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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The new recreation director at the Fort Simpson Recreation Centre is no stranger to the facility.

Nathan McPherson spent a lot of time at the recreation centre when he was younger.

Nathan McPherson, who spent the weekend on the ice as the Nahanni Inn Flyers' goalie, is the new recreation director at the Fort Simpson recreation centre. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

"Growing up we were always here. We were always at the rec centre playing sports," said McPherson, 31.

When he started the job on Jan. 19, he became the second person born and raised in the village to become the director. The first was Allan Browning.

McPherson's goal is to make the recreation centre as vibrant a part of the community as it was when he was growing up.

"The gym was always full. There was always people playing," he said.

The centre can play an important role in the village, said McPherson.

"It helps make the community stronger. It brings people together," he said.

The facility also provides residents with healthy lifestyle alternatives. McPherson said he knows the centre helped him, because all of the time he spent playing sports kept him from doing less constructive activities.

Growing up, he played a wide range of sports including basketball, hockey, volleyball and badminton. He said he still plays most of them.

All the time spent in the centre is part of the reason he chose recreation as a career.

He said he's always known a lot about recreation. He added to his experience by completing the two-year recreation leader program at Aurora College in Inuvik between 2002 and 2004.

Since graduating, McPherson has done a variety of jobs in the village related to recreation, including managing the Family Cultural Centre, working as a maintainer at the recreation centre and assisting with the NWT Winter Games as staff with the Mackenzie Recreation Association.

When the recreation director position opened, McPherson jumped at the chance.

"I was excited. I just wanted to apply and see what happened," he said.

A week into the job, McPherson said he is focusing on settling in and meeting with the user groups to see what their needs and goals are. Speaking on Jan. 23, McPherson said he and his staff also had a busy week repairing the damage done to the arena ice by the warm weather so it would be ready for the Men's Rec Hockey Tournament.

"My maintenance staff has been working 24/7 since Wednesday to get ready for the tournament," he said.

"They're awesome."