Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Although the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit to the Northwest Territories was confined to Yellowknife and nearby Blachford Lake, a number of Deh Cho residents got the chance to meet the royal couple.

Prince William takes a shot during the ball hockey demonstration in Yellowknife as part of the royal tour from July 4 to 6. - Ian Vaydik/NNSL photo

Four youth ambassadors from the Deh Cho were part of the group demonstrating road hockey for Prince William and Catherine Middleton on July 5 in Yellowknife. The ambassadors included Tyson McLeod and Calvin Lomen of Fort Liard and Shawna and Robyn McLeod from Fort Providence.

"It was amazing," said Tyson McLeod about the experience.

The youths played approximately 10 minutes of road hockey for the duke and duchess. They also had the chance to shake their hands.

"They're taller in person," said McLeod. "He seemed really nice."

McLeod, 19, said he was nervous during the event because of the number of people watching and just concentrated on getting through it. McLeod's team wore white jerseys while Calvin Lomen's team was in red.

Lomen, 20, played goalie for his team. After a brief demonstration, the game paused so Prince William could take some shots on the net.

Premier Floyd Roland went first to demonstrate the technique. Roland's first shot on the net went wide and Lomen stopped his second.

The third went in as the crowd cheered. Then Prince William was up.

"Holy smokes! The prince is going to shoot on me!" Lomen remembers thinking.

Lomen stopped the prince's first and second shots. Lomen said he tried to let the prince score on the second try but said he filled too much of the net.

For the third shot Lomen compacted his body giving the prince as much free net space as possible. His shot, however, went wide and missed the net completely.

"His wrist shots are pretty strong," Lomen said.

Lomen said he wasn't nervous at all as the premier and the prince tried to get balls past him.

From his brief interaction with the royal couple, Lomen said the duke looked like the kind of person that people would get along with.

"He was a very generous person," Lomen said.

He also had some high praise for the duchess.

"I do have to admit she is beautiful," Lomen said.

The Deh Cho was also represented at Blachford Lake where the couple went in the afternoon. Ranger Sgt. Mike Byland was part of the group of 12 Canadian Rangers and Junior Canadian Rangers that did demonstrations for the duke and duchess at the lake.

The Rangers, who were from across the three territories, set up displays on the equipment they use and how their techniques vary between the high Arctic and inside the treeline. While the couple looked at the displays, Byland was busy cooking Arctic char and bannock on a Coleman strove for them.

"They were very happy with it," said Byland.

"They're very down to earth people."

Byland also had the honour of presenting a knife to Prince William which was made by Yukon blademaker George Roberts.

"I was a little bit nervous," Byland said.

"It was definitely a huge honour and something I'll never forget."

At the lake, the duchess was presented with a red Ranger hoodie and both the duke and duchess were given beaded moccasins.

Every Junior Canadian Ranger who attended a recent summer training session in Whitehorse had the chance to sew one bead on the moccasins.

The duke and duchess spent approximately two hours interacting with the Rangers at the lake. They sat around the fire, chatted and ate just like you or I, Byland said.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.