Youth show skills at 2018 Dene Games Summit in Inuvik

The sixth annual 2018 Dene Games Summit, showcasing the skills of nearly 200 student athletes from across the Mackenzie Delta region, was held at East Three Secondary School Monday Feb. 12 and Tuesday Feb. 13.

Colin Pybus, lead summit organizer, said the summit is an “amazing opportunity” for student athletes to showcase skills they don’t get to use or see very often.

“The variety and the uniqueness of some of the Arctic sports and the Dene games are not in the traditional sports mind,” Pybus said. “Being able to live one’s culture and compete in that environment, there’s so much pride that I, as a non-Indigenous individual, take in watching and seeing it. So I can only imagine the pride and the desire to do games like this, seeing as it is tied to traditional values, to traditional skills that you needed to survive.”

Pybus added that the summit is a great way for communities to connect, given that student athletes from Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic, Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk, and Newmarket, Ont., were all participating.

“The kids love being here. There are students from Ulukhaktok that I only see at this event. I’ve seen them, in a way, grow up,” Pybus said. “It’s an awesome opportunity for family and friends to get together and share in this amazing aspect of the two Indigenous cultures that are inherent to the area that we live in.”

Pybus said being able to host the summit every year is a fantastic opportunity for Inuvik.

“I’m very proud to be able to host and showcase our school and the community of Inuvik for everybody,” Pybus said.

However, he noted running this event is becoming more difficult because of funding considerations.

“We were facing a $25,000 shortfall at the beginning of this year, which has been made up generously through donations,” Pybus said. “The biggest hit that we took going into this year was the dissolution of the Beaufort Delta Sahtu Recreation Association (BDSRA). With BDSRA not functioning currently in a funding capacity, we were falling short of the funding dollars that usually came in.”

Pybus said he was considering making some budget cuts in October and November of last year, but the necessary funding was pulled together to make the event happen. The summit was funded by Municipal and Community Affairs, the Beaufort Delta Education Council, the Inuvik District Education Authority, as well as some of the community district education authorities, the Inuvik Justice Committee, and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Gwich’in Tribal Council.

“We appreciate all of those donations to make an event like this possible. We are always facilitating new partnerships to help with funding,” he said. “A huge thank you to our sponsors, to the chaperones, to the communities for letting us have their students for a couple days and having the trust in us to take care of them.”

Donald Kuptana, one of the officials at the summit, said over the last few years students have been improving their technique and skills.

“Athletes have gotten better at the technical part of it. They can kick a little bit higher, they’re a little bit stronger, they’re learning techniques, so it’s taking a little bit longer to do the games, which is great,” Kuptana said. “We want them to be walking away from these games, and coming back, and wanting to do better.”

He said participating in the games is important for students to continue to develop personally and athletically.

“The best thing about these games is the camaraderie between the kids to help each other,” he said. “That’s the best thing I see, and they’re making a healthy choice to be participating in the games, and they’re building confidence, too.”