Fort Simpson (Mar 17/06) - The old saying may say a watched pot never boils, but pots under careful scrutiny were bubbling quickly during the tea boiling competition at the Beavertail Jamboree.

This event was just one of the traditional games held on March 11 and 12 at the Papal site in Fort Simpson.

The trick is in the construction of the fire, said Elizabeth Hardisty, who won first place in the womens category.

Elizabeth Hardisty keeps a close eye on her fledgling fire during the tea boiling competition. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

She used birch bark at the bottom of her fire design and topped that with bits of fine birch bark paper and wood shavings.

Hardisty made a teepee with her logs and used two bigger pieces of wood on either side of the structure to provide good ventilation to the centre of the fire.

When it comes time to get water for the tea, Hardisty stirs the snow to make it melt faster. She also hits the side of the pot, a trick Hardisty said she picked up after watching Jonas Antoine last year.

After explaining all these steps, Hardisty laughed and said that a little prayer also helps.

It's all about technique, said Steven Lenoir, who won the mens tea boiling competition.

Lenoir doesn't make a fancy design with his wood. He puts it in a pile and tries to light all the sides. Birch bark makes the best tinder, he said.

If you do it right you should have a pot of tea in 10 to 15 minutes, said Lenoir.

Tea boiling wasn't Lenoir's only success. He also won first place in the log sawing and log tossing competitions.

He said he was surprised by the log sawing win because usually he's not very good at it.

"I just told myself not to quit," he said.

The last few strokes are always the hardest, so you just have to hold on, said Lenoir.

Although he enters the events every year, some years are better than others. Snowshoeing, tea boiling and log splitting are usually his strongest events.

Tea boiling is not as easy as the winner makes it sound. Some contestants in the competition had more success than others.

Father Bart van Roijen good-naturedly entered the competition. Even assistance from Jonas Antoine wasn't enough to save Father Bart's fire.

He was announced the winner of the special category for using the most matches.

The prize: a box of matches.