Dog Song Rising
The Yukon Quest was previously 1,000 miles and is now split into two lengths, one on the American side and the other on the Canadian side.
Active Living
What’s Up Yukon is a lifestyle magazine that highlights Yukoners active lifestyles. Yukon hosts many local sporting events.
On Mount Sima With Mavik MacKinnon
If you have ever been in Takhini North on a winter afternoon, you have probably come across Mavik’s “freestyle playground.”
Winter Fun In The Yukon
We are very lucky to live in the Yukon: we have incredible indoor facilities and the spectacular outdoors.
Off To The Races
Talks of having a ski race, as part of Mount Sima’s pre-season training, were already happening two years ago.
Southwest Saskatchewan Not What You Think
This summer, I went cycle touring for three weeks in southwest Saskatchewan. I was lured by “Saskatchewan is flat.”
The Yukon by Mountain Bike
Over 700 kilometres of trails, and growing every year. For most residents, it’s a short drive or bike to the mountain biking trails.
Biking With Your Spouse
Mountain biking, like relationships require work. From the first date to the wedding day, you’re constantly learning how to be with someone.
The Yukon 1000: One Canoe, Two Women, One-Thousand Miles
Known as the longest paddling race in the world, as well as the most-remote and self-reliant, the Yukon 1000 is an extreme undertaking that requires strength, endurance, bush smarts and thorough planning.
Mountain biking, a solo sport (but way more fun with friends!)
Learning to mountain bike solo can be daunting. Having a chance to ride with others and learn the ropes can build skills and confidence.
Mindfulness on Two Wheels
Exploring the Yukon while exercising mindfulness on two wheels can help you take in all the splendour the territory has to offer.
Postcards: Yukon Microadventures
The summer days here in the Yukon are wonderfully long, and the midnight sun is perfect for going on adventures & microadventures.
Paddlers are back and ready to race!
Yukon River Quest 2022 has 119 teams. The 2020 race was a no-go due to the pandemic, and 2021 was cancelled due to flooding.
Pedal Power With Yukon Water Bikes
Water bikes are easy to use, and pedalling can get you out pretty far onto the lake, pretty quickly. “Come on!” he yelled. “Let’s race.”
Midnight Sun First Annual Ladies Disc Golf Tournament
This is a feel-good story about local women supporting other women and breaking down barriers. We are holding the inaugural Midnight Sun Ladies Disc Golf Tournament and wanted to find a way to reach out to women who are facing too many barriers to participate in disc golf or in other forms of recreation. Breaking …
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Tiptoe Through The ‘Poo-lips’
There is no Poop Fairy. So, unfortunately for dog owners here in Whitehorse, it’s their responsibility to pick up their pet poop.
Government Camping Fees Set to Rise This Year
World Class. That’s an adjective that sums up the beauty, majesty and ruggedness that is the Yukon landscape. So it’s no wonder that people from all over the world make a visit to the territory a bucket-list priority to fulfill dreams of endless hiking, biking, fishing and hunting, to name a few. Also not surprising …
Vibing High with Sled Dogs Under a Winter Night Sky
Winter camping! Natalie wasn’t comfortable dogsledding trails melted into slick iceShe offered an alternative. “We can take the Skandic!”
Having the Right Gear Can Make or Break a Day of Hunting
Hunting gear is a big investment. Your summer and fall gear must perform when you need it to. Your gear has to keep you warm, dry and alive.
The ABCs of Happiness During a Pandemic
Whatever life passes your way it worth reflecting on how to live your life in the most healthy and happy way possible.
Blue collar North: Tundra twins
In early 1970s young skiers from Finland, Sweden, more countries came the Mackenzie Delta to race the best Cross Country skiers,
The Percy DeWolfe Memorial Race kicks off March 3, 2022
He defied death. He raced against time. What better way to honour the “Iron Man of the North” than The Percy DeWolf Memorial Race.
Fitness by firewood
A Yukon retiree, 75, has three readily apparent options for a productive summer fitness program: 1. Fishing, 2. Golf or 3. Firewood.
The weight of Firewood
We averaged wood-buying sites. The approximate weights of a cord of Yukon firewood: 4,250 lbs for green and 4,050 lbs for seasoned.
Sam McGee Hike from Conrad
If you’re looking for an adventure day hike with rewarding views at top, look no further than the Sam McGee trail near Conrad Campground.
Spotlight on St. Elias Lake: A family-friendly backcountry experience
St. Elias Lake is a manageable day hike or overnight that can help gauge managing the backcountry, or just a beautiful destination.
