Yukon Girls Hockey Jamboree
Yukon Female Hockey Jamboree March 31 – April 2, 2023, at the Art and Margaret Fry Recreation Centre in Dawson City, Yukon.
Sports
The Yukon’s Basketball Star
Dikran Zabunyan is all about teamwork. Whether it’s a basketball team or the staff at a hotel he manages that he’s talking about…
Winter Fun In The Yukon
We are very lucky to live in the Yukon: we have incredible indoor facilities and the spectacular outdoors.
What builds our youth?
January is Mentorship Month; a month to highlight the importance of engagement from our community to support and help develop our youth.
We need to see more positive engagement from the adults in our community, as well as an understanding of how we all impact our youth and, ultimately, their development.
Yukon athletes honoured by Sport Yukon
For 44 years Sport Yukon has been handing out awards to the Yukon’s top athletes, coaches and sport administrators. The 2019 crop of honourees continues this trend, despite COVID-19 necessitating the distribution of the awards to take place at a distance.
Däch’äw’s debut
Whitehorse 2020 Arctic Winter Games (AWG) was cancelled due to COVID, but the mascot Däch’äw’s landed well with Air North.
A mountain of possibilities
What’s the best part of winter in the Yukon? Why, it’s sleeping in and still being up at the crack of dawn to go on an adventure, of course.
This league is about community
The Filipino Canadian Basketball League Yukon (FCBLY) held their annual kickoff weekend on Saturday, November 17 and the highly anticipated event filled F.H. Collins gym for the weekend. The FCBLY president, Joselito Tobias, has been involved in the league for seven years and has seen the evolution of the league into the sport of choice …
Making the ‘impossible’ possible
Darryl Tait, from Atlin, didn’t allow an accident slow his passion for freestyle sports. Adaptive Skiing is now part of Mt. Sima training.
Revolutionizing endurance training
“We’re just at the cusp of changing an entire sport, and it’s coming out of a town of 23-thousand people. It’s incredible where we’ve got to,” said Alastair Smith, co founder of Proskida. Current performance-monitoring technology that’s widely available in the sport doesn’t tell you how much you’re producing; it just tells you how much …
Didee & Didoo: Blood, Sweat and Tears
When I train, I tolerate pain. Sometimes I feel lazy And a bit crazy. When I’m sore, I feel poor. Sometimes I get hurt An’ there’s discomfort. When I have a sore muscle, It’s hard to hustle. Sometimes I ache An’ I’m not awake. When I feel ill, I want to keep still. Sometimes I’m …
It’s ‘snowing’ at Sima!
Every October, Mount Sima starts snow production and welcomes hundreds of athletes from all over Canada for pre-season training in November. Whitehorse, Yukon, is the perfect location and climate to have early snow production to build the national-level freestyle park terrain and have runs open for athletes to practice ahead of the winter competition season. …
Didee & Didoo: When It’s 100 Below
I won’t saw wood. I won’t go snowshoeing. I won’t go skiing. I won’t go running. I won’t go walking. I won’t pack water. I won’t go biking. I won’t go hunting. I won’t go fishing. I won’t set snares. I won’t go camping. I won’t go sliding. I won’t go dog mushing. I won’t …
Keeping Yukon wild at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve
Yukon Wildlife Preserve offers wildlife viewing, school programs, family passes, run/ski/walk events, Yukoner Day and holiday activities.
The Aussie Girl Guide to surviving Yukon winters
I first arrived in the Yukon on April 30, 2017—springtime. Throughout the summer, Yukoners would catch my accent and ask where I was from, to which I would reply, “Australia.” “Oh my, why would you move here?” they would say, as though they thought I had gotten lost on my way to Whistler. “Why would …
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The sun never sets on the Whitehorse Rapids
The 2018–19 Whitehorse Rapids over-35 soccer season kicks off at the end of September, bringing together a collection of expats and non-hockey-playing Canadians in one homogenous mix.
Yukon Ski Patrol
The Canadian Ski Patrol is a national organization is composed of more than 5,000 volunteers from coast to coast, in Canada, in 59 zones and nine divisions. The Yukon Ski Patrol is part of that non-profit organization providing a variety of services (not just ski patrol) year-round. What does a ski patroller do? The Yukon …
Down, down, downhill at Mount Sima – Part 5 of 5
It’s Wednesday afternoon, the sun is warm and not a cloud in the sky as avid mountain bikers unload their bikes and prepare themselves for Mount Sima downhill riding. It’s my first time riding down what is described to me as a “downhill course.” This means that instead of the usual “cross-country” riding, where you …
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Tai Chi? Why Not?
Many people I have spoken to about Tai Chi have the mistaken impression that it is tortuously slow or that one simply stands around holding weird poses for no apparent reason, or that there are no health benefits. Luckily, I did not have any of these misconceptions.
Hail to the night runners
Only in the Yukon would we conceptualize a relay race where hundreds of people (when it first started) run along a highway through the night. Not to mention, we’ll decide to make all the race legs about a half marathon, so while you are battling the demands of your circadian rhythm to curl up into …
Yukon gold at the Games of Fundy
At the time of our print deadline for this edition, the 2018 Canada 55+ Games team was shaping up as 143 athletes competing from five Yukon communities.
Let’s get some mud on them trucks!
The annual mud bog competition is back on July 21 on Robert Service Way
Bucket List: Skydive in the Yukon
Skydiving has always been popular and it has just now come back on the scene in Yukon, thanks to Skydive BC agreeing to come north to teach classes.
George Arcand has been hitting home runs for over 30 years
For decades, George Arcand has been an institution for softball in the Yukon, getting his start as a volunteer in the mid-1970s.
White wolves of summer
Have you ever been seized by the sudden urge to don a suit of plate armour and bludgeon other armoured people with a mace? Perhaps your answer is a hearty “Yes!” but it certainly wasn’t for Land Pearson, at least not before he strapped on the armour.
Learning how to ride and not die
It can be intimidating starting a new sport, especially one that is generally about riding downhill, on unpaved mountains, with perilous things like rocks and trees that don’t seem to move out of your way.
Practising Aikido, the ‘Art of Peace’
The thing I remember most from my first Aikido class is falling; or, rather, how to fall properly.
Seniors on speed
What 69-year-old chooses an activity that routinely results in numb hands, painful wrists and soreness in an area that makes it difficult to perform certain necessary bodily functions? Well, it turns out that there are quite a number of these folks in the Yukon.
Danny Mac’s wonderful World Cup primer
With all due respect to the Olympics, there is no competition on Earth that captures the passion of spectators like the FIFA World Cup.
