Ahead of the 2024 Arctic Winter Games taking place next year, sports teams in the Yukon have started their trials to select the athletes who will represent the territory at the games.
The games will run from March 10 to March 16, 2024, in Mat-Su, Alaska, with 20 sports to feature Yukon athletes.
Team Yukon chef de mission Trevor Twardochleb said officials rely on the Yukon sport governing bodies to advertise, run the trials and select their teams with each sport having a governing body. Each team has its own selection criteria and every sport is different.
“Some have a good idea on the skills they are looking for in athletes. So, they all come up with their own selection procedure,” he said.
Trials for each sport for the 2024 games will run from Oct. 7 until Jan. 7. Registration and attendance is mandatory. However, exemptions may be granted in cases of injury, significant illness that can be documented with a physician’s note, Yukon school program commitments and special family circumstances.
Athletes are eligible to apply for a travel subsidy through the territory’s sport and recreation branch.
Last week, badminton and basketball teams started their trials in the male and female categories.
The male and female U19 badminton team had their first trial on Oct. 7 at École Émilie Tremblay. The trial for the male and female U16 category will take place on Oct. 14 at the same location.
The male and female U19 basketball team had their trial between Oct. 7 and 8 at F.H. Collins Secondary School.
Badminton coach Caroline Thibault said the criteria she is paying attention to during the trials are a progressive shot, footwork, skill level, attitude, fair play, effort and respect.
“Our expectations are to be sure everybody in the Yukon has the chance to show us their abilities and competence, determination to learn and be better on the badminton court and outside of it,” she said. “I dream to have their time and a system of evaluation that I can bring and see players in badminton in action in each community.”
Thibault said Badminton Yukon team will be made up of eight players: two women and men in the U19 category and two women and men in the U16 category.
After the trial, she said, “We must find a way to make them train well and harder with no coach. This is a big challenge here.”
The decision on the line-up of players for the games will be announced by Nov. 18.
“We will train three times, two hours each week. We will have two training camps and we will have the chance to welcome Anton Menzel (fourth in Canada U23) as our badminton motivator to play with our team,” she said. “We are expecting our team to give their very best and be respectful while representing the territory.”
Twardochleb said the competition is a developmental opportunity for coaches and officials to get the valuable experiences they require to excel.
Following the trials, the sport governing bodies and coaches will define training plans that set out “reasonable expectations for their participants” which must be seen as “fair and equitable,” per the hosting guidelines.
Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com
