Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY - Speed skating in Nunavut is in strong shape. Three awards have been picked up by athletes and volunteers involved in the sport at this year's Sport Nunavut awards banquet.

Iqaluit speed skater Sarah Ali took top female athlete honours at the ceremony, while training partner David Coulombe took male athlete of the year.

Sarah Ali, left, and David Coulombe were named Sport Nunavut's 2008 female and male athletes of the year at an awards banquet last Saturday. - photo courtesy of John Maurice

"We are all extremely proud of the high-performance and elite athletic achievement of our members," said John Maurice, president of Nunavut Speed Skating.

Ali, from Iqaluit, won a gold in the 1,000-metre junior category at the games and two individual silvers in the 500-metre and 1500-metre events at the Arctic Winter Games (AWG).

She said at the competition she felt more pressure than ever before.

"After the 2006 AWG and winning one silver and one bronze, I felt that I needed to take a step forward. I worked harder than ever before and it paid off," she said.

She said she feels this is just the first step.

"I have been pushing myself for years and have finally achieved those first set of goals I had set for myself. But there are plenty more to go and I don't plan on quitting," she said.

Ali said she feels support from Nunavummiut and is proud to represent her home.

"Honestly, I always felt like I was striving for Nunavut and not just myself. Being born and raised in Nunavut made me want to give back," she said. "To give Nunavut an athlete to be proud of just as I am proud to be from Nunavut."

Coulombe, 15, took home four individual medals at the 2008 Arctic Winter Games in Yellowknife, winning gold in three separate distances in the juvenile category to go with one silver.

Along with his AWG successes last year, he took bronze at a meet in Ottawa and also placed 12 out of 24 competitors at the Canadian championships in Sherbrooke, Que.

The Grade 10 student has been skating for four years and hopes to keep improving. He said he was happy to share athlete of the year honours with Ali.

"It was cool because we are both from the same club," he said.

Building on the recent successes of Nunavut Speed Skating, the group's president said he does not see why athletes within the organization couldn't reach even loftier plateaus in the future.

"Our goal and our dream is to someday have a Nunavut speed skater competing at the Olympics," said Maurice.

Lloyd Kendall of Iqaluit was given the honour of official of the year for his work with speed skating.

Team of the year honours went to the 2008 Nunavut boys' Arctic Winter Games volleyball team.

The team, comprised of eight players from Repulse Bay, one from Baker Lake and another from Coral Harbour, achieved a first for Nunavut volleyball.

"They took our first ever medal in volleyball," said Seeteenak

The coach of the year award went to Danielle Fitzgerald from Arviat.

Fitzgerald was not only involved in coaching basketball and wresting at the community level in Arviat, she also brought a team down to a regional event.

"She was the Nunavut coach for the Western Canada Summer Games last year in wrestling," said Seeteenak.

The contributor of the year honour went to folks at Baker Lake Youth Athletics Association for their work to promote sport and provide opportunities to youth in the community.