Team Yukon in search of gold

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On March 4, three Boeing 737s will take off from the capital of this territory loaded with athletes in search of gold.

Quite a switch for Yukoners to leave the land of the Gold Rush. But for the 335 athletes and coaches travelling to the 1994 Arctic Winter Games in Slave Lake, Alberta the lure of winning a gold, silver or bronze ulu medal makes the trip a breeze.

The athletes hail from all points of Yukon - as far north as Old Crow to the southern city of Watson Lake. The distances didn't prove to be a hindrance during the trials held over three week-ends in December and January. Many were bused in, and athletes from Old Crow, in the northern-most tip of Yukon, were flown in since there's no winter road out.

"We wanted the trials to be a big social and athletic celebration for everyone, those who went on and those who stayed," said Vern Haggard, games chef de mission.

"The games are all about the spirit of sports. We don't like to focus on just medals. The games are participatory, friendly games," he said.

Yukon is sending contestants for 17 of the 19 sports events, lacking only a short-track speed skating and a table tennis contingent. Many of the athletes are veterans of the games, which have been held every two years since 1970.

And some of the athletes are competing for the first time - like nine-year-old Justin Carey, from Whitehorse. The determined youngster is entering the games in the dog mushing event, and trains every day for hours.

He's be joined by Kyla Boivin, an 11 year old from Dawson, who is also competing for the first time in the dog mushing event.

While the bulk of Team Yukon will compete in sporting events such as hockey, skating and skiing, a contingent of 18 athletes will take part in the Arctic sports.

These traditional games are divided into Inuit, or Eskimo, games and Dene, or Indian games. The latter are more common in Yukon but the Inuit games are also popular, said Nyla Klugie, mission staff for the Arctic and Dene games.

"We're lucky to have a few dedicated people who are here teaching young people about the games," she said. Several of the coaches do demonstrations of Arctic sports at schools on a regular basis to increase knowledge and interest in the games.

Judging for the games is extremely strict, forcing competitors to follow rules down to the letter, Klugie explained. Rules such as no jerking or wrenching on the finger pulls, rules enforcing proper sportsmanship in events where endurance and strength are the deciding factors in winning.

But the Arctic Winter games are about more than winning, Klugie said.

"We're going with the spirit to have fun, make friends and learn from other athletes," said Klugie.