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Student athletes set for new season

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photo courtesy of Aurora College Aurora College and department of Education, Culture and Employment employees participate in a traditional cleansing ceremony led by Dene Elders Eileen Beaver and Henry Beaver, at the close of the Residential School Awareness training session at Thebacha Campus on August 28 and 29.

The new school year is off and running in the NWT.

More than one parent may have played “It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” on full blast when dropping their child off on day one, but if you were to talk to some students, it's a wonderful time of year for a different reason.

Sandy Chocolate of Behchoko watches the ball go by the net during action in Diavik Junior Super Soccer this past May. NNSL file photo

A new year means a new scholastic athletics season and NWT School Sports has prepared as best as it can.

And it's coming fast as the Elks Outdoor Soccer Tournament, the traditional kick-off to the school sports season, is mere days away from getting underway in Hay River on Sept. 22.

Tobi Taylor-Dusome, the acting president of NWT School Sports, said it's a quick turnaround for everyone who plans on sending a team to Hay River.

“You have to get the coaches lined up and you have to hit the field quick,” she said.

The Elks tournament is just the start of what is usually a busy season for school sports in the NWT in terms of territorial championships. Two weeks after the soccer finishes up, the NWT Cross-Country Championships hit the trails in Fort Providence on Oct. 7, which then rolls into the Spike It! volleyball tournaments in Yellowknife. The junior tournament is scheduled for late October while the senior tournament will happen in early November.

Haley Cassie of Norman Wells sprints down the track during action at the NWT Track and Field Championships this past June. NNSL file photo

Hay River will host the NWT Badminton Championships in December, as it usually does each year, followed by the cager basketball tournaments in February in Yellowknife. Super Soccer will have its junior and senior tournaments in April and May respectively and it all comes to a close in Hay River with the NWT Track and Field Championships in June.

There are other big regional events around the NWT each season, such as the Lawrie Hobart Memorial Volleyball Tournament in Fort Smith and the Paulou Ittungna Memorial Volleyball Tournament in Inuvik, both happening on the same weekend in October and both considered good warm-ups for the Spike It! Tournaments.

“It's such a short season, but we get a lot done in that time,” said Taylor-Dusome. “One thing leads into another and there's never a dull moment.”

While athletics are fun and every opportunity is made to give students a chance to play and take part, it's important to remember that they are student athletes and student comes first.

“They need to keep up with their studies and the grades need to be kept up,” said Taylor-Dusome. “It's important that they understand the importance of being a well-rounded student and in talking with my colleagues around the territory, they agree with that.”

The other big thing Taylor-Dusome put importance on is the ability to have fun and enjoy the experience of competing with their school at an event.

“We're trying to create active and healthy students and we want them to enjoy themselves,” she said. “I always love seeing the greatness that sports brings out in our kids from the friendships to the memories made to the awesome sportsmanship we see.”

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photo courtesy of Jeanette Tobac Lloyd Edgi, left, and Jeanette Tobac after taking part in the Race the Peel from Ft. McPherson to Aklavik in June of this year. Edgi was the victim of a homicide in Fort Good Hope, Sept. 3. Colten McNeeley has been charged with murder and is now being held in Yellowknife.