Good-natured competition as Traditional Games Championship returns to N.W.T.

Hundreds of students from across the N.W.T. piled into Sir John Franklin High School in Yellowknife this past weekend for the Traditional Games Championship.

Organized by Aboriginal Sports Circle NWT, the championship schedule was jam-packed with games such as snow snake, pole push, arm pull and high kick. Competitors between the ages of 10 and 12 took part in eight different events a mix of Northern and Dene Games over the course of the weekend.

It's the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit that the championship has gone forward.

Crystal Catholique, who was a Dene Games officialduring the championship, said the games help prepare kids to compete in other events, like the Indigenous Summer Games and Arctic Winter Games.

"They get so competitive, and they just love to teach the next groups going forward," she said.

Catholiquewas there cheering for her 12-year-old son, who is in his last year of being able to compete in the games. She said she had nieces and nephews competing as well.

"It's amazing to watch your own children, and you just get that excitement, like all the kids are yours," she said. "It's been crazy I'm going to have no voice, come tomorrow morning, because of all the cheering and screaming ... Being an official and trying to cheer at the same time is definitely hard, but it's so much fun."

Greyson Catholique, who was competing for Mildred Hall School in Yellowknife, said winning doesn't matter at the games it's about having fun.

His favourite event was pole push.

"It's so fun. You watch people fall, and you fall," he said with a laugh. "It's competitive, but fun at the same time. I love it."

Carson Roche, the events manager for Aboriginal Sports Circle NWT, said20 teams from across the N.W.T. competed.

He said participants were excited to take part in the championship for the first time in years.

"You can tell they've been waiting a while for this event ... Some of the communities, this is their only trip for the year to go on tournaments," he said. "So you know they're practising and they're really excited to come."

He said some communities, like Sambaa K'e, participated in the championship for the first time ever this year.

"It's pretty crazy, seeing all the different cultures here, all the kids. They're making new friends and it's a pretty wild weekend," he said.

The tournament winners Yellowknife's William McDonald Middle School will head to Juneau, Alaska, in early April for the traditional games championship there.

Roche said that's a new thing this year. He learned about the Alaskan championship whenan Alaskan friend of his came to the N.W.T.'sIndigenous Summer Games.

"We found some extra funds in the budget," he said. "I'm super excited to take the winning team to Juneau and compete in pretty much the same games."