LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Now that youth in Fort Simpson have had time to practise lacrosse, they will have the opportunity to play the sport to their heart's content, thanks to equipment given to the village.

Grade 6 students from Bompas Elementary School line up during lacrosse practise. Adam Wright, left, prepares for his swing next to Nylaina Tsetso, Ashwindas Damodharan, Justin Kovacs, Isaac Lenoir, Tyrone Lennie and Tamara Deneyoua-Nahanni. - April Hudson/NNSL photo

Both the equipment and the practice were courtesy of the Aboriginal Sports Circle of the NWT's lacrosse trainers, who came to the village for a three-day training clinic from Dec. 7 to 9.

The clinic included sessions for older youth and adults, as well as children at Bompas Elementary School.

Traditional games manager Derek Squirrel and his colleague Kyle Aviak trained participants in the basics of the sport - trapping and scooping the ball from the floor, catching it and passing it, cradling and shooting it.

Squirrel describes lacrosse as the Creator's game - a sport with roots dating back to traditional aboriginal games.

He said the lacrosse program began in 2014.

"Our goal in holding these clinics is to eventually have the first-ever Northwest Territories box lacrosse team at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games," Squirrel said, referring to the indoor version of the sport.

Fort Simpson is the group's seventh community clinic.

Squirrel and Aviak brought with them enough sticks and balls for youth to practice with, as well as resource materials for them to better learn the sport.

"Every program we do, we provide the communities with equipment. We do as much as we can," Squirrel said.

With Fort Simpson's arena ice-free for much of the year, he added that there is an opportunity for lacrosse to be practised there as well.

"The kids really enjoy being exposed to something new and different, compared to the core sports they usually play," Squirrel said.

"Here, they haven't been exposed as much (to lacrosse), but the participation has been unbelievable."

The equipment donated by the Aboriginal Sports Circle will remain at the recreation centre for players to use.

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