Going from Whitehorse to Dawson on the Yukon River? You better believe that’s a paddlin’
The world’s longest annual paddling race is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with the largest slate of international teams and racers ever.
Bike maintenance for idiots
I enjoyed hiking but wanted to explore more of the Yukon. It was a decision between a kayak for the rivers and a mountain bike for the mountains.
Yukon See It Here: George Dimsdale
Three generations of Yukon yogis: Darlene Dimsdale, daughter Sarah Gau and granddaughter Emma Gau, at St. Elias Lake last summer.
Top 10 tips for your first summer in Whitehorse
Here are some tips and tricks to starting out in Whitehorse as a Cheechako (which is the name for being new to the north of 60th parallel).
It’s all about the shared suffering…
Alaskans seem to embrace their long winters more than anywhere else I’ve seen in the north. Their affinity for crazy adventure races is a testament to their celebration of northern living.
Kick up your fitness
The Elite Martial Arts Academy (EMAA) first opened its doors back in May of last year and has been gaining momentum ever since.
Struggling against gravity
Race director Bobby Gillis gets ready at the start line. PHOTOS: Matt Bosford Matt Hosford tells us about his personal experience of the Chena River to Ridge: 25 and 50 Mile Multi-Sport Endurance Race – Part 1 of 2 Start of Race I looked up at the cawing ravens flying over head, passively …
Kicking it Special O-style
Special Olympics Yukon enriches the lives of Yukoners with an intellectual ability through opportunities to train and compete in sports, and the gala is a fundraiser to help them provide programming.
The sordid saga of ‘Shoeless Joe’
Shoeless Joe is the only player in baseball history to win multiple World Series as a pitcher for one team and a home run hitter for another; a distinction that will last forever.
A different kind of volunteer
Tom Gibbs doesn’t get as many hugs as he used to. As the president of the board of Special Olympics Yukon these past five years, he isn’t working with the athletes as much and he isn’t able to give out as many of those encouraging hugs.
Am I really ready to face off against this change of life?
At risk of being considered treasonous, I have never once worn skates while also carrying a hockey stick.
Hoooo is that?
The Arctic Winter Games are fast approaching and Kechi (pronounced Kee-Chee), the snowy owl, is helping to spread the spirit of the games.
Top 10 Tips: Backcountry Ski Touring
With the prime backcountry skiing time of spring fast approaching, it’s important to know some safe tips and where to get information before heading out there.
Mixing it up at the Mad(am) Trapper Contest
The multi-event Mad(am) Trapper competition, slated for Feb. 23 through 25, usually attracts dozens of women and men vying for the title of Mad Trapper or Madam Trapper.
Meet the 2018 cancan line
The 2018 Eldorado Line: Steal Your Fella Ella (left), Last Call Liz, Razzle Dazzle Rachel, Lollipop Ginger Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous season begins in February, but for some people it is a year round commitment. The women of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Cancan Line are arguably the most in-demand group during Rendezvous, and their appearance bookings …
Christmas Insomnia? We have an event for that
The annual Christmas Insomnia Soccer Tournament is a little known tradition that dozens of Yukon families have been participating in for more than a decade, held over three days each holiday season. What began as a fundraiser for a Canada Summer Games team in 2004 has gradually become an end-of-year mainstay for university students returning …
Shooting the lights out in the dark
The Lights Out Invitational Basketball Tournament has helped turn the lights on for the adult basketball community in Whitehorse. The tournament, cleverly named due to the lack of light in January and how a player can shoot the lights out on the way to the championship, has grown over the years from its humble, four …
The evolution of Icycle Sports
Icycle Sports started in the summer of 1998 by Patrick Plemel in his basement in Riverdale. In 1999 they opened their first location on Wood Street, then had multiple locations until 2006 when they moved to their current location on Quartz Road. Since its inception, it has undergone many changes, including a change in ownership. …
Teaching kids about respect
As part of this year’s 16 Days to End Gender-based Violence campaign, former BC Lions player and 2011 Grey Cup Champion, J.R. LaRose will be returning to the Yukon.
Happy 20th anniversary to everyone’s favourite river race
Sixteen teams competed in the inaugural Yukon River Quest (YRQ) 20 years ago – that’s a fraction of the numbers anticipated by race organizers in 2018.
Big Air at Sima
The Yukon Freestyle Ski Association hosts the Canadian Cup November 23 to 26 at Mount Sima.
eSports: Gamers reach superstar status
On November 4, small groups of Yukoners will gather in living rooms and basements for viewing parties to watch the League of Legends World Championship final.
Jack ‘n Sack
This is part four of a four-part series. In part three, the writer had been invited to caddy for Jack Nicklaus for the second time in his life, via their mutual friend, Vancouver entrepreneur Caleb Chan.
Strengthen and lengthen with Pilates
(3) On the exhale, reach your arms long and curl your upper spine up to the bottom of your shoulder blades, no higher. Breath in to stay, and then breath out to lower your spine down one vertebrae at a time. Repeat this move five times. You should feel the effort of the move in …
Filling the Void
For Patrick Jackson, the owner and operator of Changing Gear, it seems like only yesterday that he moved from Vancouver up to the Yukon, but 20 years later he’s still here using his experience and passion to run a successful store. Jackson started the sporting goods consignment store Changing Gear just over a year ago …
The Wisdom of Yogi the Berra
Other than Samuel Clemens, who wrote as Mark Twain, few historical Americans are more oft-quoted than former New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, who died in 2015 at the age of 90, but will live forever for the things he said while he was alive. His only real competition as the best American malapropist was …
My Fresh Meat Trial
It’s been 20 years since I put on a pair of skates, so as I arrived at Elijah Smith Elementary School I was a little bit timid about trying roller derby for the first time. Having only seen one game back in Australia, and the movie Whip It, I began to wonder if this was …
Shape it: Burpees
Burpees are not something that I used to include in my regular workouts at all. I probably would have never come to know this awesome exercise along with its many variations, had it not been for my friend and burpee queen Mariela Burkett. Burkett, a personal trainer and fitness instructor in the lovely city of …
Breathing In, Breathing Out
I’ve been doing yoga since I was a kid, tagging along to my mum’s occasional classes. I started taking the practice seriously three years ago and earned my 200-hour yoga instructor certification last summer. Though I mostly practice on my own, Breath of Life yoga studio piqued my interest due to their modernization of yoga. …
Jack ‘n Sack
Although I can’t absolutely verify the factual accuracy of the following “claim to fame,” if I’m not the only person who had the unique opportunity to caddy for Jack Nicklaus both before he won his first professional major (1962 U.S. Open) and after his last (1986 Masters), I’m certainly one of the very few fortunate …
How Long Can You HIIT?
