Athletes aim for Arctic Winter Games
Fort Liard soccer players compete in trials
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, December 12, 2013
ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
Five athletes from Fort Liard will be putting months of training to the test this weekend.
James Duntra, Brent Kotchea, Kali Norn, Derrick Kotchea and Precious Hope will all be participating in the Arctic Winter Games trials for soccer in Yellowknife from Dec. 12 to 14.
The 2014 games are taking place in Fairbanks, Alaska from March 15 to 22.
"I'm super excited," said Norn.
This is the fourteen-year-old’s first time trying out for the games. Norn and the four other athletes were chosen to go to the trials through a selection process that was held in the hamlet in the fall. Since then the athletes have been following an intensive training regime.
The athletes have been spending one-and-a half to two hours twice a week at fitness and soccer training sessions. The sessions focus primarily on fitness, including endurance and sprinting, said Amy Thomas, a Beaver volunteer in the community who has been running the practices.
The athletes also do exercises like situps and pushups, a few soccer drills aimed at improving passing and shooting skills and finish with a soccer game.
"They have been working hard," she said.
In addition, to the twice weekly specialized practices, many of the athletes also participate in the open soccer nights that are held three times a week in Echo Dene School's gym.
Norn said that she has never missed a fitness practice and that she often goes to the soccer nights. Additionally, she has been doing cardio exercises at home.
Norn, who plays right wing or defense, hopes to make the NWT team. There are a few things about the trials that Duntra is looking forward to.
"Just to play and have some fun and hope I make the team," he said.
Duntra expects that there will be a lot of competition at the trials and that the three days will be filled with even more soccer than teams normally play at tournaments. This is the 15-year-old's second time trying out for the games. His previous attempt was at snowboarding.
In the lead up to the trials, Duntra said he's been focusing on fitness and ball control. He can't attend the thrice weekly youth soccer sessions because he has an after school job, but he goes to the adult sessions between 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. instead. The focus throughout the training hasn't been on just making the NWT team, but rather on committing to the process, said Roslyn Gardner Firth, the hamlet's manager of wellness and recreation.
"It's a really good opportunity for kids to be part of a program," she said.
Following the soccer trials Gardner Firth will be preparing youth from Fort Liard for the snowboarding trials in January.
In addition to the five athletes from Fort Liard, a number of other youth from the Deh Cho will be competing in trials this weekend. The basketball trials will be taking place in Fort Simpson. Hannah Paulson, Reannda Cli, Tyler Lafferty, Devan Horassi, and Kevin Anavilok-Roche will be competing in their home gym, along with Aaron Constant of Fort Providence.
Three Fort Providence athletes will also be going to Yellowknife. Mikalea Vandell is going for soccer, Nathaniel Minoza for volleyball and Kyle Reinhardt for cross-country skiing.
