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NTSAA 2024 Track and Field Championships

October 7, 2024 by  
Filed under Provincial and Territorial News

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Holly Stipdonk, left, and Brayden Stipdonk, right, get a chance to meet with Frankie Falcon before the march into the opening ceremony.James McCarthy/NNSL photo

Fort Smith’s Joseph Burr Tyrrell Elementary won the most overall points.

Hay River’s École Boréale won the prize for the most sportsmanlike team.

And Harry Camsell School in Hay River and École St. Patrick High in Yellowknife won the most overall points for the amount of people they each had on their teams.

DJSS – Diamond Jenness Secondary School; St Pat’s – École St Patrick High School; St Joes – École St Joseph School; PA – Princess Alexandra School; PWK – Paul William Kaeser High School;  WDH – Weledeh Catholic School; MMS – Mackenzie Mountain School; ETS – East Three School; WMac – William McDonald Middle School; Tyr – Jospeh Burr Tyerell; HR – Hay River;


Students back in the running

James McCarthy Jun 5, 2024

Judging by the smiles and excitement on Wednesday, you’d never know that it had been around five years since the NWT Track and Field Championships had last been held.

But it’s true, and it was obvious the meet was missed by a lot of people.

École William MacDonald Middle School

Day one of the return of the largest sporting event in the NWT saw dozens of athletes competing in long-distance running, high jump, javelin and discus, among others.

One of the big winners on the first day was Jayden Hwata of William McDonald School, who won the U13 boys high jump with a winning leap of 1.30 metre.

Once he got the win, Hwata said that was good enough for him.

“That was definitely it,” he said.

Princess Alexandra School had the honour of marching in first for the opening ceremony of the NWT Track and Field Championships in Hay River on Wednesday evening. The banner holders are, from left, Molly Campbell, Eleanor Bassett, Blakely Beck and Adele Russell.James McCarthy/NNSL photo

As tradition goes, high jump winners have the option to keep going for as long as they don’t fail a height. The record for that particular division is held by Luke Dizon of Yellowknife, who leaped 1.57 metres in 2017.

“I thought about it, but I knew I wouldn’t get it,” said Hwata.

The return of the championships was a welcome sight for Kenzie McDonald, president of Athletics NWT. He said getting back out there was a mixture of happiness and relief.

“It’s great to be back and the buzz is definitely there,” he said. “I was quite impressed when I heard the number of athletes (close to 900) and it’s great to see kids who are still interested in it.”

McDonald, the coach for East Three Secondary in Inuvik, said he can see the excitement in his young athletes.

“My group especially had no idea about the sport except for two who went to NAIG (North American Indigenous Games) last summer,” he said. “I think as it goes on, they’ll become less afraid. Talking to other coaches, almost every kid they brought was new and they had no idea what it was. It’s all about getting them trained up to the bare minimum and we can work with that moving forward.”

Peyton Simba, left, and Chloe Chicot-Palmer were the flagbearers for Kakisa Lake Scho during the opening ceremony.James McCarthy/NNSL photo

And some of those athletes who marched in were rather excited to do so. One of them was Scarlett Robillard of Princess Alexandra School in Hay River. This was her first crack at the championships and she said there were absolutely no nerves.

“With the fires, the flood and Covid, I never thought I would never get to do this,” she said. “I’m excited to do it.”


CBC

‘Our community needed that’: N.W.T. Track and Field Championships wrap up in Hay River

Fri 7 June 2024 : As the N.W.T. Track and Field Championships in Hay River wrap up, participants say it’s been great to have the event back after a four-year hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then by flooding and wildfires.

Youth from across N.W.T. competed in the event from Wednesday through Friday.

Fort Smith’s Joseph Burr Tyrrell Elementary won the most overall points.

Hay River’s École Boréale won the prize for the most sportsmanlike team.

And Harry Camsell School in Hay River and École St. Patrick High in Yellowknife won the most overall points for the amount of people they each had on their teams.

‘It felt so good’

For organizer JJ Hirst, it was a a full-circle moment from when he used to do track and field as a student.

Although he didn’t set any records back then, he has nothing but great memories from that time.

“I remember this field was full of trees, and I remember in gym class, we used to pick the rocks … and for it to come from that to where we are today is, is amazing. I was also involved as a coach, and, you know, just love track. And I love this event,” Hirst said.

He also said the energy has been high throughout the event, despite a lot of rain.

“Listen. Listen to the crowd there,” he said, referring to the sound of spectators cheering.

“When our first event started — the high jump started on Wednesday at [1 p.m.] …  I heard the first roar, and it was just – it felt so good, you know? … I think our community needed that.”

Around 120 people put in around 2,000 person hours to make the championships happen, said volunteer co-ordinator Dian Papineau Magill.

They do it, she said, because it makes people happy.

Event coordinator J.J. Hirst said the Hay River needed the track and field championships after four years of cancelations due to COVID-19, flooding and wildfires.
Event coordinator J.J. Hirst said the Hay River needed the track and field championships after four years of cancelations due to COVID-19, flooding and wildfires.

Event coordinator J.J. Hirst said the Hay River needed the track and field championships after four years of cancelations due to COVID-19, flooding and wildfires. (Carla Ulrich/CBC)

“Look at all the smiles,” she said.

“People are happy, the kids are happy, parents are happy. It’s a big family event.”

Ten-year-old Yevah Chepelsky-Tetso competed in the games for the first time this year and described it as “really fun,” adding that her favourite part was the running.

“I don’t know, but like, you have this good feeling,” she said.  “When you run, people are like, ‘Yeah! Go! And, like, it’s so much fun. And then you get all hyped up and stuff.”

Volunteer coordinator Dian Papineau Magill said around 120 volunteers worked on the event.
Volunteer coordinator Dian Papineau Magill said around 120 volunteers worked on the event.

Volunteer coordinator Dian Papineau Magill said around 120 volunteers worked on the event. (Carla Ulrich/CBC)

It was also fun sleeping in a school and staying up late with her friends, reading books and braiding hair, while the boys played hockey in their quarters, she said.

“I’ve been watching a bunch of people over there do high jump, and it looks so much fun,” she added.

“There’s, like, a lot of anger sometimes. There’s a lot of laughter. [It’s] so shocking.”

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