INUVIK
An icon in the Inuvik, Canadian and international sports world left us last week.
Artist and Olympian Shirley Firth-Larsson displays a catalog of her baby booties and blanket designs. - NNSL file photo
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After a battle with cancer, Shirley Firth Larsson died April 30 at her home in Yellowknife. She was 59.
Firth Larsson and her twin sister Sharon, originally from Aklavik were dominant athletes in cross-country skiing in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.
"It is with sad hearts we say goodbye to one of our best ambassadors to have come out of Inuvik," said Mayor Floyd Roland. "Many of us can still recall the ski meets that Shirley and her sister Sharon were a part of."
Although it's been many years since Firth Larsson lived and trained in Inuvik, Roland said he and other long-time residents have vivid memories of the sisters.
"I can recall SAMS (Sir Alexander Mackenzie School) as a start and finish to many of the races that went on here as part of the TEST (Territorial Experimental Ski Training) program," he said. "Both Shirley and Sharon showed what you could do with heart and determination. Many of us watched their climb all the way to the world stage, the Olympics."
Gwich'in Tribal Council president Robert Alexie also praised Firth-Larsson. He said the sisters are "heroes" to local residents.
"First, my condolences to the family of the late Shirley Firth-Larssen. Shirley was a great athlete, an Olympian, and a great ambassador for the Gwich'in and the NWT as a whole," he said. "From humble beginnings, they (Shirley and her sister, Sharon) showed what perseverance and hard work and determination can do. We should be, and we are, proud of her accomplishments. Shirley, Sharon and the rest of the TEST program skiers were our heroes; which is why a lot of us in that generation took up skiing."
Firth Larsson and Sharon Firth were some of the first skiers to take part in the Territorial Experimental Ski Training program initiated by Father Jean-Marie Mouchet in the 1960s. Firth Larsson's journey took her to four Winter Olympics between 1972 and 1984, and countless national and world-class competitions. When she retired from active competition she had amassed 42 Canadian championship medals – 29 of them gold.
Although she'd been largely absent from Inuvik since the late 1980s, many people here who never met her know the gigantic legacy she and Sharon bequeathed to the sport and the town.
Most people currently involved in the Inuvik Ski Club had never met her, but they recognized her status and contributions to the sport in a Facebook post.
"We are so sad to hear of Shirley Firth's passing. The thoughts of our entire club are with the NWT cross -country skiing legend's family."
Plans are being made for a memorial service for Firth-Larsson here in Inuvik.