Want to do something this summer that you can brag to all your friends about? Its free, requires a small space and will improve your overall health. Welcome to your new summer activity called High Intensity Interval Training – otherwise known as HIIT. The technique is inspired by the principles of German coach Woldemar Gerschler …
Grandpa’s Baseball Book – Part 4 of 4
It occurred to me while watching the 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians with my grandchildren – their first World Series – that I wasn’t doing a very good job of explaining the game to them because we were all too busy watching the historical action while eating bad food and …
Ten glorious days of ‘PLAY BALL!’
Less than a week after Canada finally celebrates our 150th birthday, the top men’s softball (fastpitch) players in the country will be saddled with facing an angry New Zealand haka performed by disgruntled Black Sox players to begin the next 150 years. The occasion is the 15th issue of the Men’s Softball World Championships to …
Giving Everyone a Chance to Shine
Getting a medal isn’t the point. “We’re there to have fun,” says Gaetan, captain of Yukon’s Special Olympics soccer team. “doing your best.”
A Year of Firsts for Yukon River Quest
At this year’s Yukon River Quest, stand up paddleboarders will be competing for prize money for the first time. The 2016 race introduced the stand up paddleboard category as an experiment. “Stand up paddleboards are hugely popular now and we had been pushed by both local groups and internationally to allow it maybe for a …
Mount Maichen Madness Hits Watson Lake
What do you do with a ski hill in the summer? You hold a relay race! If you’re looking for a fun, exciting and challenging event to start off the summer, the Mount Maichen Relay Race is it. Grab a few family members, friends, or co-workers and join us at the Mount Maichen Ski Hill …
Grandpa’s Baseball Book – Part 3 of 4
The kids needed “Baseball 101” It was my duty, as a retired sportswriter, to author it, a kiddie book about baseball(work in progress)
Jack ‘n Sack
I knew on the Saturday morning warm up on the driving range I was in for a unique caddying experience. This was the days of the “shag bag” when caddies would stand out on the range serving as targets for their golfers and often catch their shots in the bag on the fly. Not so …
Grandpa’s Baseball Book – Part 2 of 4
These kids needed “Baseball 101” before their 2nd World Series. It was my duty, as a 70-year-old retired sportswriter, to author it for them.
Intense Com-paw-tition
Yukon is home to a class of athletes that are the first of their kind in Canada. You might not know it, but you’ve probably seen them around town – running, walking, slobbering on their owner’s shoes. That’s right, they’re dogs. And roughly 30 of them are part of the Yukon Predators Dog Puller Sport …
Jack ‘n Sack
Although I can’t absolutely verify the factual accuracy of the following “claim to fame,” if I’m not the only person who had the unique opportunity to caddy for Jack Nicklaus both before he won his first professional major (1962 U.S. Open) and after his last (1986 Masters), I’m certainly one of the very few fortunate …
DIDEE & DIDOO: THEY’RE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
I HAVE TO HAVE THE BEST ORGANIC DIET. I HAVE TO HAVE THE BEST AND LIGHTEST EQUIPMENT. I HAVE TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ON TRAINING METHODS. I HAVE TO HAVE A COACH. I HAVE TO HAVE A SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST. I HAVE TO HAVE TIME AND BE COMMITTED. I HAVE TO HAVE THE BEST TRAINING ENVIRONMENT. I …
Grandpa’s Baseball Book – Part 1 of 4
2016 World Series (Chicago Cubs / Cleveland Indians) – I wasn’t doing a good job of explaining baseball to my grandchildren
Women in Whitehorse – Brettanie Deal-Porter
Brettanie Deal-Porter is program coordinator for Special Olympics Yukon in Whitehorse. Both have cemented a special place in her heart.
Wicked Fit
Ryan MacGillivray has been sheep hunting for 10 years. Three years ago, he had the idea to start a boot camp for sheep hunters. He did this because he knew the participants in the camp would push him to train harder for the sheep hunting season. “Well, I wanted people to work out with,” he …
Baseball’s Only Perfect Season
As a retired sportswriter who bleeds baseball Red and could steal second base before I was able to walk to first, I was recently deep into the internet researching the history and origins of the game when I stumbled on a fact that had somehow escaped my attention as a young writer: “The Perfect Season.” …
Honeymooners Head to Augusta
When Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin, 29, defeated American Patrick Cantlay on the final hole of the Valspar Championship in Florida on March 12 to win the first PGA Tour title of his career, his life changed forever when the winning putt fell into the cup. All of a sudden instead of going on his honeymoon to …
The Last Ski Race of the Year
Volunteers are gearing up for the Buckwheat Ski Classic. The cross country ski race is on March 25, but starting in early March volunteers were driving up to Log Cabin, B.C. from Skagway, Alaska two times a week to set tracks for the course. The last two years the race was rough – the weather …
Coy Cup Comes to the Yukon
“Get ready for some high paced hockey,” says Whitehorse Huskies Coach Michael Tuton. “The top AA teams of B.C. and the Yukon are battling it out for the Coy. It’s gonna be great hockey. Very hard hitting games. “Bring some excitement. Let’s blow the roof off the Takhini arena.” Tuton says to expect a high calibre tournament …
Fun and Games After School
According to Darwin Murray, after sitting in a desk all day, it is fun to get up and run, play games and meet new people before heading home from school. Tuesday after school, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., an enthusiastic group of children from Grades 4 and 5 participate in a Skookum Jim Friendship …
Looking Back on 40 Years of Team Spirit
In the fall of 1975 when Joe Jack was around 24 years old he and a group of friends thought it would be a good idea to start a First Nations hockey team that would include people from all the communities in the Yukon. He and his friends were avid hockey players. “We called ourselves …
High on Life
Between the years of 1991 and 2011 my husband and I used to pack up our son and drive to a mountain summit a few times every winter. They were once our favourite places to be: those white wide-open expanses. An active community of winter lovers is still going to the summits: skiers, snowboarders, snow …
Super Bowl LI
By every statistical quantifier known to man or beast, less one, the upstart Atlanta Falcons don’t have much of a chance against the New England Patriots in Sunday’s 51st issue of the NFL’s Super Bowl or “LI” to those who still count like Romans. The lone exception is Atlanta’s offense, which finished atop the league …
International Bonspiel Comes to Dawson City
Dawson City’s International curling bonspiel is the Yukon’s oldest continuously running event. With teams from the Yukon, Northern BC & NWT.