Getting to the Other Side: Tips for safe creek crossings
There it is, a roiling torrent of water in place of the babbling brook you crossed in the morning. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Janet Patterson: Walking together
Janet Patterson, recipient of the Jenni House Residency is a multimedia artist whose work is focused on the history of the land we travel on.
Mush Rush 2016
I like the people. I like the dogs, I like the camaraderie – being part of something that is bigger than yourself.
Filling in the gaps of cycling in the Yukon
The rise of the commuting cyclist in the Yukon’s capital over the past decade or so has been a joy to behold.
She Shreds
Michelle Friesen is part of the next wave of amazing Yukon women aiming to make mountain biking accessible and inclusive. And she’s clearly happy to be leading the way.
A summer of sports
Some activities and events will look different this year, but Yukoners can still get their sport on.
Quest for Water
The 2021 Yukon River Quest will happen, come hell or high water, and there will be high water. “We all feel a little bit rusty this year”
The Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay reimagined
After taking a year off, the cycling event will be back for 2021, but things will be looking a lot different.
Know before you go
James Minifie maintains one of the Yukon region’s remote weather stations. The data provided by these units is used to help produce the avalanche forecast. PHOTO: Jennifer Coulter If record-breaking snowfalls and COVID-19 cabin fever have you charging for the hills, come to a full-spray stop and make sure you know how to keep yourself, …
An Uplifting Experience
Do you gauge your practice by the number of poses you can add to your asana repertoire? I enjoy the back-to-basics Yoga: simple sitting, simple standing, simple walking. Baddha Konasana is just one of those basic poses. Baddha means “bound, caught, restrained”. Kona means “in an angle”. As you by now know, asana means “posture”. Cobblers …
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.
Falling back into programming
As Yukon students head back to the classrooms, schools and teachers are not the only groups working out how to deal with the new normal imposed by COVID-19.
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.
Racing in cyberspace
The Yukon River Quest goes virtual It’s hard to imagine a summer without the Yukon River Quest. For 21 years, the annual event brought paddlers from around the world to “race to the midnight sun.” For participating Yukoners, it meant hours of commitment leading up to the race. Non-paddlers lost their paddling friends to their …
Break it up!
The Special Olympics Yukon Team, who have since been working from home, continue to voluntarily create weekly virtual content to help keep athletes and the community engaged in fun and healthy ways.
Bring the community together through fitness
The COVID-19 lockdown has left fitness studios empty, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay in shape
Get ready to howl
Buckwheat Donahue arrived in Skagway from Colorado in the 1980s. “He made an immediate impact in the establishments on Broadway,” said William Brady, secretary of the Log Cabin Ski Society. “After a winter in town, he famously said he’d like to start a ski race to bring more women to town in the winter.” He …
The coldest pool party north of 60
‘I jumped into cold water in the Yukon at -45.’ I figure it’s in line with ‘I used to have to walk two miles to school through waist deep snow, uphill both ways.’
Volunteers essential to success of 2020 Arctic Winter Games
With just over 100 days to go until the 2020 Arctic Winter Games (AWG) kick off in Whitehorse on March 15, the drive for volunteers is in full swing. The 2020 AWG host society will celebrate the 100-day milestone in conjunction with International Volunteer Day on Dec. 5, hosting an event that focuses on the …
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Running on a postcard
After scraping to survive the half marathon on Skiathos and then eating and drinking my way through Greece, I approached the Oct. 5 run on Santorini with some hesitation.
2019 World Series Primer
Based on their 107 regular season wins, the Astros should meet the Nationals in the 2019 World Series. Yes, the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners are the only two MLB franchises currently playing which have never won their league’s pennant and have therefore never played in the World Series. The Nats, which Grandpa refers to …
That’s not a trail, that’s a goat path
I was certain of my ability to casually run and enjoy the 21-kilometre Skiathos Trail Race, taking photos and enjoying the morning. Reality, however, can be a jarring experience…
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.
In the hunt
The average reader may be surprised to learn that disc golf tournaments even exist. Indeed, many people are still unfamiliar with the bastard cousin of traditional ball golf.
