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DEH CHO
Eleven athletes from three communities will be representing the Deh Cho at the Arctic Winter Games next month.

Madison Pilling of Fort Simpson, left, competes in the junior female 500 metres sprint at the Multiplex in Yellowknife during the speed skating trials for the Arctic Winter Games held from Jan. 27 to 28. Pilling is one of 11 athletes from the Deh Cho who will be competing at the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse. - Richard McIntosh/NNSL photo

The athletes earned positions on Team NWT while competing in territory-wide trials and often overcoming adversities. The most recent set of trials were held from Jan. 27 to 29 at locations around the territory.

Janelle Bruneau, 14, travelled to Fort McPherson where she faced -36 C while competing in the snowshoe trials.

"It was just really cold," she said.

Bruneau placed first in a 2.5 km race outside on the first day. It wasn't until later that night that she realized the skin around her left wrist and a patch on her nose was frostbit.

Subsequent races were moved indoors to the community's ice rink, which was covered with snow.

Snowshoe team

Bruneau went on to race 4 km and do sprints of 100, 400 and 800 metres against nine other competitors in her age division. Bruneau said she liked the four-km race the most.

"Distance is my strong point," she said.

Bruneau said she was happy about making the snowshoe team as a juvenile female.

"I was really proud of myself because this is my first time going to the Arctic Winter Games," she said.

The members of the Fort Liard snowboard team also faced cold temperatures during the same weekend while competing in Yellowknife. It was approximately -39C as the five snowboarders, Brent Kotchea, Alinda Edda, Angel Kotchea, Stan Bertrand and James Duntra, participated in four events on the Bristol Pit hill.

Angel, 13, said the temperature was a challenge because it made the hill very slow. Angel's favourite event was the modified boarder cross where two snowboarders competed against each other to see who could make it down a track the fastest while negotiating jumps and rollers.

"It was fun," she said.

Angel has been snowboarding for a year and a half. This is the first time she's tried out for the Arctic Winter Games.

"I was really excited and very happy," she said.

Brent Kotchea, 16, who also made the team, said he's proud of his achievement.

Kotchea said the rail contest was his favourite event. Competitors could do as many tricks as they wanted in the course of an hour and were judged on their best. Because the ski hill in Fort Liard doesn't have any rails or boxes, Brent learned how to do the tricks the day before the trials.

Brent said the weather during the trials wasn't a big factor although it was so cold some of the plastic parts on his board broke and had to be replaced.

In addition to Angel and Brent, Alinda Edda made the team and Stan Bertrand was chosen as an alternate.

Fort Liard snowboarders secured three of the four places on the team in their age divisions.

Also in Yellowknife that weekend was Kevin Anavilok-Roche, 14, of Fort Simpson. Anavilok-Roche had already competed in soccer and been named as an alternate for the juvenile male team but he was back to participate in the speed skating trials.

Anavilok-Roche skated four different race distances during the weekend including 500, 666, 777 and 1,000 metres. Anavilok-Roche broke his own personal best time of 1.03 minutes in the 500 metres, skating it in 56 seconds.

"I felt really good about myself," he said about making the team. "I'm going to practise harder than I've ever practised before."

Anavilok-Roche's teammate Madison Pilling also made the Arctic Winter Games team. She skated the 500 m in 51.91 seconds, shaving 2.5 seconds off her previous time.

The athletes will be in Whitehorse between March 4 to 10 for the games.

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