A total of 250 athletes will be striving for gold next month at the Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Add on coaches and the territory’s cultural contingent, and Team Yukon’s roster jumps to 296, not counting mission staff.
The number of athletes is down from 272 Yukon athletes at the 2012 Arctic Games but more than the 238 in the 2010 Games.
The absence of two sports teams explains the drop in numbers.
Yukon is fielding one less soccer team than in 2012 with none entered in the intermediate female division.
More surprisingly, Yukon is not entering a bantam male hockey team.
A conflict between the Arctic Games and the B.C. Provincial Hockey Championships taking place the same week is partly to blame, said Gerry Perrier, director of Arctic Winter Games for the Yukon Amateur Hockey Association.
“At the bantam level, it’s particularly important from an opportunity standpoint that our bantam players go to the bantam provincial championship in terms of exposure,” said Perrier. “Any kids who want to be seen by scouts need to attend that tournament.
“Typically what happens is when we have a conflict year, we’ll send our bantam A team to provincials and our bantam B team to Arctic Winter Games.”
The other issue preventing a Yukon bantam team is a lack of coaches. There were enough coaches and players in the midget division to send one team to the Arctics and one to provincials. Yukon’s rep female team is not going to provincials because it has too wide a range of ages to be competitive in a midget division at provincials.
“Unfortunately, this year we were unable to get coaches to coach the bantam B team despite two formal calls and many informal calls for coaches,” said Perrier.
“On behalf of Hockey Yukon and Whitehorse Minor, we’re very disappointed we won’t be represented at the bantam level,” he added. “This is the first time this has ever happened. It starts with the conflict and ends with the fact that we couldn’t find coaches despite everyone putting in their best efforts. It is an unfortunate situation. We really hope it’s not repeated.”
While hockey and soccer numbers are down, other teams have grown.
“We have more biathletes than we’ve had in years,” said Team Yukon Chef de Mission Tracey Bilsky. “So Biathlon Yukon has done an excellent job at building their program.”
The biathlon teams - ski and snowshoe - have both increased. They went from six ski and five snowshoe in 2012 to eight ski and seven snowshoe this year.
Yukon will field its largest alpine ski team in eight years at the Arctic Winter Games with 11, up from eight in 2012.
The biggest squad Yukon is sending next month is for the Dene games with 19 athletes and two coaches.
The smallest teams are the wrestling team with two athletes and one coach and the dog mushing team with two athletes and two coaches.
Yukon’s flag-bearer for the Games’ opening ceremony will be named at the team’s pep rally on March 14 at 6 p.m. at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre.
The 2014 Arctic Winter Games will take place March 15-22 in Fairbanks.
Yukon was second behind Alaska in the ulu count at the 2012 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse with 122. The territory was fourth with 101 in 2010 Games in Grande Prairie, Alta.
The following roster is subject to change, said Sport Yukon.
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com
Team Yukon roster
Alpine skiing
Liam Diamond
Zackary Endress
Angus Endress
Abby Hawes
Charlie Hawes
Tayler Mitchell
Shane Orban
Samantha Richardson
Manas Sarin-Toews
Josie Storey
Katie Vowk
Coach: Yves Titley
Arctic sports
Reena Coyne
Andrew Crist
Matthew Jacobson
Mikaiah Ladue
Mark McKinnon
Keona McLaughlin
Jade McLeod
Fayne O’Donovan
Robyn Poulter
Cailtlyn Venasse
Coach: Melissa Carlick
Coach: Colin Hickman
Badminton
Zach Heynen
Peter Jensen
Line Jensen
Emily Knickle
Mannie Sharma
Ritik Sharma
Nora Vincent-Braun
Coach: Abbie Rotondi
Coach: Casey Parker
Female basketball
Jetta Bilsky
Kennedy Cairns-Locke
Jayden Demchuk
Sarah Diment
Ebony Leamon
Dannica Nelson
Quynh Nguyen
Galena Roots
