The selection process for Yukon’s Dene games team that will compete in Fairbanks, Alaska, got underway with trials at Takhini Elementary School on Sunday.
Over 20 athletes came out to compete for spots on the team that will head to the 2014 Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks in March.
“It looks great, I feel pretty good. There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm here today,” said Blair Hogan, head coach of Yukon’s Dene games team. “We have a lot of repeat offenders - there are a lot of people who have done the Games before in the Dene games. So there’s a little continuity, which always helps.
“So I think I have a really good team to work with this year.”
Potential Team Yukon athletes competed in two events at the trials, the finger pull and the stick pull. The hosting Yukon Aboriginal Sports Circle planned to also hold a snow snake event, but it had to be cancelled due to improper snow conditions.
“Nature worked against us,” said Hogan. “We had two feet of snow to deal with. You need a nice, hard compact snow to have a nice snow snake.”
Final team selection will be made at the end of January. There are a few spots left on the team the Sports Circle hopes to fill.
“It’s not quite developed yet, we still have a few vacancies to fill, but we have a general idea of who’s going to be on the team,” said Hogan.
Yukon won seven ulus in Dene games at the 2012 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse. The Games also include the team events hand games and pole push.
Matthew Brown, who took first in the finger pull on Sunday, won a bronze in snow snake at the 2012 Games.
Results
Juvenile female finger pull
1st Sarina Primozic
2nd Jessa Frost-Klugie
3rd Jasmine Johnson
Juvenile female stick pull
1st Azreil Allen
2nd Delilah Stephen-Bailey
3rd Jessa Frost-Klugie
Junior female finger pull
1st Madison Allen
2nd Brittney Brown
3rd Natane Primozic
Junior female stick pull
1st Brittney Brown
2nd Madison Allen
3rd Natane Primozic
Junior male finger pull
1st Matthew Brown
2nd Terrance O’Brien
3rd Anthony Primozic
Junior male stick pull
1st Anthony Primozic
2nd Tyler O’Brien
3rd Terrance O’Brien
Open male finger pull
1st Colby Sharp
2nd Terry Dick
3rd Jonah Caesar
Open male stick pull
1st Jonah Caesar
2nd Terry Dick
3rd Colby Sharp
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com