DIDEE & DIDOO: Embrace Winter
You can go dog mushing. You can go snow shoeing. You can go skiing. You can go skating. You can make a snowman. You can see the northern lights. You can make an igloo. You can go for a ski-doo ride. You can go sliding You can go skijoring. You can go ice fishing. You …
Every Revolution Begins with a Spark
The kicksled, or potkukelkka in Finnish, is part scooter, part sled. It has two long runners for self-propulsion on snow. With a wooden seat at the front, it can accommodate a backpack or two. It is widespread in Scandinavian countries, especially in Finland. “You don’t need any special equipment to kicksled, just a good pair …
Winter Sports Smackdown
So much winter, so little time. With Yukon’s abundance of winter recreation options, how do you choose your sport?
I’m a Survivor
We fundraise in the community every year, to cover the team and recreational paddling expenses, so that participating in Paddlers Abreast is not an impediment to anyone. We do not receive government funding. Any donations above $20 is eligible for a charitable donation receipt. When we have a surplus, we donate money to Karen’s Fund, …
Using his passion for the sport to support others
In April each year Whitehorse’s Volunteer of the Year award is handed out. This year’s recipient, Afan Jones, brought together his passions for orienteering and volunteerism in the work he was honoured for. The Yukon Orienteering Association hosted the 2018 North American Orienteering Championships in August 2018 (NAOC2018). Jones served as race director for the event. …
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Learning to Fly
Jonathan Henkelman lies on his back on a yoga mat, legs lifted and bent, the bottoms of his bare feet facing the ceiling. I am standing at his feet, looking down at him. He asks me to lean forward and let his feet press against my lower belly to support me. I try a few …
What’s Under the Waves
A Discover Snorkeling event run by Virginia Labelle of Yukon Scuba will be run on November 6th between 9 – 9pm at the Canada Games Centre pool. The event is targeted at first time snorkelers, especially families looking to make the most of their ocean-side vacation during the winter months. Virginia Labelle is a certified …
Boost Your Bone Health
For most of our Canadian lives, we are told that lasting bone strength is a glass or two of milk away. This is reflected heavily in the Canada’s Food Guide, which acts as a foundation piece for nutrition and wellness in doctors’ offices, classrooms and even many kitchen tables. Commercials and other ads push hard …
Never Again
In this two-part series Alexander Weber writes about competing in his first Ironman triathlon. In Part One he told us about his race preparation and his feelings before the competition. We left him three days before race day… Race day: My alarm goes off at 4 a.m. I eat a single slice of toast with …
Fear and Loathing
Dear Reader, having just read the title of this article, I assume you may believe the following about myself: I am insane, and I am a diehard superhuman athlete. While you may be right about the former, I would disagree with the latter. Before I delve deeper into that, let’s get some information out of …
Running for a Cause
If there’s a competitive foot race nearby, or a fun run for charity, Tom Ullyett will almost certainly be there. The 58-year-old deputy minister of Justice has been an avid runner since his teen years, with at least 40 half-marathons under his belt, not to mention too many shorter-distance events to count. In 1991, he …
Deadly Fascination, or, Better Living with du Pont
Panama Papers got you down? Still feeling the chill of tax season? A dose of the 2014 film Foxcatcher, based on a true story and available on DVD at the Whitehorse Public Library, might be just the thing to remind you to be thankful that you didn’t have the misfortune of being born rich and …
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Can We Beat Alaska This Year?
“Play ball!” These words will be ringing out in Dawson City this Labour Day weekend. From Sept. 2 to 5, teams from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska will converge on two ball diamonds to compete in the Labour Day Slo-Pitch Classic Tournament. This annual, mixed tournament has been a 30-year tradition in Dawson, says …
Off to the Races with Allan Benjamin
97 Yukoners aged 55 to 91 participated in the 2016 Canada 55+ Games in Brampton, Ontario from Aug.16 to 19.
Power and Money
The ladies rule Dawson City this weekend. First up, the Dawson City League of Lady Wrestlers presents the North End Knockout on Saturday, August 6. On Sunday, August 7, the best female pokers players in the Yukon gather to play it out for prize money. Why are there these all-women events in what are thought …
Especially Good Fun
There is something special about watching Special Olympics athletes compete. If you know people with an intellectual disability involved with the Special Olympics, then you know what it’s like to watch a person give everything they’ve got. It’s just like watching any athletes perform the sports they love – except there is an underlying air …
Camaraderie in a Canoe
Nine ladies in a voyageur canoe whose ages range from 23 to 62; 715 kilometres; paddling for Yukon Cancer Care Fund. Stix Together is a team of Whitehorse women participating in the 18th Annual Yukon River Quest. The race begins with a mass start at noon on Wednesday, June 29. Participants gather at the gazebo …
A 24-Hour Mountain Bike Relay … for Everyone
24 hour bike relays used to be en mode around North America, 15, 16 years ago. That’s when the first one was in Whitehorse, 16 years ago. The popularity of the relays waned most places. But not in Whitehorse. Here, the race is held close to the summer solstice. It has grown and evolved to …
Didee & Didoo: After A Race
I CAN SLEEP. I’M NOT NERVOUS. I CAN BREATHE. I CAN TALK. I DON’T CHOKE. MY HEART BEATS NORMAL. I’M NOT STIFF. I CAN KEEP STILL. I CAN CONCENTRATE. I CAN HEAR. I DON’T PEE MY PANTS. I CAN SEE. I KNOW HOW TO PRAY. I STOP CRYING. I DON’T HAVE A HEADACHE. I AM …
A Passion for Yoga
There are numerous ways to get into yoga – just ask any of the instructors at the newly-opened Soulstice Yoga Studio in Dawson City. One grew up doing sun salutations with her yoga-enthusiast mother; another took interest in hot yoga to improve her fitness levels while at university; another made it part of a …
On Top of the World at the Top of the World
Ever wanted to toss a log or throw a 20-pound rock? Top of the World Highland Games and Celtic Festival in Dawson City is for you.
Boost Your Workout the Tasty Way
With the season of marathons and relays upon us, your training plans may be kicking into high gear. And heading into competition – whether personal or with others – you may also be looking for an edge. Enter science. The science behind athletic performance has highlighted the benefit of nitric oxide to improve glucose uptake, …
Laughter Yoga: Heal Yourself Laughing
It is well-known that laughter is the best medicine. However, do we laugh enough in a normal life to get any benefit? Scientists say to get benefits from laughing one has to laugh 10 minutes continuously. Usually, life rarely provides us with such an opportunity. Also, one may be depressed. What to do then? Medical …
The Art of Judo – Yukon-Style
Walk into École Émilie Tremblay (EET) on a Monday or a Thursday evening and you may be surprised to see that the usual school gymnasium is transformed into a dojo, complete with a giant tatami (floor mat) and filled with students, donning their crisp white judogi, diligently training in the Japanese martial art of judo. …
It Takes Two
Biathlon is an Olympic Sport that combines two incredibly different competitive activities. Which two incredibly different activities you ask? Biathlon is a combination of a cross country ski race and small-bore rifle marksmanship. In Europe, biathlon is highly regarded with more than 30,000 fans showing up to races. You can consider it the winter version …
Stepping out for the Games
Five Special Olympics Yukon athletes went to Corner Brook, Newfoundland for the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. Special Olympics Yukon sent two skating athletes and three cross country skiers. The team qualified by competing at the 2015 Special Olympics British Columbia Winter Games that were held in Kamloops, B.C. this past winter. On February 24th, …
Celebrating 30 Years of Cult-Classic Skiing
The force is strong in our northern skiing communities. The Buckwheat Ski Classic has grown significantly to over 400 skiers.