Jacy Sam
Michelle Tran
Coach: Nicole Schroeder
Male basketball
Chris Carino
Nylan Duncan
Bryan Hermosa
Ryan Hindson
Pierre Lefebvre
Chris Nerysoo
Ian New
Cassel Scholz
R.J. Siosan
Josh Tobias
Coach: Tim Brady
Ski biathlon
Liam Adel
Jake Draper
Micah Hildes
Nadia Moser
Maria Peters
Dana Sellars
Tristan Sparks
Pelly Vincent-Braun
Coach: Jane Vincent
Coach: Dennis Peters
Snowshoe biathlon
Clodagh Berg
Bruce Wilson
Chris Holmes
Tima Johnson
Marika Kitchen
Francis Reid
Daniel Sennett
Coach: Laurie Jacobson
Coach: Dan Thomson
Cross-country skiing
Leif Blake
Savannah Cash
Regan Fuerstner
Cambria Fuerstner
Adam Hynes
Dagmar Janzen
Hannah Jirousek
Michael Kishchuk
Mary Londero
Liam Mather
Zoe Painter
Solstice Sarin-Toews
Nichollis Schmidt
Andrew Seal
Amanda Thomson
Coach: Nathalie Dugas
Coach: Veronique Therault
Coach: Perry Hynes
Culture
Kara-Lyn Fredrickson
Cassandra MacDonald
Kevin McLachlan
Nicole Murdoch
Alita Powell
Emile St. Pierre
Manager: Kathy Fredrickson
Female curling
Bailey Horte
Kelly Mahoney
Kelsey Meger
Alyssa Meger
Coach: Rhonda Horte
Male curling
Trygg Jensen
Brayden Klassen
Will Klassen
Joe Wallingham
Coach: Kevin Patterson
Dene games
Madison Allen
Brittney Brown
Matthew Brown
Jonah Caesar
Alyssa Clooten
Jedrek Dendys
Doronn Fox
Justin Fox
Jessa Frost-Kluguie
Daniel Walker
Jasmine Johnson
Tyler O’Brien
Terrence O’Brien
Anthony Primozic
Natane Primozic
Sarina Primozic
Colbey Sharp
Kristen Smith
Delilah Stephen-Bailey
Coach: Dorron Fox
Coach: Kara Lepine
Dog mushing
Lori Tweddell
Louve Tweddell
Coach: Julie Dessureault
Coach: Luc Tweddell
Figure skating
Kyla Armstrong
Kelcy Armstrong
Meghan Birmingham
Landyn Blisner
Jenelle Clethero
Mikayla Kramer
Morgan Madden
Tessa Moore
Coach: Michelle Gorczyca
Coach: Charlene Donald
Gymnastics
Anisa Albisser
Megan Banks
Sydney Cairns
Emily King
Coach: Catherine O’Donovan
Junior female hockey
Natalja Blachard
Mikaila Blanchard
Tamara Greek
Shania Hogan
Sophie Janke
Monica Johnson
Mary McBride
Haley McConnell
Mykhaila McInroy
Christina McIntyre
Madeline Nicholson
Hannah Nordlund
Maya Oakley
Sierra Oakley
Ashtyn Sandulak
Chyanne Spenner
Abigail Turner
Coach: Louis Bouchard
Coach: Candice MacEachen
Midget hockey
Craig Berube
Curtis Carlick
Kole Comin
Ryan Edwards
Wyatt Gale
Alex Hanson
Tyson Hope
Tomas Jirousek
Jordan King
Jarrett Malchow
Mark McGrath
Dylan McQuaig
Riley Pettit
Josh Phelps-Vanbibber
Dustyn Phelps-Vanbibber
Brett Skookum
Liam Webster
Coach: John Grant
Coach: Gary Seed
Junior female soccer
Samantha Burgis
Camille Galloway
Jaylene Kelly
Rachel Kinvig
Carolyn Miller
Hannah Milner
Morgan Paul
Cheyenne Ryan
Samantha Wintemute
Coach: Charly Kelly
Junior male soccer
Brendyn Gendron
Brendan Irish
Dominic Korn
Allen Marks
Jonathan Runions
Timber Schroff-Stinson
Andrew Scoffin
Kieran Stacey
Chris Torgerson
Coach: Arnold Hedstrom
Juvenile female soccer
Thea Carey
Sandy Dubois
Malorie Hanson
Lara Herry-Saint Onge
Jamie Joe-Hudson
Christine Moser
Aimee ParkerAthlete
Mikaela Ponsioen
Aleyxandra Smith
Coach: Jacob Hanson
Juvenile male soccer
Skyler Bryant
Logan Harris
Justin Wishhart-MacDougall
Tyler Milton
Malcom Muir
Frejean Pourier
Tristan Rentmeister
Callum Ryan
Mackenzie Shaw
Coach: Victor Lavanderos
Snowboarding
Robert Faulds
Haylie Grant
Rachel MacIntosh
Reanna Newsome
Tim Schrimer
Esa Suominen
Adam Waddington
Coach: Katrina Couch
Snowshoeing
Aidan Bradley
Sara Burke-Forsyth
Ava Carins-Locke
Angus Clarke
Alice Frost-Hanberg
Kieran Halliday
Kate Londero
Darby McIntyre
Coach: Don White
Coach: Pauline Frost-Hanberg
Speedskating
Shea Hoffman
Jacob McPherson
Caleb McPherson
Michael Ritchie
Micah Taggart-Cox
Hannah Wirth
Susanne Wirth
Coach: Phil Hoffman
Female volleyball
Avery Bramadat
Teah Dickson
Daria Jordan
Tatum Koser
Tayla McNally
Chanel Newell
Yuranty Pourier
Laurie Reti
Cayley Sparks
Meaghan Stirton
Chloe Turner-Davis
Coach: Kasia Leary
Male volleyball
Tanner Borsa
Max Clarke
Galen Clarke
Zach Giczi
Benjamin Grundmanis
Peter Jacob
Cody Park
Austin Turner-Davis
Kyle Wallace
Jack Woodwalker
Coach: Peter Grundmanis
Wrestling
Joseph Melanson
Ryan Thompson
Coach: Rob Langmaid