Northern athletes ready to compete

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The region of Wood Buffalo in northern Alberta is ready to play host to this year's Arctic Winter Games starting Feb. 28 and running to March 6.

The area will welcome 2,100 athletes ranging from 15 to 26 years of age from seven countries-Canada, the United States, Greenland, Russia, Sweden, Finland and Norway. Participants will be vying for a golden Ulu. The Ulu is an Inuit cutting tool, and was the inspiration for the medal creation.

"The Arctic Winter Games have grown to be the Olympics of the North and really are the most important competition for northern youth," said Tom O'Hara, general manager of the 2004 Arctic Winter Games host society.

"When they are travelling to the Canada Games, they are often at a disadvantage because they are competing against youth that are from cities of a million people or more. There are only just over 100,000 people in Northern Canada, so when they go to the Arctic Winter Games, they have a level competitive playing field where they can actually win medals."

The Arctic Winter Games will feature northern sports such as snowshoeing, dog mushing and the snowshoe biathlon, but two other categories that give the games their distinct flavor are the Inuit games and the Dene games.

The Inuit games, a crowd favorite, include events such as the one and two foot high kick, Alaskan high kick, one hand reach, kneel jump, knuckle hop, airplane, arm pull, head pull, sledge jump and the triple jump. Competitors in the Dene games will take part in the finger pull, hand game, snowsnake, stick pull and the pole push.

"They are all quite unique. A lot of people have never seen any of them before and they like to come out and see what they are all about. It is amazing; the athletes all have a lot of athletic ability and good eye-limb co-ordination," said Tim Horseman, coach for the Northern Alberta men's Inuit games team.

Thirteen athletes will be accompanying Horseman to Fort McMurray, the main staging area, including Aboriginal athletes Robbie Anderson and John Michelmann from Slave Lake. Anderson will be participating in the 17 and under age group in the junior male category in all the events with the exception of the airplane and head pull. Michelmann, who broke an Alberta record in the one foot high kick last month, will be competing in the 18 to 23 age group of the open male category.

Michelmann is preparing for his first games by incorporating his skills from other sports. "I am a basketball player so I am really trying to work on my jumps with that. With the kicks, I used to be in tae kwon do so I just learn from that."

Not only is the young athlete looking forward to the competition, he also values other aspects of this experience.

"One of the things I am looking forward to is learning new things about the different cultures, meeting new people and just having fun," said Michelmann. "I am very excited."

"I am hoping that they have a good time, practice good sportsmanship and that they do their best, " said Horseman. "I'd like to see them improve at what they are doing for next time. Most of the athletes on the Inuit games team are Arctic Winter Games athletes so it's a good learning experience. And they get a feel for the competition that goes on and see how the games are run."

Athletes and visitors can take a break from the action by taking in performances by Juno nominee Leela Gilday, the rap group ReddNation, Spirit Child Dancers and the Merc Metis Dancers.

A market featuring 24 artisans from across northern Alberta will be part of the festivities.

The Arctic Winter Games were the inspiration of James Smith and Stuart Hodgson, then commissioners of the Yukon and Northwest Territories, who traveled to Quebec City to cheer on their home team at the Canada Games in 1967. Disheartened by the performance of their athletes, the two men, along with the governor of Alaska, came up with the idea of creating their own sporting competition for the Nth, which first took place in Yellowknife in 1970.

The Arctic Winter Games will air on CBC television starting on Feb. 28. For more information visit www.awg2004.com.