January 26th, 2014 (Yellowknife) - Speed skaters from Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and Yellowknife were hard at work over the weekend competing for spots on the coveted 2014 Arctic Winter Games Team.
The teams arrived into Yellowknife on Thursday, January 24th and got used to the Multiplex Ice during a practice lead by senior NWT speed skater Madison Pilling. Madison taught them new drills and shared technical pointers that she has been learning from training and going to school in British Colombia.
The juvenile boys category had seven skaters all vying for just four spots on the team. Jackson Christie of Inuvik was very strong, winning all four distances with Flynn Perry also of Inuvik as a solid second. Braeden Picek of Inuvik and Brandon Adams of Yellowknife round out the four person team.
The junior girls category had eight skaters intially, however two dropped out prior to competition due to illness and injury. The category remained tight none the less, with Lauren Eggenberger coming out on top. The competition was very tight for the remaining three spots as Kristin Chapman, Ali Fleming, Hanna Lowing, Kirianne Ashley and Monique Chapman, all of Yellowknife, battled it out. In the end, Kristin, Ali and Hanna were successful and will round out the four person team.
In the junior male and juvenile female categories, the teams were acclaimed, with only four athletes competing for each team. In order to gain experience however, these athletes still raced throughout the weekend and practiced relays at the end with the other teams.
The coaches for the Arctic Winter Games coaches are Val Gendron of Fort Simpson and Shane Clark of Yellowknife.
A big thanks must be extended to all the volunteers who made the NWT Championships a great success and to Sport North for assuring all athletes arrived on time. The NWTASSA and Arctic Winter Games Team would also like to extend our thanks to the Yellowknife Downtown Liqour Store for their generous contribution to a portion of the Arctic Winter Games uniforms.
The NWTASSA is excited for this team to continue our tradition of excellence at the Arctic Winter Games.
Juvenile Girls:
Daphne Cloutier - Yellowknife
Grace Clark - Yellowknife
Tori Blake - Hay River
Sophie Clark – Yellowknife
Juvenile Boys:
Jackson Christie – Inuvik
Flynn Perry – Inuvik
Braiden Picek – Inuvik
Brandon Adams – Yellowknife
Alternate: Jesse Karp – Hay River
Junior Girls:
Lauren Eggenberger – Yellowknife
Kristin Chapman – Yellowknife
Ali Fleming - Yellowknife
Hanna Lowing – Yellowknife
Alternate: Kirianne Ashley - Yellowknife
Junior Boys:
Dominique Bennett – Yellowknife
Alexander Robertson – Inuvik
Austin Miller – Yellowknife
James Thomas – Yellowknife
Coaches:
Val Gendron – Fort Simpson
Shane Clark - Yellowknife
For more information contact nwtspeedskating@gmail.com