Among the winners of the annual awards handed out by Sport North to athletes, coaches and teams is also the name of a Hay River firm.
The Rowe's Group of Companies was honoured as Corporate Contributor of the year at an awards ceremony last month in Yellowknife.
It was because of the help the company provided to Table Tennis North in getting tables into a number of NWT communities.
Ron Schaub, general manager of Rowe's Construction, noted the Rowe's Group of Companies was nominated by Fort Providence's Thorsten Gohl, who was previously executive director with Table Tennis North.
"Thor was coaching my son and come to me with an issue about trying to get tables into the communities," said Schaub, explaining Gohl would put in an order for tables but it would have cost a substantial freight rate to get tables to places like Fort Liard, Jean Marie River or Fort Providence.
Schaub suggested to Gohl that he get the supplier to pay to get the tables to Hay River and the Rowe's Group of Companies would get them to the other communities.
"If we get them here at least, we could work together to try to get them to the communities," he said. "If anything, in a pickup or whatever. We could manage it from Hay River."
Gohl did get the tables to Hay River, and Schaub said Rowe's got them into Fort Liard, Jean Marie River, Fort Simpson, Fort Providence, Yellowknife, Ndilo and Fort Smith, often using the company's own trucking services and sometimes using ties with other companies like Westclean Northern Sales or Manitoulin Transport.
"We don't do this for recognition," said Schaub. "We do it to better the communities through youth sport."
Because table tennis is focused on youth, he said Rowe's jumped at the opportunity to help Table Tennis North.
Plus, he noted the company has helped table tennis in other ways, such as accommodating instructors for clinics in Hay River and setting up space for practices and clinics in the area of the Wright Centre now occupied by the Great Canadian Dollar Store.
A representative of Rowe's was unable to attend Sport North's Nov. 18 gala in Yellowknife, but the award was accepted by Michael Gilday, a well-known speedskater and the keynote speaker at the event.
Gilday read a message from Rowe's accepting the award.
Gohl noted the tables were moved over the past two years.
"We brought 60 new professional tables into the territories," he said.
The assistance from the Rowe's Group of Companies was a big help for Table Tennis North.
"I mean it was huge, not just for Table Tennis North, but also for all the communities that received the tables because it cut the cost down and a lot of hassle, as well, because when you work with a transportation company it's not always easy to figure out how to do this," he said.
In fact, Gohl noted there are still some tables – three big ones and 15 mini-tables – stored in Hay River, courtesy of the Rowe's Group of Companies.
Gohl, who is currently the marketing manager for the 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games Host Society, was also recognized by Sport North with the Ruth Inch Memorial Contributor to Sport Award for his efforts to promote table tennis in the NWT and spearheading the creation of Table Tennis North.
And he is hoping to have that momentum continue in the next five years.
"We just want to do the same thing we've been doing so far: getting kids playing the game, growing the grassroots," he said. "We want to create role models in communities. If we can engage one kid and get them interested, have them step up and show what they can do, it spreads like wildfire and that's how you sustain the sport in communities."
- with files from James McCarthy