Over March break in Colville Lake, Cross Country NWT held a skiing clinic, which 26 students who remained in town participated in even as the weather dipped down below -20C.
Marcus Proctor, a high school student from Fort Good Hope and who was scheduled to go to the Arctic Winter Games to compete in cross country skiing in 2020, came as a volunteer to help instructor Anna-Spring. Marcus and Anna-Spring did various warm-ups, ski skills, and skill games as well as some small hills and short skis with the students.
Wooded trails areas near the school provided a sheltered area for students to practice their skiing, and the trails were groomed multiple times throughout the duration of the ski clinic to keep them smooth. Students were also able to ski around a loop that goes around a couple of small islands on a nearby lake; and a few students even completed this loop on snowshoes.
Many students participated in multiple one-on-one sessions with Anna-Spring to improve their skills, who said many students greatly improved over the two-day clinic.
Teachers in the community are keen to continue skiing with the students for the remainder of the year and are even talking about including some ski events at the Colville Lake Carnival in the future.
This event was funded by Cross Country NWT and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs’ Regional Youth Sports Events Program. We would also like to thank Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart’s Sport Relief Fund which helped ensure students were equipped with proper winter clothing for this event.