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Reviews
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Sports Check
with Natalie Dunleavy
A year filled with winners If there was any year for Nunavut athletes to put themselves on the map, this was surely one of them. Looking back over the last year, it was obvious the territory has taken great strides towards developing sport and athletes. January The Iqaluit Blizzard hockey team started the year as champions when they won the A House peewee division of the Bell Capital Cup in Ottawa Dec. 31. The annual tournament is the largest atom and peewee hockey tournament in the world, with 510 teams that competed from as far away as the Czech Republic, China, and Finland. A group of Kugluktuk students received a warm thank you from the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games committee in January. Committee CEO John Furlong and premier Paul Okalik thanked 15 students in person for raising the Olympic Inukshuk in Whistler, B.C. in October 2005. The group used rocks from Kugluktuk to form the official logo on site of the 2010 Olympics. February Cambridge Bay and Baker Lake basketball players made their presence felt at the Senior Cager basketball tournament in Yellowknife in February. Their under 19 girls team and under 19 boys' team earned silver medals. The teams looked tough and full of focus as they faced Yellowknife in their finals. Baker Lake's under 19 boys were happy to find success in their first time competing at the tournament. March Eugene Dederick earned Nunavut's first medal in judo at the 2007 Canada Winter Games in March. It was inspiring to meet the humble Iqaluit-based blue belt talk about bringing home a piece of history from the Games. As well as inspire his fellow athletes, the accomplishment helped strengthen the sport's presence in Nunavut. April After a decade of trying, a Gjoa Haven Hockey team found gold in the D division of the First Air Rec Hockey Tournament in Yellowknife in April. The Snowy Owls could not have been happier with their win, defeating a team from Norman Wells in the final. Kugaaruk residents could not have complained of boredom in April. It proved an active month for participants of the under 25 hockey tournament and 30 and over volleyball tournament. Team Taloyoak defeated team Naujat of Repulse Bay for gold in the hockey tournament. Repulse Bay team Naujat found gold in the volleyball tournament, over two Kugaaruk teams. May With an ever growing rush of soccer in Nunavut, it's no wonder four teams found silver at the 2007 Super Soccer tournament in Yellowknife in May. Determination was evident in Baker Lake's under 15 boys, Rankin Inlet's under 19 boys and under 14 boys, and Kuglutuk's 12-A girls at the event.
June
Jordin Tootoo and the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators made franchise history last season, earning a total 110 game points. Tootoo made headlines when he received a five-game suspension for punching Dallas Stars defenceman Stephane Robidas. Robidas was coming to the defence of star centre Mike Modano and was assessed a minor for charging on the play, while Tootoo received a double minor for roughing. But after a successful season and loss of some veteran players, coaches were hoping up and comers such as Tootoo were ready to step up as regular players this season. As of Dec. 21 the Predators were 14-15-2, last place in their division. Grise Fiord may still have had snow in June, but it didn't stop Umimmak school's Track and Field Day from taking place. Approximately 40 participants from kindergarten to Grade 8 participated both in traditional and non traditional events. Since the school wasn't equipped for events such as high jump, events such as three-legged races and the egg toss kept participants busy all day. July Swimmer Terry Kuliktana was backed by his whole community while training for the Special Olympics in his hometown of Kugluktuk. Although there wasn't a pool for Kuliktana to train in, members of his family would walk with him every day to help him train. On Nunavut Day, the entire community walked with Kuliktana to the airport and back to show support. The efforts proved worthwhile when Kuliktana returned from the Games with a silver medal in October. August Nunavut's wrestling team drew crowds of spectators at the Western Canada Summer Games in Strathcona County, Alberta in August. Maybe surviving one of Canada's hardest camps, the Rocky Mountain Wrestling Camp in Jasper, Alberta, gave the grapplers an extra boost in motivation. Unfortunately there camp didn't yield any medals for the wrestlers. September Rankin Inlet's Blue Sox co-ed softball team had a few aces up their sleeves in September. Although getting a rough start, the team came together to defeat Huka Services in a best-of-three final for a championship win. It's always heartwarming to see the underdogs win. Winning may come easy for some, but those that have to work for it seem to appreciate it so much more. October A donation to the Iqaluit Basketball Association bounced the sport organization back in October. A $10,000 donation from the Qikiqtani Inuit Association proved useful for the financially struggling teams. With the extra help, the association hopes to provide players with new jerseys, and send them to the Cagers basketball tournament Yellowknife. November Fall was a time where athletes in all regions compete in territorials for their respective sports hoping to earn a spot at the 2008 Arctic Winter Games in March. In soccer, Nunavut will largely be represented by Kivalliq players, with four teams from that region earning their way in. The win was especially emotional for the under 16 boys from Rankin Inlet, it was their first territorial win in more than 25 years. December Hockey players in Kugaaruk received some golden inspiration from a female hockey Olympic medalist in December Katherine Weatherston, who won gold with the Canadian Women's hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, hosted two hockey sessions in the community and helped motivate students at Kugaardjuk Ilihakvik school.
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