Like the great north itself, the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) are rich in life lessons — there’s practical purpose and deep culture behind all of the sports.
“The Arctics” showcase incredible fitness in ways that are unique to the north, and at the same time, the gathering has a 50-plus year history of helping youths become future leaders of their communities.
Twenty sports will be contested in Wood Buffalo, Alta., beginning this Sunday, but the traditional Arctic and Dene events are the ones that fascinate in the lower latitudes.
Snow snake, stick pull, the psychologically tricky hand game, high kicking and jumping, knuckle hop, and more are all riveting,
Eight teams are coming to the 2023 Games. Alaska, Alberta North, Greenland, Northwest Territories, Nunavik Quebec, Nunavut, Sapmi, and Yukon. The Sapmi team represents Sami athletes from Norway, Sweden, and Finland, which feature nine languages. Russian athletes from the Sapmi area are barred because of the war in Ukraine.
Suulut Geisler is Greenland’s coach for the Dene Games, which are big in his country despite it being thousands of kilometres distant from traditional Dene Territory.
In 2018, his team took top honours in hand games — an event that looks like a blend of three-card monte, drum circle and good old-fashioned taunting. Their skills won them the gold ulu — the Games’ medals pay design tribute to the Inuit ulu, an all-purpose knife
“We had a plan and we stuck to it. I will not reveal our plan for these Games, but you can watch us and see how we work, maybe,” Geisler said.
Not even a hint?
“The secret in hand games is good communication among the team, being happy and loud, which can frighten off the opponent. Also a good poker face.”
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Brooklyn and Jordan Wills, from Grand Prairie, Alta., both compete in the arctic sports. The whole family is involved, three generations deep.
“Like everyone in my family, my grandmother told me to try arctic sports, and so I had to say yes,” Brooklyn said.
Brooklyn, 13, likes the Alaskan high kick. Jordan, 15, is big on the one-foot high kick. The latter’s coach, Melanie Curtis, set the women’s world record with a seven-foot-10 leap.
Jordan remembers the best advice coach Curtis ever gave him.
“Don’t let the outside pressure get in.”
Vetle Knutsen, from Bodø, Norway, first skied in the AWG in 2018. He felt bitter disappointment when COVID forced the cancellation and postponement of the AWG in 2020 and 2022, but he stuck to his training.
He moved 500 kilometres from home to pursue elite cross-country skiing. Vetle is a big believer in showing up for race day.
“I don’t know if a medal is possible. But you never know!,” he said.
The Four Cs of the Arctic Winter Games
Nicole Clow, CEO of the 2023 AWG, emphasizes the importance of culture that surrounds these Games.
“All Games have the three Cs,” Clow says. “Care and comfort of athletes, and competition. But the Arctic Winter Games has a super focus on the big fourth C, which is culture.”
Every edition of the AWG sees new and creative mashups of northern cultures.
Technical director Kyle Seeley has seen culture play out in surprising ways.
“You see common language moments,” he said. “Kids from Alaska, Greenland and northern Quebec find they have shared words among their different languages.”
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Veteran contestants talk about facing younger, stronger competitors — and rather than clinging to their expertise, they share techniques with the new players, even if it costs them top spot on a podium. Brendon Smithson is the CEO for this summer’s North American Indigenous Games. He notes that youths engage in culture in countless ways.
“Think about the cultural side of being in public and presenting performances and challenging moments where you may not win. People still want to see you succeed,” Smithson says.
Homegrown talent with a point to prove
Aiden Armstrong, the flag-bearer for his Northern Alberta team, noted the international competitiveness that comes with these Games.
“I have grown up skiing against some of the Yukon racers who I met for the first time at the Arctics. What’s great about these Games is the feeling of big international competition isn’t foreign for me any more.”
Armstrong thinks people are overlooking homegrown talent.
“Being part of Alberta North, we are definitely underestimated as a team. I don’t think other teams see us as a threat,” he said. “It would be really cool to prove those teams wrong.”
Fifty-year old cross-country skier, Johanne Ims, is excited about the journey from her home above the arctic circle in Norway. She’ll fly south to Oslo, further south to Frankfurt, over the Atlantic to Calgary, and then back north again.
She spoke to CBC Sports on “sun return” day, when the sun peeks back over the horizon after the darkest weeks of winter.
In 2018, her 13-year-old brother came home from the Games wearing a Team Yukon jacket that he had traded with another skier. Which brings up her half-joking concern about these Games.
“We just got our team clothing. It’s fantastic. What if somebody wants to trade? I don’t want to give mine away!,” she said.
Looking ahead to the racing, Johanne simply says, “I am happy if I do the best I can.”
“And get a podium!,” adds team coach Sveinung Ims, who happens to be her dad.
Coach Suulut is ready for take off with Greenland.
“I want the kids to have a great experience and meet new friends. If they have fun I will be happy about it. But we want medals,” he said. “We are going for gold.”
The first Arctic Winter Games were held 53 years ago, and today’s goals are the same ones that were laid out in 1970. Everybody involved, all 1,800 volunteers, athletes and coaches, will get a chance to build new relationships, enjoy life-changing moments, and celebrate northern culture.
Clow is a long-term believer in the importance of this event.
“For northern folks? The Arctic Winter Games are a premiere event. This is a huge level of competition. It is not just another event,” she said.
“Maybe a southern audience, in watching this, can gain some insights into what is important to the north.”
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