Taking the Stress out of Learning
My Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon colleague’s daughter will be heading to Greenland next month for the Arctic Winter Games. She is competing in snowshoe biathlon, an event that requires athletes to snowshoe as fast as they can, then stop and shoot at a small target far off in the distance. With increased heart and …
Never Too Young To Be An Old Timer
You don’t have to be a real old timer to play Oldtimers Hockey in Dawson City. Anyone from 35 years and up can play on one of the three teams in the league. “In professional hockey, 35 is pretty old,” says Brent MacDonald, president of the Oldtimers Association. “That’s where the name came from.” MacDonald, …
A Place to Wander… and A Place to Stay
You can’t beat the price: $35 for a bed, $80-$95 for the private couple/family room or $25 for a place to pitch your tent, including free internet and parking, access to all the facilities, kitchen, shower, piano, and guitars. The a piano and guitars are not usually part of the deal at most hostels, but …
My Story as a Special Olympics Athlete
Mallory Ellen Pigage has been a Special Olympics Yukon athlete for 16 years. “Is a time for me to socialize and do sports at the same time.”
What to Do in Dawson in the Winter
Those who think that the Klondike is just a sleepy little place in winter between the tourists and the Yukon Quest would be mistaken.
Bowling is back
In the popular bowling movie Kingpin the term “munsoned” is coined by the film’s writers Peter and Bobby Farrelly to describe being up a creek without a paddle, essentially being left for dead. For the Mad Trapper Alleys in Riverdale that seemed to be its fate after closing its doors in May. But now the …
Honouring a hero
George Maratos was just three years old when Terry Fox was becoming a household name across Canada and elsewhere. Still, he claims to have a “kind of” memory of the young B.C. runner’s heroic 1980 odyssey known as the Marathon of Hope. “My parents were gripped by it, and I have a feeling that kind …
Didee & Didoo: My Gym
’When I mention my gym, it doesn’t have a basketball rim. My gym is the great outdoors, I share it with animals on all fours. I share my gym with the bear where there’s lots of fresh air. I share my gym with the porcupine where there’s lots of sunshine. I share my gym with …
Revisiting the Klondike Big Inch
Each year during the Riverside Arts Festival, the ODD Gallery sponsors a paired set of exhibitions called The Natural and the Manufactured, each dealing with some way in which people and their plans have had an impact on the environment around them. This year one of those exhibits, the one indoors at the gallery itself, …
Hiking: Other Essentials
In previous columns, I’ve talked about food, tents, packs, boots, foot care and outer garments. Now let’s look at other things that range from nearly essential to nice-to-have. Cleanliness needs can be met with biodegradable products, or with a part bar of soap from the bathroom and a small shampoo from the travel section of …
A Star in LA
It’s the last Thursday evening in July, and Elyn Jones is sitting beside the parking lot of Universal Studios giving an interview on her cell phone. She and her husband, Jerome McIntyre and their daughter Breda, 12, have spent a scorching afternoon touring the worksite of numerous Hollywood stars, along with three of her nieces …
Boulder On!
Do you like climbing rocks? Do you enjoy hiking in a gorgeous valley? What about making friends? Walking a tightrope suspended between two giant boulders? Do you like having fun and being happy? If you answered yes to any of these, you’re in luck. This Saturday, the local climbing community will host a revival of …
Wicked Wickets: YHMA pegs its hoop dreams on croquet
Nancy Oakley has a cool story about the likely origins of croquet. (As the executive director of the Yukon Historical Museums Association and convener of Saturday’s second annual Charity Croquet Tournament, of course she does.) It goes like this: “Some shepherds were hanging out, watching their flocks, and they needed something to do with their …
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Goals and dreams
Thirteen-year-old Piper Allen, of Watson Lake, and Mike Smith, Olympic-gold-medal-winning goalie and bonafide NHLer with the Arizona Coyotes, have two things in common: they love the game of hockey and they can’t wait to meet each other. And they will. Soon. On August 1 and 2, Smith and other NHL players and alumni will be …
Soccer Squad heads to Sweden
On July 12, a group of young Yukoners will step on the pitch in Sweden to represent the Yukon at an international soccer tournament. The Strikers, an under-16 men’s squad, will get their first taste of international competition at the Gothia Cup — the World Youth Cup. “The boys are heading to the Western Canadian …
Fight Like a Knight
If you have a passion for history and fighting to the death — without the death — there’s a new activity in the Yukon that is just right for you. Medieval combat is a martial art based on historically accurate medieval equipment and rules. You can get a taste of it at Yukon’s first medieval …
The Mystery Man
As we age do we revert to the simpler pleasures of youth? Perhaps all the way to the diaper? The symmetry of the baseball diamond and the unique strategy of this game-of-inches have inspired poets and hooligans alike. As middle age moves on, I find myself indulging more in the sport, recalling its obscure and …
Namaste, bro
Some people like to “hit” the gym, to “pump” iron for those “ripped” abs. See a theme, there? Yoga, on the other hand, is all about movement and breath. Fair or not, yoga has a reputation, in some circles, as an exercise for women. Jessica Read acknowledges this thinking, and then goes back to her …
The Mayo Marathon is our British Empire
This year is the 20th anniversary of the Mayo Midnight Marathon, hosted by the town’s Fly-by-Night Running Club. And potentially, it’s the end of the road for the event. There’s a joke in there somewhere, about how the marathon is on its “last legs”, or how it might be left “gasping for air”. One could …
Orienteering: What to do when Things Go Wrong
It is up to the orienteer to choose the routes between controls. The key to staying on track is to look at the map often, because it can take up to three glances before you realize the surrounding terrain is not what you are expecting from the map. Looking at the map more frequently ensures …
The Ultimate Guide to Yukon Sport
John Firth’s massive Yukon Sport: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, published in November 2014 by Sport Yukon, is a heavy book. It must weigh 14 pounds. If you’re brain isn’t strong enough to read all of it, mine wasn’t, you can throw out your old barbells and dumbbells and incorporate it into a new fitness program. Little …
Bonding in the Ballpark
This past summer I had the unique opportunity to meet former New York Times columnist Richard Kinzer in Leon, Nicaragua. During my time there I inhaled his account of the slings and arrows of the Sandinista revolution and made sure I was within handshaking distance when I attended one of his speaking events. Flanked by …
Downsizing Before the Big Ride
The more I bike the more I realize I need to carry less and less. Each training trip makes me optimize. That two-person tent becomes a one-person. That bag of all my bike tools I throw in my panniers gets sorted and pared down. That hardcover becomes a paperback. Seriously. My big U-lock is next …
