Games a hit

Page R4

The biggest topic of conversation in the Northwest Territories has been the Arctic Winter Games ever since the regional trials were held at the end of January.

Hundreds of athletes took part in the territorial trials but only 350 were picked to compete for Team N.W.T. at this year's games, being held in Slave Lake, Alberta March 6 - 12.

Meika McDonald is a 19 year old Dene woman who lives in Fort Smith, N.W.T. McDonald is heading off to the games for the fourth time since 1988. This time she is competing in traditional Inuit games.

"There was a friend of my family, Ernie Bernhardt, living in Fort Smith and going to school here. He wanted to teach me how to play the Inuit games. I guess I was 11 or 12 years old at the time," explained McDonald about her initiation to the Arctic sports.

Mcdonald's league has five events - one foot high kick, two foot high kick, Alaskan high kick, the arm pull, and the kneel and jump. Although she is kept busy taking care of her four month old son, McDonald said that the team has been training hard in all of the events and she is optimistic about their chances of winning medals.

"I'm hoping that we do really well. I want the N.W.T. to do well, to win all the gold and silver medals in the arctic sports, not the Alaskans and not the Yukon but the N.W.T. It might be a terrible thing to say but I want us to win."

Patricia Harrish of Hay River, N.W.T. is heading off to the games to compete in the snowshoe biathlon. As an RCMP Harrish has had a lot of experiences with rifles although never in a competition.

"I'm pretty much a novice at this. I just started snowshoeing this winter and I'm familiar with guns but not in competition. I was recruited by the coach who asked me to try out. I was going to last year but I was too busy with curling."

The snowshoe biathlon involves two events - a run of three kilometres and a run of five kilometres, both of which Harrish will compete in.

In the three kilometre, you run for one kilometre, shoot fives rounds prone, shoot five rounds standing and run the last kilometre," said Harrish.

Harrish adds that the event is quite strenuous because you have to go step by step.

"I think the ski biathlon might be less exerting because you could glide along on your skis between shooting. Snowshoeing isn't as easy."

"I like the fun of the whole event and the spirit of the competition," said the 13 year RCMP veteran.