As the Southern edge of the territory nears the longest day of the year, young athletes across all of NWT are getting ready to test their limits.

It is a record year for the championship, which is hosting more than 1,200 athletes and 35 teams.
It’s when the field is freshly lined and waiting to be used that the magic excitement truly begins to permeate the town.
“It’s a beautiful sight,” said coordinator J.J. Hirst. “For me, that’s awesome. You see it and you know the athletes are coming. Then the kids are here and track is here, and after that, it’s a blur from Wednesday to Friday between kids smiling and shaking hands, volunteers working.”
New to the event this year are new high-jump landing mats and electronic measuring devices for javelin and shot-put. This will help with accuracy and speed and safety.
“There are 800 kids going through there,” said Hirst, “and they take practice runs and free throws and that adds up to a ton of activity. If we can help make our volunteer’s jobs a little bit easier then we’re going to try and do that.”
“We’re trying to make the event better every year,” echoed coordinator Tim Borchuk.
“Every year is unique, but we want to be able to show the community that this is something we can do really well.”
Students will also be running around taking pictures of the event, which will be available online for purchase for out-of-towners who couldn’t travel the distance.
As the event evolves and coordinators strive to make it “bigger faster stronger”, Hirst said they’re also trying to keep with the roots from when the event first began. While it offers some  exceptional athletes a stepping stone for the Western Canada Games, volunteers and coordinators want to be inclusive.
“We’re trying to keep with the integrity of why the event was set up,” said Hirst.
“It was to get kids all over the North involved in sport and to give them a place to come and practice. We’re not trying to be elitist and we never will. If we can be a stepping stone for some athletes and at the same time offer an event for every kid in the North to participate in and come and enjoy themselves, then we’re doing the right thing.”
The event will also incorporate Hay River’s Drug Free Zone.
“I think that track is the perfect chance to promote this for other places,” said coordinator Jessica King.
“It’s nice to see what Hay River has done and  I think it’s good to show other towns that it can be done because we did it.”
Of course, the entire event wouldn’t be possible without local sponsors involved throughout the three days.
“We can’t give enough credit to them,” said Hirst.  “They make it happen and they do it every year. It really is a well-oiled machine.”
Hay River will also be host to a school new to the event. It will be K-Alemi Dene School’s first time at the annual meet, and the far and remote community of Colville Lake will also be returning.
Long-distance running will kick off the events today at 1 p.m. and the opening ceremonies will take place at 7 p.m. at the arena.

“We couldn’t commit to help organize it,” he said. “Or, at least, ensuring it got ran during that period.”
After emailing the league’s teams to see if there were any volunteers available, Smith said they made the tough decision to cancel the tournament due to a lack of commitments. The news didn’t sit well with Curtis Rowe, general manager of the Ptarmigan Inn and a player in the league, Smith said.
“He got word of that and felt that we can’t let this come to an end,” Smith explained. “It’s a fairly big event for the town and the slopitch community. He figured he’d step up and make sure it ran for those reasons.”
The tournament is too big a part of summer in Hay River to cancel, Rowe explained.
“It’s just a great event,” he said. “A lot of people put a lot of work into it.”
Rowe met with Smith on Thursday to confirm his intentions, and to outline the team of volunteers who will help run the tournament. The tournament, which is scheduled from July 30 until Aug. 2, typically features teams from across the Northwest Terrritories and Northern Alberta.
“It takes a fair amount of work and a fair amount of resources,” Smith said. “Not only leading up to (it), but during the weekend.”
While admitting the organizers were behind schedule, Smith said he remains confident they will be able to draw between 12 and 16 teams. Within a few hours of the announcement, Smith said things “were back on track.”
“Word has spread very quickly,” Smith explained. “Two hours after I had met with him I saw updates on people’s pages on Facebook, people asking if they could register, and if it was indeed a go.”
Rowe said the response from volunteers has been good since the announcement, though more are needed to ensure the event is a success.
“A big event like this needs lots of volunteers,” he said.
“The more volunteers, the easier it is on the other people who are already volunteering. The more, the better.”
If you are interested in lending a hand during the tournament call Rowe at 875-8466 or email manager@ptarmiganinn.com.

Crowds recognize volunteers, delegates, Brendan Green

Hay River’s Ben Sivertz arena was the hub of action on Monday, as the community gathered to celebrate its squad of Olympic representatives in an Olympic Pep Rally.

Put on by the Town of Hay River and a few dedicated citizens, the pep rally was centered around celebrating Brendan Green’s name on the roster for the men’s Canadian biathlon team.
Skaters and mascots sailed across the ice waving the Canada flag as hundreds of people poured in to the arena doors, each with a small Canada flag of their own. Wally Schumann’s Smart Car sporting Brendan’s name was parked on the ice, as were the volunteers chosen to go to the Olympics to represent the NWT.
With community members from the reserve, Enterprise, and Hay River travelling to the Olympics this month, there will be representatives from all facets of the community.
“It’s an honour to have our people going to the Olympics,” said chief Roy Fabian. “Congratulations to Brendan Green. Get lots of medals, and put Hay River on the map.”
Mayor Kelly Schofield took the opportunity to point out Green’s example to others in the community.
“He has achieved quite a feat,” said Schofield. “He is a shining example. He stayed tobacco free, alcohol free, and drug free. That’s how he got to be number one. Stay the course!”
Although MLAs Jane Groenewegen and Paul Delorey were in session at the time of the pep rally, they sent their congratulations via video message for the whole community to see.
“The North is a spectacular place to live, and you, Brendan Green, are more than spectacular,” said Delorey in his message.
Green’s hard work and achievements were summed up in a short video clip. The beginning showed him as a young boy jumping hurdles in his back yard, skating, and golfing. Present-time clips showed Green on grueling climbs during training, summating a mountain in Italy, and overcoming competition in World Cup races.
Because of his lifetime of dedication to sports and his achievements as an athlete, the Hay River Ski Club announced their decision to name a trail after Brendan. Bob White presented Bruce and Marilyn Green with a trail sign reading Brendan Green Olympic Trail, a duplicate of which will be erected on the trail itself.
Bruce Green spoke to the community, acknowledging Brendan’s coach, Pat Bobinsky.
“You don’t get a world class athlete without a world class coach,” said Green. After thanking the community for its unending support, Green reverted back to his teacher ways to derive a lesson from his son’s example.
“The lesson here is to dare to dream,” said Green. “Dare to dream big dreams. They can take you a long way.”
Emcee Kevin Wallington closed the pep rally with a final cheer for Brendan.
“Brendan can’t be here today, but I think we can cheer loud enough that he can hear Hay River from wherever he is,” he said, sparking hundreds of people to roar for Hay River’s Olympic athlete, Brendan Green.
A video of the pep rally will be available within weeks, for those who were unable to attend.