“Domingo! Domingo!” Baseball in Nicaragua
In his classic account of Sandinista era Nicaragua, Blood of Brothers, Richard Kinzer notes, “With the sole exception of Roman Catholicism, no institution is as deeply rooted in Nicaragua as baseball. More than simply a pastime, it has for generations been a way for Nicaraguans to define themselves and hold themselves together as a nation. …
Kookatsoon Calling
Do you like wind in your face? Because if you love a headwind, I recommend biking south along the Alaska Highway. All that extra initial effort will just fade away into a lovely tailwind on your return trip home. Biking to Kookatsoon Lake and back is a great beginner ride. Starting from downtown Whitehorse it …
Let Kids Have Time to be Kids
I recently wrote an article about my perspective on the benefits of organized sports and activities. In that article I touched on my strong belief in a balance between organized and un-organized play. If I was forced to take a side, I would side with free play. I believe it breeds independence, in addition to …
The Anhyzer
The discs one uses in disc golf have certain innate properties that allow them to act in a reasonably predictable manner. For example, all else being equal, if a right-handed player tosses a backhand shot, the disc will start by going in the direction it was thrown but as it loses momentum it will dive …
Navigating the North
The 37th annual Western Canadian Orienteering Championships will be held in Whitehorse and surrounding areas from July 3 to 5 of this year. This event comes to Whitehorse once every four years, and represents the best orienteering of the year. The events are typically held on exciting, brand new maps — so it is a …
Harnessing Your Chi
The ancient martial arts and those who master them are often praised for their speed, power, and feats of incredible strength. Most people will likely think of Kung Fu or Karate, and conjure images of Bruce Lee’s famous one-inch punch sending men tumbling to the ground, or Jet Li utilizing a spinning crescent kick to …
My Obviously Simple Minded Idea to Reduce Cheap Shots in Hockey
On March 8, 2004, in a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks, Todd Bertuzzi punched Steve Moore from behind and then drove his head into the ice. I was watching TSN on the 10th anniversary of this incident, and they kept playing the clip over and over again. It was, frankly, sickening. …
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Playing Ultimate is Not Just a Fling in the Park
For the uninitiated, the game called ultimate might look like playing Frisbee – a hot sun and lazy days at the park kind of game rather than a sport of teams grappling competitively over the disc. However, ultimate is an organized sport that thrives on competitive spirit, and intense practice. Here’s how it works. Ultimate …
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Competing in the Yukon is a Rare Treat; With Cookies
You know you’ve been away from the Yukon for too long when you get off the plane and -15°C feels cold. But I welcomed the feeling, anyway; I missed it. There’s always so much to do when I get home: the woodpile is dwindling; I hadn’t climbed a mountain since November; the ski trails needed …
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Touching Moments Make the Games Unforgettable
Sochi marks my 6th Paralympic Games — the first three as an athlete, the next three with the Canadian Paralympic Committee. I have watched the awareness around the Paralympics grow considerably over the 15 years, and the games here in Sochi have once again brought Paralympic sport to a whole new level. All of the …
The Art of Winning and Losing
A pack of roughly 260 teens and tweens are in Alaska this week last to compete in the Fairbanks 2014 Arctic Winter Games. The 10-year-olds right up to the 19-year-olds, will have been managing their adrenaline all week, bolstering their courage and drive to compete against youth from around the northern tip of the globe …
Winter Blues Breaker
During Yukon winters it’s important to keep yourself motivated to stay active, and to seek ways of making it fun. While suffering from my own lack of motivation, I searched for something that could rekindle my desire to move again. I spoke to Mike Gladish, organizer of the upcoming Northwestel Hut to Hut cross country …
Emily Nishikawa Makes Tracks for Sochi
I’m certain I’ll never speak to a more grounded Olympian than Whitehorse born-and-raised Emily Nishikawa. I caught Nishikawa on the phone the day before her flight to Toblach, Italy. There, she will train at high altitude and compete in a World Cup on February 1 and 2. It’s Nishikawa’s last stop before Sochi, Russia, where …
Our boxers respected Outside
Levi Commons, of the Yukon Amateur Boxing club, returned from the Alberta Bronze Gloves tournament with a gold medal. Edujardo Aragon and Micah Hoeschele, of Whitehorse, both earned silver medals. Eleven of 12 boxers, who attended last month’s tournament, were first timers. Dawson and Whitehorse pugilists drove to Red Deer for the Jan. 29 tournament. …
Local gymnasts all win medals
The Polarettes Gymnastic Club faced its first competition of the year and earned quite a few medals. The West Coast Gymnastics Invitational was held Jan. 29 and 30 in Coquitlam, B.C. Gina Sparling won the bronze medal on bars and placed sixth on the vault, ninth on the beam, fourth on the floor and ninth …
She is the face at the finish: She’s a clock-watcher
Anyone who has taken part in competitive cycling or running in the Yukon, in these past 20 years or so, has most likely experienced the typical post-race symptoms of excessive sweating, agonizing pain, rewarding sense of accomplishment and that one burning question: “Who is that woman?” Described by many as “The Welcoming Face at the …
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Hot items and hot coffee go hand In hand
The most popular door leading into Board Stiff is the one that opens from Bent Spoon Café. “We encourage people to carry coffees in,” says co-owner of Board Stiff, Craig Hougen. “That reflects the idea of ‘come in, get a coffee, do the tour’,” adds his wife, the other co-owner, Mary-Jane Warshawski. With 20,000 square …
Beer and Sport
It doesn’t have to be an epic battle between the forces of good and evil. I believe beer can live in a symbiotic relationship with athletic pursuits. It’s all about balance, expectations, pacing and choosing your sport wisely. The expats in Malay had it right — drinkers with a running problem. The Hash House Harriers …
Tennis moves indoors
The tennis season in the Yukon is too short … so it has moved indoors. To help get the word out, Tennis Yukon is holding the 40 Below Indoor Tennis Tournament at Yukon College March 1 and 2. Low compression balls will be used for the adults to compensate for the floor and the children …
Aboriginal Sports Promote Healthy Living for Youth
Elders’ teachings are about life skills and many of them translate well to sports: how to take care of yourself, how to eat right and how to survive. The concept behind the TV series Warrior Games is to bring sport back to where it all began: when elders passed down these wonderful games, both traditional …
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The boulder you get
The sport of bouldering does not end with “conquering” a boulder but, rather, “understanding” it. The sport’s founder is a mathematician and accomplished gymnast, while its most successful participants do not necessarily possess great strength. The Ibex Valley Bouldering Festival (not “Competition” … but “Festival”) is a good chance to see this sport and to …