Edmonton Eskimo fan-atic
My dad became a season ticket holder for the Edmonton Eskimos (EE) in 1959. I cannot say when he first became a loyal Eskimos fan, but I can tell you that the association of my father with the EE was indelibly imprinted upon the hearts of all those who attended his memorial service in 1981. …
Krank It Up
This month, Mt. McIntyre will host the new summer mountain bike festival, organized by the Contagious Mountain Bike Club (CMBC). Klondike Krankfest replaces CMBC’s previous summer event, 24 Hours of Light. Plans until late May anticipated a three-day weekend event that would feature many activities including a downhill mountain bike race, an enduro race, a …
Confessions of an exercise hater
Deborah needs to convince her “inner brat” to do more exercise than just light weights at home My inner brat just won’t listen. Some people are blessed with an inner prince or princess, but I am saddled with a brat, verging on a rebel. The adult me tells the inner brat about the benefits and …
Just keep paddling
Carmen Gustafson is gearing up for her fourth Yukon River Quest. For those who are fond of stats, that means that by this year’s Canada Day long weekend she will have raced 2,860 km between Whitehorse and Dawson City. To the casual observer this probably sounds crazy, especially when you consider that those paddlers who …
What a difference a year (or 40) makes
The 53-kilometre Chilkoot Trail starts in Dyea, Alaska, at sea level and in full rain forest. There is lush vegetation, dense, fragrant canopy, moss of fairy tale proportions and lots of climbing on steps hammered into the earth by the US Trail Service. It ends at Bennett Lake, British Columbia, the water conduit to the …
Steiner aces the rut fluff to win
March 15, 1986 at the men’s downhill in Whistler, B.C. – The Inside Edge Memoirs #1 By the time the 1986 Molson’s World Cup men’s downhill and Super G, aka The White Circus, rolled into town on March 15, 1986 to close out the 85/86 racing season, I was well-established as the first-ever sports editor …
My road to redemption
I would not consider myself a runner, and yet, here I am at the start line of the Chena River to Ridge 25-mile race. For the second time. How on Earth did this happen? There must be something magical about living in the North. It has a way of tricking mere mortals into thinking they can …
The boys (and girls) of summer
This summer, the Boys and Girls Club of Yukon (BGCY) will celebrate its 20th year in the territory by expanding activities for kids, as part of its work to engage young members and the community. BGCY has been delivering programs, including the Learning Tree Daycare, where children between the ages of 18 months and five …
Olympic dreams
Do you think you have what it takes to be an Olympian? So does Training Ground. That’s why the program is coming to the Yukon on May 11, to test athletes between the ages of 14 and 25. “We developed Training Ground from Podium Search in B.C.,” said Kurt Innes, director of talent development for …
Everyone’s heading to shred town
With April right around the corner, Yukoners are getting some spring into their step. For many, it means the bittersweet transition from winter to summer sports. The warm weather wax comes out, the jackets come off and soft, warm snow appeals to most outdoor enthusiasts. It’s here for a good time, not a long time …
Water and rock – Hiking and loving “the mystery of it all”
The landscape east of the Klondike Highway, between Log Cabin and Fraser, B.C., is a giant jigsaw puzzle of water and rock. Large, round rocky outcrops are surrounded by water, with scattered vegetation growing in-between the rocks.
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.
Global Fat-bike Day & Fat biking around the world
Global Fat Bike Day celebrates the winter cycling sport. But what exactly is it? Jonah Clark explains this winter cycling experience.
Adventure Awaits
Recently I visited Kluane National Park. After a few hours of driving and only a hike through the forest, I was in my element—a world of rock and grand vistas. My friend and I were on Sheep Mountain, a very popular trail, and I can see why it is popular. We came within 100 metres …
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.
Bear Mountain – A loving tribute to a living nightmare
In the late summer of 2016, my friend Dan and I attempted to climb Bear Mountain, a 2,400-metre tall peak situated in the North Cascades National Park, just south of British Columbia. The north buttress of this mountain offers 670 metres of superb alpine granite. Tucked away in northern Washington, the base of the climb …
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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 …
Attempting world-class status with mediocre skills – Part 4 of 5
World-class mountain biking trails on Montana Mountain are internationally famous. Riders flock to Carcross to try their hand at riding them.
Get Lost! Navigating Whitehorse trails
Where do you go when mountain biking, and do it safely around Whitehorse?
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.
Bicycle fun under the midnight sun
The Contagious Mountain Biking Club (CMBC) is hosting their annual 24 Hour of Light bike race. This is one of the last remaining 24-hour mountain-bike races in Canada, and it is the only 24-hour race in North America where no lights are allowed,
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.
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.
Kluane’s ‘not-so-secret’ Ice Cave
The sheer size of the ice cave was unexpected. The photos do not do the beauty, magnificence and intrigue of its multi-textured layers justice.
Rangin’ off to Ontario
Members of the Haines Junction Junior Canadian Rangers (JCR) attended the annual JCR National Marksmanship Championship in St. Catharines, Ontario, in early May.
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.
Are you prepared to survive Yukon’s wilderness?
The Yukon is a pretty incredible place, but with so much wide, empty wilderness, few people and limited technology capacity in backcountry areas, it’s important to remember to prepare, plan and train before you venture out there.
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.
