LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Gabriella Hardisty-Beaverho had never played hockey before, but on Jan. 8 she was on the ice in the Fort Simpson arena with a stick in hand.

Instructor Jessica Cox, left, and Lydia Nelner, 5, rest for a moment on the ice in the Fort Simpson arena during a female hockey development weekend. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Hardisty-Beaverho, 5, was one of eight young girls who spent Saturday morning learning the fundamentals of hockey, including basic skating skills, how to fall down and get up and how to handle a puck. Hardisty-Beaverho said she enjoyed skating and playing the fun on ice games.

"I just like hockey," she said.

Words of enthusiasm about the sport uttered by young female players are what Jessica Cox likes to hear. Cox, of Fort Smith, along with Amy Doerksen, of Yellowknife, led the female hockey development weekend in the village.

The event in Fort Simpson is one of five regional hockey camps that Hockey NWT and Hockey North are sponsoring. The camps have two components, including an Esso fun day to introduce girls to hockey.

By making the experience an enjoyable one, the goal is to draw more girls to the game, Cox said.

The second part of the camp, the high performance component, has a more serious focus. For females aged 13 to 19 years old, the high performance portion is the beginning of a two-year project aimed at increasing hockey skill levels in the communities, Cox said.

Over the weekend, four teenage hockey players as well as a number of Moosehide Mammas worked

on their hockey skills and learned about nutrition and fitness.

The participants were given feedback on whether they are at the fitness level needed for high-performance hockey. At the end of the weekend, the teenage players were also given an individual evaluation that highlighted their strengths as well as areas they can work on.

The top players from the regions will be invited to a three-day high performance camp in Yellowknife in the beginning of March.

From there a team will be assembled to compete at a tournament in Alberta.

"It's all about increasing exposure to the high performance element," Cox said.

Participants in the regional camps as well as the Yellowknife camp will have a leg up in April when the territorials are held for next year's Arctic Winter Games, she said.

Cox said that she loves being out on the ice at events like the one in Fort Simpson, developing hockey at the grass roots level.

"It gives me a great deal of satisfaction seeing girls playing the game," she said.

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