Northern Romance, May 2, 2013
Q: There is this woman I have known for a few years now and I know she is single. I asked her out for coffee about a year ago and she said no. Lately I have been running into her again and I have been striking up conversation. I still really want to get to …
Play Makers: Growing squash
Talk to Yukon Squash Pro Marie Desmarais and you quickly get the sense that a perfect world for her would be one that has every Yukoner playing squash. Her eyes widen with excitement as we chat in her office, which is littered with squash racquets, autographed photos of the world’s best players and pictures of …
A Broom With a View
March 28th marks the 30th anniversary of the Yukon Broomball Association. “We’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings playing on local community rinks,” says Scott Smith, the association’s travel team coach. “We outgrew the community rinks pretty quickly, causing us to build two outdoor rinks in the Takhini North neighbourhood. They were pretty …
Olympian is a Special Gift to Christmastime Basketball Camp
When a former Olympian is willing to travel from southern France to Yukon in the middle of December you know there has to be a really good reason. For basketball player Kim Smith that reason is to direct the Future Stars Girls Basketball Camp, something that she is very excited to do, although she does …
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Celebrating hockey and love
Hockey and Valentines. Although it doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as “love and marriage” and it doesn’t seem to go together like a “horse and carriage,” the two have come together in a Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon (LDAY) fundraiser. “This is a very unique event – the masterpiece of many creative minds,” …
Editorial: You can’t ‘own’ a podium
In 1992, I watched the Blue Jays play at SkyDome. This was the season they would win their first World Series and the stadium was finally filling up after 15 years. Sitting just beyond first base, I winced as a ball bounced off the tip of John Olerud’s glove, a very rare error for this …
Get a Good Summer Workout in the Garden
By becoming active in your garden, you have the perfect opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors while feeling good about yourself and your garden. Gardening is a wonderful way to work all of the major muscle groups and even lose a few pounds. Here are a few noteworthy statistics: mowing the lawn with a power …
Hmmm: Just how many bruises are normal?
After my very first kickboxing class, I realized two things. One, don’t eat a big meal beforehand, and two, even if you think you’re in good shape, after a two-hour class muscles you never knew existed will make themselves heard. Ben Rudis, a longtime resident of Dawson City, teaches a form of kickboxing called Muay …
Olympics are just not normal
Point your toes! Point your toes!” I yelled at Sam Edney. He likely didn’t hear me because my mouth was full of Bacon Ranch Pringles Potato Chips at the time. Or, maybe it was the fact that he was racing down the luge track in Whistler while I was shouting at him through my television. …
Protective colouration
As a kid, I delivered the Windsor Star to Red Wings goalie Glenn Hall. As a cub reporter, I once photographed Toronto tough guy Eddie Shack. Playing baseball. In 1972, I scored a coup on As It Happens by walking beside Bobby Hull’s convertible and interviewing him en route to picking up his $1-million cheque …
Quiverful of Coaches
If watching The Hunger Games made you wish you could take up a bow and arrow, then the Yukon Aboriginal Sport Circle has some very good news for you. Last month, the Sport Circle brought in the top instructor from the British Columbia Archery Association to train a number of Yukon coaches in order to …
Whitehorse Club Offers Cross-Country Skiiers Dream Conditions
“When I travel down south for meetings, other clubs are astounded and in awe of what we have here in Whitehorse,” said Claude Chabot, Executive Director of the Whitehorse Cross-Country Ski Club. “On our trails you can be cross-country skiing by moonlight, watching the magic of the northern lights dance over the Lower Valley trails …
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Artrepreneur: Fun and Safety Nets
Being an artist resembles performing a high-wire act in a circus. It requires balance, skill, hope, risk and commitment, as well as lots and lots of practice. It also helps if there’s a net beneath you in case the unthinkable happens and you fall. Compared to Canadians who are employees, artists – like the majority …
The Skijorer’s Lament
Spring is a time of confusion for skijorers. The words “yes, but” are used more and more often as the days progress. “Isn’t the heat just wonderful?” gushes a spring enthusiast. “Yes, but,” answers the skijorer, “it’s too warm for the dogs.” “Doesn’t the sun feel so good?” enthuses another. “Yes, but,” says the skijorer …
Pucks in the Pool
While she was away at university in Prince George, Katrina Wohlfarth discovered a new passion – underwater hockey. Now that she has returned home she hopes to share that passion with the Yukon community. “It started out for me as just one of those weird university things. You stumble across it and think ‘what’s that?’ …
Derby Girls on a Roll
It’s a lot of work being a Yukon Roller Girl. There are two practices a week that keep you on your skates for a few hours at a time. There are boot camps to organize and attend, funds to raise through skate-a-thons, bar nights and community sponsors. There are volunteers to wrangle and recruit, bouts …
Getting a Leg Up
Eric Allen keeps his hand close to the supporting foot of a young climber as he coaches the six-year-old through his first successful climbing problem during the 8th Annual Ibex Valley Bouldering Festival. The bouldering festival is one piece in the mosaic of the ever-expanding Yukon climbing community. Bouldering is a style of rock climbing …
Relaying the Relay
The Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay turns 20 this year. For all of those years, Ron McFadyen has worked dedicatedly in the background, radio in hand, to make the event a success. “I founded the Yukon Amateur Radio Association in 1976,” McFadyen explains. “At that point we had one VHF radio repeater in Whitehorse, the …
A World Beneath the Ice
As Oliver Barker tells it, fish taught him how to walk. “My family had this fish tank balanced on a crate in our living room,” he explains. “I used to haul myself up using the edge of the crate to see the fish—but every time I did that the fish would spook and swim to …
When Horse and Rider Become One
“Being able to bond and connect with a gigantic graceful creature is incredibly fulfilling,” says Meghan Larivee, a local equestrian enthusiast. “Being able to work on building a relationship with a different species and seeing an improvement over time is a wonderful thing. I love connecting with and being around animals so having one as …
Ultimately It’s About Fun
The Yukon Ultimate Frisbee Team will travel over 2,000 km next week to join with colleagues from the NWT, dress in costumes, and represent the North at one of Western Canada’s most notorious tournaments. The Pumpkin Pull is an annual ultimate frisbee tournament that takes place over the Hallowe’en weekend in Victoria, BC. Teams from …
Sports in the Extreme