Moving Mountains
Student Sharon Bubsy examines one of the seismometer stations in remote areas of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. PHOTO: courtesy of the Yukon College Researchers investigate how Earth movement on the coast can affect inland mountains The white-capped Mackenzie Mountains, which spill over the border between Yukon and the Northwest Territories, are surprisingly active… …
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 …
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.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays the Percy deWolfe race
The Percy deWolfe race is a 210 mile (338 km) run from Dawson to Eagle, Alaska, and back, and is a qualifying race for those hoping to run the Yukon Quest or the Iditarod.
The philosophy behind yoga
Yoga, or yoga shastra (science), is part of an ancient philosophical system from India that is thousands of years old. Yoga literally means “connection with the Ultimate.”
To those about to hammer, drill, screw and cut, we salute you
There seems to be a list of basic tools that you need to have to fill your obligations to society as a handyman of even a middling familiarity and competency.
Pilates and older adults
For us of the older generation, staying fit is essential, but so many exercises can be hard on our bodies. Pilates offers a great way to stay in shape without stressing your joints, improves balance and actually reduces the risk of injury while it helps you build muscle.
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.
A Dog Day Rendezvous
Brooke Rudolph with her howling buddy Timber, 2nd place finisher in 2016 The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous and the unique relationship between a Yukoner and their beloved canine companion are two of the most enduring images of life in the North. So, it should come as no surprise that man and woman’s best friend features prominently …
Paint your friends red, green or blue
The preparation for the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Colour Wars can get pretty messy, but the end result has turned into one of the most anticipated events of the Rendezvous weekend. It is the final event scheduled for Shipyards Park on Sunday and definitely leaves a mark on landscape. The free-for-all event leaves no participant uncoloured. …
Warrior fit
Fellow gym heroes, this an article for you – or for anyone who wants to take their fitness to the extreme level.
I am going to go over a circuit obstacle course that’s easy to create, but will challenge you.
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 …
Whitehorse Walks!
In a city renowned for its trails, Whitehorse has several informal walking groups to help us connect socially – and stay fit mentally and physically – all year-round. Most Sundays and sometimes Wednesdays, Peter Long and his partner, Wynne Krangle, plan “Blue Moon” hikes with a group of friends and “anyone willing to join us.” …
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.
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 …
Late Fall Season in the Kluane National Park
The colourful fall season is over very early in the Yukon – much earlier than in my home country, Switzerland. But I found that the month of October is also very attractive for an amateur photographer like me, even if the coloured leaves have almost all fallen to the ground. Here are some suggestions for …
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 …
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 …
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.
Tee Time in the Town of Faro, Yukon
For the first Faro Golf Tournament “we drew circles on the soccer field to serve as holes,” The Faro Golf Club incorporated in 2001.
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 …
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
An Accidental Alien
With the world’s longest undefended border it’s not difficult to become an accidental illegal alien, especially between the Yukon and Alaska. After all, the last time there was a serious passport control on the Chilkoot Trail was during the gold rush. And not so long ago, a person could float down the Yukon River from …
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 …
Strap on your dancing shoes
“Lucie asked me to take a Latin dance class in 2001 while she was doing a minor in Spanish at Saint-Thomas university in Fredericton,” says Salsa Yukon cofounder Michel Morris. “My first session was painful and to be honest I just wanted to play hockey,” he laughingly admits. By the time he moved to the …
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 …
I’m Just Saying – kids sports
Last month, I was at Takhini Arena at 7 o’blessed clock in the morning to interview some figure skaters. I waited until I returned to the office before seeking sympathy because these figure skating folk do this a couple of times a week … the coaches, even more. Each parent in the lobby either found …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
Training Ground
Mount Sima is “the first mountain in North America to have a jump line in.” That’s what Graham Pollock says. He’s the head coach of the Yukon freestyle ski team. A jump line means a skier can take more than one jump in a row while going down a hill. Sima has three jumps in …
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 …
How to Have Enough Energy to do Things That Make You Happy
What makes you happy or gives you energy? It is easy to get carried away in everyday life and be around distractions that take you further away from knowing what gives you energy – and what takes it away. This is the time to tap into one of the sources of why you might have …
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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 …
Get your elbows up
I crowd-sourced tips for navigating the ski swap. A local ski-lover and gear aficionado advised me: “Go early. Really early
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 …
Eating for Endurance
What you eat and drink before a long run impacts your performance and your ability to recover, post race. If you’re looking to beat a previous time, or just finish, it’s important to focus on the fuel you are giving your body. Your body’s energy source I sometimes hear runners talk about the different macronutrients …
Catch the Infection
Kid Vicious, Starbuck’s Revenge, Goat. No, not my favorite B-movies, but mountain bike trails christened by those who build and ride them. All of these routes, some gnarly and others more family-friendly, can be found up on Mount McIntyre, where years of volunteer labour is culminating this summer in a grand venture by the Contagious …
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.
