All 63 students at Fort Good Hope’s school had already been sized for boots, skis, and poles so they could get right to skiing when instructor Anna-Spring arrived to lead a two-day skiing clinic for Cross Country NWT in March.
Students bussed to the ski trails and then warmed up on their skis, did practiced exercises, and learned new skills.
Teachers Gillian and Anthony, and instructor Anna-Spring coached students and taught them how to climb and ski down a small hill and on trails.
Anna-Spring also worked one-on-one with some of the students on their skills.
As an extra-special part of this experience, one teacher who had been part of the TEST (Territorial Experimental Ski Training) program in Inuvik skied for the first time since her youth with her class during this ski clinic.
Once all students had skied, there was a staff ski event, where teachers and staff who had gone skiing with their classes went out again with Anna-Spring to get a lesson of their own. Cross Country NWT is hopeful this means teachers will continue to take their classes skiing in the future.
A big thank you goes out to teachers Gillian and Anthony, who helped organize the event, groomed the trails, and coached students alongside instructor Anna-Spring.
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.