Cross-country runners lace up
Sport serves as training for other activities
Sarah Ladik
Northern News Services
Thursday, September 10, 2015
INUVIK
School has started and before winter sports gear up for the season, some students are taking to the trails.
Jackson Christie, left, leads the pack at the first cross-country running
practice of the season Sept. 8 with Braeden Picek following close on his heels. So far there are five boys and one girl on the team. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo
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"The kids like getting started early, so we start right away," said Kenzie MacDonald, coach of East Three Secondary School's cross-country running team. "It's not a high-stress sport, they can just come out and train and have fun."
Last week, MacDonald called a brief after-school meeting to see how many students would be interested in joining the team this year. He said four turned out and two came forward the following day. While typically the club attracts an even number of girls and boys, this year there are five boys and one girl.
"It's an individual sport," he said. "The way I put it for the kids is that it's an individual sport, but you're also a team. You're trying to push your teammates but you're also trying to win. Try to beat him but cheer him on too. If it's going to be, 'He beat me, I don't like him,' get out of my gym."
The season starts in earnest this week with students training Mondays and Thursdays, and perhaps Tuesdays or Wednesdays, depending on the week.
MacDonald said the key is to keep pushing them to work hard, but also respect their limits.
The short season will culminate in mid-October when the team travels to Yellowknife for the YK Multisport Club Fun Run.
"I haven't been to the fun run before," said Jackson Christie, one of the runners. "I'm looking forward to trying something new and maybe meeting some new people to compete against."
Christie said cross-country running is a good way for him to get in shape for speedskating, but was also a worthwhile thing in itself.
"I just started because I wanted to keep active," he said. "I figured out I was pretty good at running and just kept going."
The fun run, set for Oct. 18, will also be a good time for the students to spend some time in the big city, shopping and going to movies.
"It's not stressful, they can just go and relax and have a good time," said MacDonald.
He also noted the actual territorial championship is in Fort Providence at the beginning of October, but that with everything else going on, the timeline is too tight to make it, not to mention the cost of an extra flight.
"I'd love for more kids to come out, love to travel more, but it all comes down to money," he said. "If I had more kids, I would absolutely try to take more."