Spotlight on Kids at Vaudeville Camp
School’s out for the summer, which means that summer camp is IN! An exciting new day camp is taking centre-stage this year in Whitehorse – specifically, it is taking the stage at the Frantic Follies Theatre, home to the Frantic Follies vaudeville revue. For almost 50 years, Frantic Follies has been delighting Whitehorse audiences with …
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 …
Love, Honour, and Equality Under the Midnight Sun
Just when you think Yukon Pride is all about the party, the world reminds you that it’s not. Though the cheery posters and advertisements for 24+ Hours of Funky Gaylight promise a party not to be missed, they were created months before the shooting at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando reiterated there are still many …
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Hot Ticket to Ride
France has the Tour de France. Italy has the Giro d’Italia. And here in the Yukon, we have the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay. The relay sees cyclists ride the spectacular 238.3 km from Haines Junction, Yukon, to Haines, Alaska. The race is split into eight legs and can be done as a relay by …
Farewell Winter, Hello Summer
After a long Yukon winter, you look forward to packing away your warm winter coat. We all look forward to the warmer days.
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 …
A Little or a Lot, Get Ready to Run
Dawson City runners have been pleased to participate in the Mayo Marathon. This year there is a Dempster to Dawson (or D2DC) Solstice Race.
Chalk It Up
I had a great chat recently with Heidi Loos. She is organizing the first Yukon Chalk Art Festival for Unlikely Events Yukon. The Festival will run June 11 and 12, 2016, 10 am. to 5 pm. at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre parking lot. Two workshops will take place at the parking lot of Dana …
Gearing up for Bike to Work Week
A new trend in hairstyles is likely to emerge in workplaces across the country during the first week of June: helmet hair. From May 30th to June 5th, Canadians will be hitting the pavement and the trails on their bikes as part of Bike to Work Week, which challenges individuals to leave the car at …
Remember Walking?
I still see a number of people out walking for exercise and just the enjoyment of it. It’s kind of a mindless activity at least on a smooth path, where you can unwind yourself or unwind an issue. Sadly for many, the only walking they do is to get to their vehicle or when leaning …
Yukon Firefighters host fundraiser barbecue on May 21 at Shipyards Park
Three months of intensive training is what Yukon firefighter have done to prepare themselves for the Scott FireFit Competition, the toughest two minutes in sport. The Pacific Regional Competition, which takes place May 28-29th in Vernon, British Columbia, is a six component event that, in a sense, replicates a fire scene. So how does that …
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Yukon Women Who Rock and Roll
The Yukon is home to many hidden gems. If you know where to look you can usually find what you are looking for. That includes a high-paced women’s contact sport on wheels: women’s roller derby. Whitehorse is home to the rowdy Yukon Roller Girls. The uninitiated may think roller derby is just a light hearted …
We Burnt It Away
This past weekend, Yukoners burnt away their winter blues at the annual festival of the same name.Photographer Dylan Nelson was there to capture the action.
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, …
Painting and a Party
Having reached a certain age, I’m grateful for the younger, hipper people in my life who update me up on popular culture. My friend Katie is such a person. She told me about Groupons, longboards, and Snapchat. Long before the last federal election, she explained to me what cage fighting was. She expands my slang …
Crafts to Brighten Up Your Spring
“We’re very excited about the warm welcome at our new location,” says Pam Charman, events organizer for the Yukon Crafts Society. After many years hosting the Spring Spruce Bog Craft Fair at the Gold Rush, they’ve moved to the Westmark. And with a higher-than-normal number of vendors, this year’s fair needs two rooms to fit …
A welcoming sewing circle
Have you got a beading project you’ve been trying to finish? Do you want to learn more about First Nations traditional sewing? Florence Moses hosts a sewing circle Wednesday evenings from 5-9 p.m. in the office of the Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation, located in the Yukon Inn Plaza on 4th Ave. You can come …
Have Some Francais Fun
Often mistaken for the French version of the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival, Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie (RVF), from March 3rd to 23rd, is a national initiative lead by the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue. The RVF is an event surrounding the Journée Internationale de la Francophonie (March 20), which is organized every year around …
What’s on at Rendezvous
It’s that time of year again, when it’s totally normal to see girls walking around in period costume, when men compete in beauty pageants, when that guy with the really long beard who comes into the restaurant you work at starts talking about the medal he hopes to win. And this year is no …
The Steampunk Ball starts here
If you were on a committee to provide decorations for a dance, your shopping list will likely include balloons, streamers and crepe… lots of crepe. But not if you were decorating the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre for the Steampunk Ball 2.0 Tesla Boogaloo. Instead, you will need polished brass, iron, wood and leather for the …
Living Within Your Emotional Means on Valentine’s Day
Some have a knack for the Grand Romantic Gesture Then, there are the rest of us, Romantically-challenged, who just can’t get it right.
