LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Twenty to 30 students from Bompas Elementary School in Fort Simpson are getting ready to take on the Northwest Territories Track and Field Championships in Hay River from June 3 to 5.

Lilyana Grossetete proves she can jump both long and high during track and field practice at Bompas Elementary School, while Setue Isaiah looks at a clipboard to determine who goes next. - April Hudson/NNSL photo

The students were out after school every day this week practising for the tournament. Competition categories include long distance and sprint running; ball throw, shot put and discus; long jumps, triple jump and high jump.

Twelve-year-old Grade 6 student Kyra Sanguez will be accompanying other students to Hay River to compete in ball throwing and sprinting, the two sports she has excelled at over the past few years.

Sanguez said she has participated in the tournament previously and did well last year.

But despite facing off against students from across the Northwest Territories, Sanguez said she isn't nervous.

"It's not that hard, but you have to train a lot in order to compete," she said.

"I'm not sure what the competition will be like this year."

Bernice Gargan, Dene language instructor at Bompas, has been helping some of the students to train for the ball throw category and said the students usually excel in ball throwing.

She accompanied the classes to Hay River two years ago and recalls being pleased with how they placed in the tournament.

"They did well, even though they were competing against much larger (communities)," she said.

"The competition is high-pressure, but it's also just a lot of fun as well, meeting kids from different places."

Kindergarten teacher Nicki Crawley was also out last week helping some of the kids to train for the running long jump category, which can be tricky given that even one toe over the starting line can result in disqualification.

Although there was no proper marker for the starting line, Crawley improvised by drawing a line in the sand and having the children jump across it into the sandbox so they had a soft landing.

This is Crawley's first year helping the kids to train for the championships.

"One of the important things for our students is that they show up for practice - that they learn dedication and diligence and that they are working toward something," Crawley said.

"It allows them to progress within themselves and set their own goals."

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