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Rankin claims junior crown Edge Arviat in thrilling Cup final in Baker Lake
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, September 11, 2013
BAKER LAKE
Rankin Inlet staged a dramatic comeback in the final inning to claim the junior version of the Calm Air Cup mixed slo-pitch championship in Baker Lake earlier this month.
Rankin trailed Arviat 11-9 heading to its last at bat before scoring four runs to claim the title, 13-11.
Rankin eliminated the host Baker squad in the semifinal, having lost to them previously in the round robin.
Teams from Whale Cove and Chesterfield Inlet also competed at the event.
Baker recreation co-ordinator Richard Aksawnee said the tournament final was a true nail-biter.
He said the fans kept getting more excited as Rankin closed the gap and then took the lead for good.
"The Whale Cove and Chesterfield Inlet kids had a lot of fun playing, but you could see this was between Rankin, Arviat and Baker right from the start," said Aksawnee. "The Rankin kids deserve credit because they beat the other top two teams to win it all."
Aksawnee said the quality of ball was excellent at the Cup.
He said all the kids were having a great time, and he didn't receive a single complaint during the weekend.
"We saw a lot of good sportsmanship right through the entire tournament," he said. "A lot of boys and girls look forward to this now, and they represented their communities well here in Baker."
Aksawnee adds his voice to those who see the junior Calm Air Cup as key to the senior event becoming a true Kivalliq tournament with teams from all seven communities participating.
He said as the youth get used to playing at this level, they'll want to carry it over to the senior game when they're ready.
"The number-one proof these kids can be competitive, but still have fun and not become overly competitive, was here in Baker during the weekend (Aug. 30 to Sept. 1)," he said. "I'm a big supporter of the junior tournament and I'm committed to Baker hosting it again in 2014."
Aksawnee said while Baker has hosted the tournament for a number of
years, he has no problem having it rotate throughout the region.
"We need more communities to want to host the junior event, so, hopefully, after next season, Rankin will agree to host it in 2015 and the other communities will follow
suit."
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