Teen Valentine
What are teen relationships like on Valentine’s Day? The answer may surprise you. It is actually one of the most stressful days of the year.
Old Friends and Family Recipes
When my Mom and Dad were a young couple living on Avenue Road in Toronto their local watering hole was the rooftop bar at the Park Plaza Hotel, one of Toronto’s most elegant drinking spots. Mom and her best friend, who lived in the same building, would hop on the Avenue Road streetcar and ride …
Liquor Meets Intellect
How are tea pots made? What are the origins of cartography? Do bears dream during hibernation? What do we really know about the sundog phenomenon? Unusual questions, perhaps. But the answers lie somewhere out there. Now, there is an inquisitive event which caters to the curious crowd, called Drunken Lectures: The way high school should have …
Winter Is Not Coming
I’ve been online shopping. Specifically, I’ve been fixated on merino wool base layers on Amazon. Researching sizes, the best weave weight, which tops will work both as under and outer wear, what brands won’t pill. I’ve found some that are half price! With free shipping! And in the seven days since I’ve been home I’ve …
Queen School In The North
The Yukon Rendezvous Sourdough (YSR) Queen School runs from November until the following February, when the next queen is chosen. Queen candidates, (QC’s) meet weekly for two hours with a break over Christmas time. It’s a compact, well tailored and well organized syllabus. Every Yukon woman who will be at least 19 years of age …
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 …
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 …
Panning for glory
Yukon’s mining heritage will be celebrated this summer in Dawson City. On July 4, from 1 to 4 p.m., the Yukon Gold Panning Championships will take place at the Waterfront Park on Front Street, offering several levels of competition open to all ages and skills. The Klondike Visitors Association (KVA) puts on the event. Katie …
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 …
Our Everyday Athletes
The Canada Games Centre, near the top of Two Mile Hill, opens every weekday morning at 5:30 a.m. I did not get there until 7:00 a.m. and that was an effort. As I walked in, I kept passing people on their way out. They were already done their workouts. I approached one of those early …
Finding your way in the woods
Who runs through the woods with a map and compass, searching for small orange and white flags? That would be a person who is orienteering. This popular Yukon sport combines running or walking and navigation using a map. It is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. It can be enjoyed as a leisurely walk …
That Special Olympic Feeling
Serge Michaud about Special Olympics. “”providing opportunities to individuals who may not get opportunities to compete in sports they love.”
Puddle Jumping at The CGC
My daughter Emily just completed Puddle Jumpers. It’s the first of a six level swimming course called the Little People Program. The lessons are offered at the Canada Games Centre (CGC) for children, ages three to six. She was all smiles when she came home after her last class with her progress report card, indicating …
Walk the Walk With KATTS…
Are you a Dawsonite who enjoys following maintained trails for hiking, biking, and skiing? Then you have KATTS to thank for giving you what you enjoy. The Klondike Active Transport and Trails Society is a Dawson City-based, not for profit organization whose mandate includes “the development and promotion of a network of non-motorized recreational trails …
Burn Away the Dark Times
The Yukon winter is so long that Dawson City-based filmmaker Suzanne Crocker once said winter has its own seasons. Most Yukoners I know divide their very existence between their “winter” and “summer” selves. More often than not, winter versions mirror the still, silent, and slow environment outside our frosty windows. Unfailingly, I spend each spring …
School spirit and teamwork
Before working on my school’s float, I didn’t think school spirit mattered or even truly existed. I thought it was a thing that teachers loved talking about. But working with my fellow 2015 F.H. Collins grads on our school’s float made me realize how it important it truly is. Waking up early on a Sunday …
Why They Bike
We hear them before we see them; they squeak up behind us on the snowy trail or sidewalk. A muffled “on your left” as they slowly pedal by. Their LED headlight, taillight, and headlamp briefly illuminate the dusky winter daylight. The headlights of passing cars reflect off the back of their neon safety vest. Ski …
The 72 Challenge
We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard. Because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone. And one we intend to win.” — …
Bargain Hunting: The Sport
The Whitehorse Cross-Country Ski Club (WCCS) will open its doors for the annual Winter Sports Swap and Fair this October 18 at 9:00 a.m. This swap is really a winter gear sale, and a wide range of secondhand winter equipment will be available. The yearly tradition is affectionately referred to as the ski swap, and …
A Family Affair
Peggy Duncan wasn’t the oldest member of Team Yukon in the recent Canada 55+ Games in Sherwood Park, Alberta. That distinction went to 90-year-old Irene Mahoney. But Duncan was the only with a son and daughter-in-law also participating in the national seniors’ event. And it wasn’t the first time she’s been to the games with …
The Saga of Hole 17
Preemptive clarification: The targets in disc golf look like baskets. However, due to the culturally dominant influence of regular golf, disc golfers will often refer to these targets as holes. I have done that throughout this piece. When playing the Mt McIntyre disc golf course in Whitehorse, the nastiest piece of business is reserved for …
Our Grand Yukon Canada Day Parade
July 1st 2014: What a beautiful sunny day it is amidst this not-yet very warm summer. My husband Don and I are off to our neighbouring province, B.C. by way of the Haines Road to celebrate Canada Day our particular way. At Klukshu, we check to see if there are any salmon in the river …
Hunting with and for Family
Around this time ever year I spend hours looking at maps and checking over equipment to ensure it can handle another hunting season. All the while, I hope I will be lucky enough to provide healthy, wild Yukon meat for my family. We are very privileged to have the resources we do. The Yukon is …
Batters Up!
