DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
In table tennis circles around the Deh Cho, players already have a name for Mikaela Vandell's particular style of play. They call it "the Mikaela serve."

Fort Providence's Mikaela Vandell focuses on the ball during a game of table tennis. - photo courtesy of Thorsten Gohl

Vandell was recently selected for the Northwest Territories Table Tennis Team, which will be going to the Arctic Winter Games in Greenland from March 6 to 11. This will be Vandell's second time attending the games.

"Last time I made the team, it was like I was at (one level) and everyone else was (way higher)," Vandell said.

"It was challenging but eye-opening. I got to play with a lot of different people and met a lot of people. I got to see how they play and how I could get there somehow."

Vandell had just started playing table tennis six months prior to her first shot at the games. Now, with two more years of experience under her belt, she says she is confident she will win some of her sets.

"That's what I'm looking forward to the most," she said.

She is also bringing a sense of humour to the Games. Although she did not win any official medals last time, she said she was given an award for making her teammates laugh.

"It was awesome," she said.

Meanwhile, she isn't surprised that her serve has become famous.

"During the tryouts, a lot of people were telling me my serves were very good, because they couldn't return them," she said.

"I told them, 'I practise them a lot - they'd better be good!' "

Aside from the games themselves, Vandell said she is excited to meet other athletes from around the world.

"I'm looking forward to seeing people from last time, if they kept with it or if they're still good enough," she said.

Until the Games, Vandell will be training hard with coach Thorsten Gohl, who has tracked her progress over the years.

Gohl recalls seeing Vandell's potential two and a half years ago when she first started to play.

"She was keen with wanting to play; most of the kids just hit the ball and go crazy, but she tried to place them back on the table," he said.

"There was potential."

He said he plans to have her practise every day in order to catch up with the level of practice other players have.

"I think that will make a huge difference, so we can catch up with what the other (players) have done for the last few years," he said.

"All the kids in the Arctic Winter Games have a few years of two-to three-times-per-week practise but we don't have that here in the North. So now we'll change that."

Vandell's drive to play table tennis shone through during tryouts earlier this month, Gohl said. Table tennis tryouts took place in Fort Providence from Jan. 14 to 16 and included a fitness test.

"She almost stopped but I think everyone kept her going. At the end she was exhausted ... but she got herself up," Gohl said.

Vandell said she hated the fitness test but was confident going into the trials that she would make the team.

"Once I started seeing (the other athletes) play, I thought, 'I know I can do this,' " she said.

"When I found out I made the team, I saw it coming but it was nice when it actually happened."

Vandell will be joined in Greenland by Gohl and Fort Simpson's Valerie Gendron.