A heartfelt introduction from the family of Paulou Ittungna led off a weekend of volleyball in his name.
Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo
“The fact that it’s still ongoing after the first year really makes me feel good,” said Kyle Ittungna of the fifth annual Paulou Ittungna Memorial Tournament.
Paulou was Kyle’s adopted brother, two years younger.
“He wasn’t outspoken, but his actions were more than he could ever say,” remembers Kyle.
Paulou, who passed away in 2012, was not just a volleyball athlete, but also loved baseball, soccer and sports in general.
“I remember after fighting forest fires, he would go straight to the baseball diamond in his full gear,” said Kyle.
His wish was for everyone to have a safe weekend and enjoy the sport that Paulou loved.
In the game action, teams in several divisions competed in two days of games.
The final on the men’s side was between Tuk and JLT. For the second straight year, JLT won the tournament, going 3-0 in the finals.
“It went really good,” said JLT’s Jeffrey Amos.
His team had players from age 18 to their 60s.
“Our team just played together, good serving,” said Amos, who coached Paulou when he was in junior high.
He said the tournament helped keep the young man’s memory alive.
On the women’s side, How I Set Your Mother defeated Serves You Right 3-1 in the finals. The teams were split up from a group that usually plays together, so it was somewhat of an intra-team final.
“It went very well,” said How I Set Your Mother’s Stacey Christie. “That was great to play against our teammates.”
Getting their serves in helped lead the team to victory.
“It has to start with the serve,” said Christie.
She was also involved in Paulou’s volleyball practicing when he was in school.
“He had such a love for the game,” said Christie. “He played hard and he always had a smile on his face when he played. He was at the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse and he brought the team from down to right up because of his spirit and his enthusiasm. He breathes it all the time. He was a fine young man.”
The annual regional tournament was renamed in Paulou’s honour in 2013.