Hoosiers

International Paralympic Committee Logo

The 2014 Paralympic Winter Games were held in Sochi, Russia, from March 7 to 16, two weeks after the 2014 Winter Olympics.  This was the first time Russia hosted the Paralympics, featuring 72 medal events in five sports (alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling) and the first appearance of snowboarding as an event.  Russia, the host nation, took home the most gold medals (30) and most medals overall (80).  Canada came in third place with seven gold, two silver, and 7 bronze medals. 

            

Ukraine came in fourth place, winning 5 gold, 9 silver, and 11 bronze, for a total of 25 medals.  In the Olympics, countries are ranked according to the number of gold medals won.  If there is an equal amount of gold medals, then the order is based on the number of silver, then bronze.  This system is known as the gold first ranking system.  If we were just counting the total number of medals, then Ukraine would be second behind Russia.  An interesting and surprising fact considering the current crisis between the two countries.

            

Even though the Paralympic Winter Games have been held since 1976, I still get the feeling that media coverage and hype are less compared to the "regular" Olympics.  I hold the same view towards the Paralympic Summer Games and they have been around since 1960.  Maybe it's just me.  In the case of Sochi, the games were overshadowed by Russia's military intervention in the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine.  Despite this aggression, Ukraine still participated in the Games, and won a substantial amount of medals.  Come 2016 & 2018, I'll pay more attention to the Paralympic Games.     

            

On Friday, March 14, two days before the conclusion of the Paralympic Winter Games, a different kind of game was taking place at Inuujaq School in Arctic Bay.  The Junior Boys Basketball team engaged in an intense and epic afterschool game against the Teachers.  It was a competitive spectacle that I witnessed firsthand.

            

Several weeks prior to the game, Pond Inlet extended the idea of holding a five-game junior boys basketball tournament at Inuujaq in late March.  The Pond Inlet team would travel to Arctic Bay by skidoo, overnighting on the land.  What many southerners do not know is the existence of skidoo trails between northern communities.  They are in frequent use by the Inuit because the cost of travelling is a lot cheaper than flying.  You just need to be prepared for the weather, have a qamutiq loaded with supplies & gas, a skidoo to pull everything, and knowledge of the trails.  It's the Arctic version of a road trip!       

            

Inuujaq School had the facilities to hold a basketball game, but no junior team.  Nevertheless, the idea was approved and a date was set.  Sean, a grade 6 teacher and coach of the senior boys basketball team, immediately went to work on putting together a junior boys team.  They spent many practices learning passing, dribbling, shooting, and how to work as a team.  Before the game against Pond Inlet, Sean organized a match against the teachers so that the boys could gain experience playing another team.  Think The Longest Yard but set in a school and the sport is basketball.

            

It wasn't difficult for Sean to find several teachers "willing" to play basketball.  He even got the school's principal to join the team.  Including myself, there were ten of us, enough to have two rotating teams of five.  Marlene, the Grade 1 teacher, was our Team Captain.  This game would be the first time I've played competitively in a very long time.  Sean had to give me a quick crash course in "Basketball 101" the day before the match. 

            

When the dismissal bell rang at 3:30pm, I changed out of my formal attire and went down to the gym wearing black pants, sports shoes, and a blue t-shirt with the Inuujaq School logo on it.  The junior boys team was already shooting hoops and doing last minute drills before the start of the match.  I picked up a stray basketball and shot a few hoops until the game started.  A crowd of students, full of cheer and carrying posters, assembled on the sidelines and on the mezzanine floor above the gym.  A small portable scoreboard, borrowed from the community hockey arena, would keep score and count down every precious second.

            

The game was an energetic and intense affair, with much running, passing, throwing, and scoring.  I got quite a workout from all the running; I should have worn shorts.  There were a lot of close calls, prompting loud groans & cheers from the audience.  We were all surprised when the game entered its third overtime.  In the end, the teachers came out on top, winning the game by two points.  I took plenty of shots but didn't score any points.  Both teams shook hands before posing for a group photo.  Then it was off to Sean's classroom for a pizza & video game party.  The store-bought pizzas were prepared by Amber, the student support teacher.  She also took plenty of action shots of the game with her digital camera.

            

Unfortunately, this would be the last game the junior boys team would play for the year because Pond Inlet had to cancel their trip due to a lack of snow on the main skidoo trail.  There are alternate routes but it would have taken them too long to reach Arctic Bay.  Nevertheless, the junior boys were glad to have played against the teachers and vowed to avenge their loss in the future.  On the flip side, the teachers vowed to defend their victory and enjoy the bragging rights that came with it.  As for Sean, he was glad that the whole affair went off without a hitch.

            

At the 2014 Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks, Alaska, athletes from the nine circumpolar contingents participated in twenty sporting events.  Over two hundred medals, in the shape of ulus, were awarded to many deserving athletes.  One of those athletes was Donovan Qaunaq of Arctic Bay, who won a bronze in the Dene Games.  The Games concluded on March 22, but the male athletes from Arctic Bay did not return until the 26th.  That evening, they were driven to the Community Hall to receive a warm welcome from the community.  A large "Welcome Back!" banner had been prepared for their arrival and was prominently displayed in the hall.

      

When the boys stepped into the hall with their chaperones, the crowd-in-waiting erupted into applause.  The team posed for pictures in front of the large banner before shaking hands and answering questions from curious onlookers.  I personally shook the hands of each athlete and asked them how they enjoyed their trip.  They said they really enjoyed competing in Alaska, meeting competitors from all over the Arctic, and making new friends.  Names, numbers, and even team jackets were traded.  Their stories ended the same way; they couldn't wait for the next Arctic Winter Games in 2016.