For the second time in six years, Whitehorse is about to host many of the world’s best young softball players in the International Softball Federation’s Junior Men’s World Championship. The first pitch will be launched at 12:30 p.m. on Friday July 11, at the Pepsi Softball Centre on Range Road, when Singapore’s national team takes …
Yukon Athletes are Prepared to Dominate
Vancouver had better be prepared. That’s where the Yukon is sending 24 Special Olympians, ages 13 and older, to compete in the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games — our largest team ever. Janine Peters is the Chef de Mission for team Yukon. She oversees training, makes sure the athletes have everything they need, and coordinates …
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 …
International Curling Bonspiel is ready to go
Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre expecting to entertain 400 to 500 curlers and guests at the 53rd Annual International Bonspiel, 2014
Muskrat love … Inuvik-style
Residents of Inuvik love their muskrats so much, they named a jamboree after them. Muskrat Jamboree is a celebration of spring and one of its highlights is … muskrat skinning. “They trim them from the hind legs and open them up,” says Gerry Kisoun, vice chair of the organizing committee. “Our ladies can skin them …
More than one way to count down to Canada Games: Figure skaters take it one step at a time
Kevin Caron measures the time to the Canada Games by the number of spins he can do in the air. The pre-novice figure skater figures he will have a triple jump nailed by the ti me the Canada Games comes to Whitehorse in 2007. The quad, the highest the men have been able to achieve, …
For more exercise, try a hilly trail
This column is called Wheeler’s Walkabout and not Wheeler’s Hike, or Wheeler’s Trek for a reason: It is just a low-stress introduction to some excellent trails. Most of my outings take an hour or two, and really just get you out of the house. There are times, however, when you want a little more than …
Living on Wheels
Ask a Yukon teenager if they’ve ever hit the pavement on a skateboard and the answer will likely be yes. However, pavement’s hard and skateboarders fall, so not everyone sticks it out. Chad Dickson is someone who did. Now a pro, he spent much of his youth on wheels, living back and forth between Teslin …
The Beautiful Game Fills Up Fast in Whitehorse
The Whitehorse Recreational Coed Soccer League opened applications for this year’s indoor season, and found themselves with a dilemma. The six-team, 92-person roster filled up well before the deadline, with extra applications coming in at a steady rate. Indoor sports tend to be popular here in the winter. Plummeting temperatures, a gusting Northern wind, and …
Boosting Red Blood Cells in Arizona
The in-between seasons: I never know what to do with them. Roller skiing is not an option as soon as the roads are graveled. I’ve had my share of near-death experiences going down Two Mile Hill and South Access without the road being littered with rock and ice. Skiing is also pretty herky-jerky. The sound …
My greatest sports moment … Ben Barrett
.. was the time I was skating on a pond near the Cowley Creek Subdivision with my cousin, my friend Gavin, my mom and my dad. The ice hadn’t been skated on yet and it was as shiny and as freshly polished as silver — perfect for gliding on. We skated all day and had …
Who is the fittest?
