of Champions heat. The oval course was covered in new fallen snow. |
Wyatt Antoine, Josh Allen, Emily McInnis-Wharton, Byron Blyth, Vince Tsetso and Joey Allen broke the mould with a cardboard sled that was compact and kept the rider tucked inside, rather than bobbing around in the open, and holding on for dear life.
Antoine dubbed their design "the torpedo."
Their Dehcho Education Council sponsored entry finished atop a field of 12 in the Chariot of Champions races held outside Thomas Simpson school on Friday. Second place went to the K&K Expediting sled while Fort Simpson Beverages got third spot.
McInnis-Wharton, smallest in stature among her team, rode inside the "torpedo." She crawled in and out from the rear. It was a "bumpy" experience and she felt squished, she said afterwards.
Guy Barnable, executive director of Skills Canada NWT/Nunavut, and Joseph Nayally, a career development officer with Education, Culture and Employment, judged the sleds.
Barnable marvelled at the winners' originality and efficiency. "It's almost as if they designed the sled around the rider... and it worked," he said. "It was pretty smart. They deserved to win."
Because there was an element of athleticism to the races, points were also awarded based on design and construction quality, teamwork, organization, visual appeal and safety and cleanliness in the construction area. The teams were given an additional seven points if their entry remained intact after two races.
The junior high and high school students were given just over an hour to formulate and build their entries. Some of the chariots were wide, others narrow; some deep, others shallow. The CIBC sponsored crew - which wrote the clever slogan "CIBC Ya Later" on the side of their snow craft - devised a jet boat design. The Fort Simpson Beverages' team built a rally car replica complete with a spoiler.
The enthusiasm was just what Barnable was hoping to see. Skills Canada encourages young men and women to consider trades and technologies as a career option. If they had fun designing and building the sled, then they may have found a new career path, Barnable suggested.
