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Inuit youth 'natural athletes' Nicole Veerman Northern News Services Published Wednesday, August 3, 2011
They learned how to pass, shoot, goal keep and how to work as a team, during the three-day Kivalliq Soccer Camp, which started on Thursday. Lori Tagoona, assistant community economic development officer for the hamlet, was the camp co-ordinator. She said she hoped the camp - which was funded by Sport Nunavut, Motivate Canada and non-profit group Brighter Futures - would encourage youth to continue on with sports. "I hope they gain a stronger interest in playing soccer and further develop the skills they have," she said. Tagoona hired Dorothy Paul, an aboriginal coaching manual master facilitator from Victoria, B.C., to run the camp. She also hired four support staff from the region. She said she hoped the staff would learn from Paul so they would be able to continue coaching after the camp. Paul had the same goal. "All the coaches are from different communities. I hope they carried it forward," she said. Paul said the support staff she worked with caught on fast, and so did the kids. "They were getting it. I could see the wheels clicking," she said. "Our kids are natural athletes. It's in their genes." She said because the camp participants' Inuit ancestors spent much of their life running, whether they were fishing, hunting or running the dogs, it's in their genetic makeup to be athletic. "It's just reminding the kids how they need to move," she said. The camp was organized for kids from six years old all the way up to 15 and over. It was split into four groups: six to eight, nine to 11, 12 to 14, and 15 and up. Paul said there are two windows for youth to reach an ultimate level of fitness. "Six to eight year olds are at prime time to learn how to develop, to reach their maximum speed and agility," she said. The second window for girls is from age 11 to 13, and for boys it's 12 to 14. Paul said if a child is to learn how to move efficiently at six years old, by the time their body changes, they can repeat that training at age 12 and bring their body up to their maximum ability. She said she hopes the youth took away a greater understanding of soccer, the importance of fitness and the idea that you don't need a lot of equipment to get fit. "It doesn't take a lot of equipment to get fit and to work on your fitness," she said. "And the fitter you are, the easier sports are."
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