The biggest lesson is to like what you do and do it because you want to do it – do it for yourself.” While that advice might apply to almost any undertaking, Wade Hoyt is speaking specifically about his career – making films about extreme sports. Hoyt’s company, Standard Films, has specialized in producing snowboard …
The D.O.G. System
Are you struggling to stick to that resolution to shed a few pounds, made a few months ago under the inducement of a glass of champagne and the promise of a new year? Are you frustrated and bored with generic workout programs and searching for inspiration? Do you find your motivation to exercise regularly lagging? …
Skiing the Animal Trail
Bison and foxes and sheep. Oh my! The Yukon Wildlife Preserve on the Takhini Hot Springs Road offers all of these and more—and it’s recently added a series of track-set ski trails to give visitors a new way to get up close and personal with the animals. The Wildlife Preserve covers over 700 acres of …
Try These at Home
Can’t afford to fly to London for the Olympics this summer? Not to worry, a world-class level of sporting competition is arriving on our doorstep this week. The Arctic Winter Games (AWG) will play host to several events that are not commonly seen in these parts – the Dene Games and Arctic Sports. Unlike most …
The Warriors of -35
The eventuality has come to pass – the cold snap has finally caught up with us. After spending the winter to date enjoying generally mild temperatures, allowing even the most cold-averse of us to enjoy skiing, snowshoeing, and pond hockey, we are facing the fact that -35 (without wind chill) has become our new reality. …
A Game for Life
The sport has been called “jet-propelled chess”, “the healthiest sport to play” and “the world’s most dangerous sport”. With a range of monikers like that, it’s no wonder that at the age of 18 Khoon Chua decided to give squash a try. “I was a competitive badminton player when I first tried the sport,” explains …
A Day to Celebrate Sport
On Saturday, September 29 organizations, communities and individuals across the country will celebrate sport by taking part in Sports Day in Canada. Sports Day in Canada is a national celebration of sport of all different kinds and at all levels. On the ground, in the week leading up to September 29, over 1,000 organizations, schools, …
Lace up and Learn
“I started playing hockey when I was four years old, because I wanted to keep up with my older brother,” says Vanessa Bogaert. Twenty three years later, Bogaert is the president of the Whitehorse Women’s Hockey Association and a passionate advocate for getting more women involved in the sport. “This sport has so many opportunities,” …
Two Sports in One
Normally the summer season is relatively quiet on Whitehorse’s biathlon range, but not this year. A partnership between the Contagious Mountain Bike Club and Biathlon Yukon has created a new way for Yukoners to make use of the range. Bike biathlon races have been taking place each Monday in August to the delight of local …
Slipping Those Discs
If, on a recent walk through the Mount McIntrye trails, you’ve heard a lot of rustling and crashing around in the bushes, it may not have been the bear you feared it was. Instead, it may be a pack of disc golfers. Most simply put, disc golf is like regular golf except with Frisbees. In …
Not a Line for Slackers
“I don’t think I can even stand up on this thing,” laughs Steve Roddick, as his knee vibrates back and forth like an erratic metronome, trying to steady the piece of webbing enough to put his full weight on it. The piece of webbing in question stretches 25 m across a clearing in the Ibex …
Biking the Lakes
The Yukon summer is event-driven. Because of this, once they step off the pedals after finishing their leg of the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay many riders put their road bikes aside in favour of a mountain bike or a pair of running shoes as they gear up for road relays, trail marathons, and the …
It Will Be Fast
“We’ve got lots do to, but we’re on schedule and on target, and we’ll get it all done,” says George Arcand, executive director of Softball Yukon. Softball Yukon is gearing up for its biggest event to date—the 2012 Women’s World Fastpitch Championships—and the host organization has been making its lists and checking them twice for …
Defying Gravity
For anyone who likes to play on two wheels on the local bike trails, Mount Sima is the place to be the weekend of July 14 and 15. That’s when the local ski hill will play host to the AFD Gravity Cup, the second and final downhill mountain bike race in the 2012 AFD Downhill …
Promoting Canada’s National Sport
Terry Mosdale wants to see the sport of lacrosse take root and grow in the Yukon. The learning facilitator and officiating clinician with the Canadian Lacrosse Association was in Whitehorse a couple of weekends ago to train a group of new Yukon lacrosse coaches to help make that happen. Mosdale, who travelled to the territory …
Navigating Point to Point
Every second Wednesday throughout the summer, you can find a full cross-section of Whitehorse’s population—children, seniors, families, teens, young professionals, even excited dogs—out in the woods, maps and compasses at the ready. The Yukon Orienteering Association brings them together for bi-weekly orienteering meets that cater to the full gamut of abilities, from absolute beginners to …
Martial Art and More
In the padded and tranquil setting of the Aikido Yukon studio, students are warming up with their instructor William Jones by doing side push-ups. “Now everyone do a set of handstand push-ups,” says Jones with a twinkle in his eye. “Welcome to capoeira.” Capoeira (pronounced ka-poo-eyh-rah) is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and self-defence discipline that …
From Archery to Zumba: Up Off the Couch!
Is it possible to write a sports column that covers kayak polo, fighting kites, ice climbing, skinny dipping, and broomball? And if it is, would you still call it a sports column, or the ultimate bucket list of things to try at least once while living in the Yukon? Well, my friends, perhaps the answers …
Broken Shoulder Scene
There are moments in life when you suddenly realize that you are heading for disaster and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. Some people have experienced this sensation once or twice. Some, like me, have experienced it more times than they would like to count. A lucky few have yet to know …
Play Makers: The Prince George curse
Is Prince George nice? It’s the classic question many previous Yukon Selects rookies have asked prior to embarking on the 20-hour road trip. Along with three teammates, I have just piled into a tiny Nissan, bound for Prince George, BC. The three of us who have done the tour before and are familiar with the …
A Yukon Playwright Presents the Yukon
Celia McBride will be representing us at the 2010 Olympics, in Vancouver. Is she a curler? or a luger? Neither, actually. She’s a local playwright with an incredible opportunity on her hands. As the host country of next year’s Olympics, Canada has been afforded the opportunity to showcase its provinces and territories on the world …
He Paved the Road to Sporting Success
The sports world is losing a good friend: Curtis Prosko is leaving the Yukon in July. And curling, in particular, is losing one of its most loyal and passionate members. Even though he has only travelled to the Briaronce, as the fifth player, and never won in league play, Proskofound a second home at the …
