Youth play hard at traditional games
Two full days of games bring communities together
Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Thursday, March 16, 2017
INUVIK
East Three Secondary School was bustling this week with students from around the Beaufort Delta competing in the fifth annual Northern and Dene Games Summit.
Paul O'Connor, right, from Inuvik, helps Brayden Teddy, from Tuktoyaktuk, to his feet after competing in the muskox push. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
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The event brings youth together to compete in traditional games such as the high kick, muskox push, stick pull, snowshoe race and more.
"It's a great way to see all your friends from the communities and really just get together and have fun," said Kaidynce Storr, who was part of the Aklavik delegation.
"I think my favourite would have to be the two-foot high kick. It's really fun to see how far you can push your limits."
She enjoyed everything about the trip.
"It's really cool because it's all paid for and it's all free," said Storr. "It's nice because all of your friends and your classmates get to go on a bus and go to Inuvik and see your friends."
Olivia Mitchener, from Inuvik, said snowshoeing was her favourite competition.
Pearl Gillis, also from Inuvik, was impressed at how skilled some of the students were at the games.
"A lot of people are really good at them," she said.
Sonia Gregory, principal of Chief Paul Niditchie School in Tsiigehtchic, brought 12 students to the games.
"We started practising in November," said Gregory.
Some of the younger students had the opportunity to attend a traditional games competition in Yellowknife a few weeks ago, as well.
Gregory thanked the organizers for putting on the event.
"It really is a great opportunity, particularly with the cost of travel," said Gregory. "For my students to come and do something like this, they just wouldn't have a lot of opportunity because the cost of travel is so high."
The fact the games are based on individual rather than team sports helps out some of the smaller communities too, she said.
"We have a very small school, so in a lot of team sports we would never really shine because we don't have enough people to make up a team, but because these sports are more individual-based, it gives a lot of our kids a chance to come and shine," said Gregory.
The event brought together approximately 235 students from all eight communities in the region. Ninety-nine students from outside of Inuvik attended.
The summit included ceremonies, a community feast, a dance and other events for the students.
Throughout the school year, several elders visited schools in the Beaufort Delta to teach the games to students.
Funding was provided by the Beaufort Delta Sahtu Recreation Association, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Beaufort Delta Education Council and more.
