Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 16/05) - When she started she wasn't much of a skier, but last year Sgt. Kim Gibson competed in the biathlon nationals in Comox, BC. This is just one of the reasons she loves being an air cadet.

Sgt. Kim Gibson and Warrant Officer 2nd class Thomas McOuat standing proudly in their air cadet uniforms.

"You get a lot of opportunities you wouldn't otherwise," Gibson said.

The chance for unique opportunities seems to be the big draw for many members of the 825 Yellowknife Elks Squadron.

On Tuesday, 12 youth and their parents attended an information and registration session to find out what air cadets are all about. The free program is open to youth of both sexes between the ages of 12 and 18. The Yellowknife squadron usually has 35-45 members with a male to female ratio of 65-35.

Gibson, 15, joined four years ago because her parents were in the military, but it was the chance for sports, camps and leadership training that kept her coming back.

"Cadets teaches you to lead and instruct and gives you a lot of confidence," she said.

Cadets offers activities that appeal to young people.

"There's a lot of neat stuff that might seem extreme for a 12 year old," said Lt. James Degraw, the commanding officer for the squadron.

There is a shooting team that practices with daisy rifles and a biathlon team. The drill team puts together an eight-minute precision program. Each team practices weekly for regional and national competitions. Air cadets is also about building leadership and citizenship skills as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle, said Degraw.

The squadron has the Pickerel Lake training centre where they go for wilderness survival, kayak and canoe instruction.

As air cadets flying is an important part of the program. Cadets get training to write exams and compete for flying scholarships to get either a glider or a private pilot licence. Every year the squadron charters a plane and gives each cadet a chance to sit in the pilot seat and operate the controls.

Being a cadet isn't like something you see in the movies.

"It's not like the days of old. We aren't out to yell or scream at the cadets," said Degraw.

There is no obligation to join the Canadian forces after being a cadet, although Degraw said the experience would make initial training easier. The 825 squadron meets every Tuesday from 6:30 to 9:15 p.m. at the Elk Youth Centre from September to the first week in June.