Yellowknife (Feb 2o/06) - The NWT snow carving team used co-operation and communication, skill and creativity to complete an impressive work of art at the Winterlude Festival snow carving competition in Ottawa earlier this month.

The speedskater bursts from the pages of a sports record book bearing the latin slogan Carpe Diem, or Seize the Day. A member from a Saskatchewan team who worked on a different skater approached John Sabourin and quipped: "Your skater looks faster than ours." - photo courtesy of the National Capital Commission

Returning medal winner Eli Nasogaluak, originally from Tuktoyaktuk, Randy Sibbeston and John Sabourin, both originally from Fort Simpson, collaborated on a 16-foot tall speedskater for the sports-themed contest.

Although the sculpture didn't place in the top three, the artists finished their work on time and earned lots of positive feedback from viewers, judges and fellow competitors.

"It went really well considering that we had a new team," Nasogaluak said.

The men worked 12-hour days from Feb. 8-11 to carve the block of snow within the 45-hour time limit.

The weather for the competition itself was ideal, but conditions were awful at the time the organizers made the massive carving blocks.

A deep layer of ice surrounded the block and the centre was filled with soft slush.

The carvers improvised and adapted, shovelling out the soft snow from the centre and leaving it out overnight to freeze.

Their design featured a powerful speedskater bursting from the pages of a sports record book emblazoned with the words "Carpe diem," or seize the day in Latin.

"I felt it was a really good combination of carvers for this team," Nasogaluak said. "Randy wasn't scared of heights - I wouldn't want to stand where he was standing - and John was working solid without much instruction. We worked really well as a team."

Sibbeston chiselled the book cover, Sabourin worked on the front pages and Nasogaluak carved much of the skater. At times, the trio would come together to chip away large sections of ice when needed, cleaning away debris as they went.

Sibbeston and Sabourin will continue to represent the NWT in the Ottawa competition next year, carrying on the tradition started years ago by Eli Nasogaluak and his brothers Bill and Joe. Sabourin plans to carve a snow sculpture for the upcoming Caribou Carnival in Yellowknife.