INUVIK - The Inuvik Figure Skating Club team of 19 skaters brought back 26 medals and a trophy from the territorial meet in Hay River last weekend.

Inuvik club president Kristen Wenghofer, one of the parents who chaperoned the group, said the group was well behaved and performed wonderfully.

The Inuvik Figure Skating Club returned home from another successful territorial meet in Hay River. The team of 19 skaters won 26 medals, including the trophy for most sportsmanlike skater. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

"This is the biggest group we've had in years," said Wenghofer.

Last year, the event was in Yellowknife. Wenghofer hopes that Inuvik can get a full-time coach soon, so the meet could be held here as well.

"We'd like to host the event in 2010," she said.

Wenghofer said the increase in the number of skaters going to territorials this year was due to many of the younger skaters entering competitive levels.

"We've always had a few older skaters going down, but now we have more that want to try," she said.

For young skaters and parents who want to get their child involved in figure skating, Wenghofer said the CanSkate program has been successful.

"We teach kids how to skate and then more about figure skating," she said.

Wenghofer said if a child is old enough to walk, they can skate with the crew.

"We usually have them join at age three or four," she said.

The coveted trophy for most sportsmanlike conduct was given to an Inuvik skater who won the award last year.

Eleven-year-old Ben Kaufman is the only male on the Inuvik team and tries his hardest to be the best he can be, while still being a good guy.

His trophy is rather large and was temporarily on display at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex for all to see.

The trophy is off being affixed with his nameplate and will be back on display soon.

Kaufman has skated since he was two years old. He said he has been to too many competitions to remember the actual number.

He said he enjoys skating, but being a good sport is the most important part for him.

"I think it's cool because the skaters vote on it," he said of the trophy.

"It means a lot of people think I'm pretty nice."

Kaufman said he is good to others because what comes around goes around.

"You should be nice to others, because you don't know when it will come back to you," he said.