For the fourth year, the Polarettes Gymnastics Club is challenging anyone and everyone to see who is the fittest. On Feb. 13, at its facility attached to Vanier School, the gymnasts will defend their title from last year … a title they earned by beating 13 other teams. “Our gymnasts are looking forward to this …
Biking is for winter, too
Biking in extreme weather is hard on any bike. Whether you have decided to you use your bike all four seasons, or you have purchased a bike just for winter, it needs only one speed. That one high gear makes it easy to power through snow and, let’s face it, your gear selector will probably …
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 …
Badminton takes it to the next level: Looking for new players to join the pool
“I don’t believe we’ve ever been competitive,” says Gary Burdess, president of the Yukon Badminton Association. Yet, in 106 weeks, he hopes to send eight members against world-class competition in the 2007 Jeux du Canada Games in Whitehorse. “For the most part, it’s drop in. But there have been tournaments and a Yukon Championship for …
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Cheechako Stories
Two things are important to Andrea Sinclair: family, and curling. In the end, it was one that took her away from the other. “It was my dad’s idea, actually,” the 20-year-old says about moving away from her family in Ottawa. “I had a fairly disappointing season last year. This is my last year I’m eligible …
Hidden Treasure in a Plastic Container: Geochaching in the Yukon, and around the world
“Okay, it should be near… here… six metres… four metres…” Shane Griffiths says, reading from a display on his iPhone. What we’re looking for, I’m not sure — just that someone has hidden a container somewhere behind Yukon College. Something meant to be found. “Ah, here,” says Griffiths, turning over a log and finding a …
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Yukon Roller Girls: Rolling into an Adrenaline Rush
Roller derby is a fast-paced contact sport, mostly for women, where players are known by cheeky monikers such as “Ruff Tuff Creampuff,” and “Fonda Spanks.” Fishnet stockings are welcome, punk-y fashions are appreciated, and mouth guards are required. Featured in movies such as Drew Barrymore’s Whip It (2009), roller derby requires a high level of …
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Take it in stride: A little coaching goes a long way
We all have the capacity to improve in whatever we do in life; running and walking is no exception. Coaches help Olympic athletes get to peak performance, and recreational and casual athletes can benefit from a coach in the same way. A running or walking coach can help anyone from a beginner to a seasoned …
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Take It In Stride: Running to your Own Beat
I used to need music — a strong beat, pick-me-up songs — just to finish a run. It helped push away the difficulty of learning to jog, the challenge of a hard race, and the boredom. In Grade 9 we read an essay called “Blasting Up Music to Drown Out Reality.” The essay argued that …
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 …
Something old, new, borrowed for Rendezvous
“Forty-four and so much more” is more than just a slogan around the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous offices as it prepares its 44th winter carnival. Executive director Harold Sher says strategic planning sessions last fall turned into a “walk down memory lane” as they looked at its historical roots, talked to old-timers – and new timers …
Fun Fusion Fitness
BY LILLIAN STRAUSS The sceptic in me thought “blending nine movement forms into one system? I have not mastered one form, let alone nine.” But I put myself into a receptive mode and let curiosity have its way. The music brought out the dancer in me instantaneously. Susie Anne Bartsch, a NIA instructor, wove the …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: A Real Book for Real Girls
There is a new book out there that I am so very excited about. So excited that I have been checking the bookstore shelves for weeks awaiting it’s arrival and it’s finally here. That book is called, Body Drama. As I went to buy the book, I had to laugh as it was sitting beside …
The Swamp Sisters Did It!
Every adventure race I’ve done, whether the outcome has been what I had hoped for or not, has transformed the experience into a life lesson and provided another chapter to add to my book of tales. This is one of the reasons my husband/teammate and I created the Yukon Adventure Challenge. We want to provide …
Breathing New Life Into the Depressed
All our emotions coexist with each other. Anger and anxiety often coexists with depression. We’ve all experienced the sensations of an accelerated heartbeat, a rise in blood pressure, tightness in the chest, excessive sweating, not wanting to get out of bed, insomnia, excessive sleep, disinterest in food, excessive eating or the feeling that we are …
Back to Basics
There is a story told about Gichin Funikoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate, in the later years of his life. He was at a senior karate students practice and was practising an outside forearm block over and over. This is a movement that is often taught within the first couple of months to anyone joining …
Play Makers: Ready to host the world
George Arcand is known to many Yukoners around the ball diamond as the guy always on the go whether it is flipping burgers, cutting grass in the outfield or coaching a rep team. So it is surprising to see him so noticeably tranquil during a recent interview at the complex, especially considering in less than …
Play Makers: Dream North Returns For Season Two
BY GEORGE MARATOS “We came up last year a bit hesitant and $4,000 in debt,” explains Robin Urquhart, as he sips on an organic juice outside a Whitehorse café. “But the response was pretty overwhelming, the audiences really appreciated the show and were very generous and the actors also felt very welcomed,” smiles the co-proprietor …
Take It In Stride: Running in Fear
People have trained their entire lives to run the Boston Marathon and making it there is a tremendous accomplishment. The recent bombings at the 2013 event were heinous, horrible acts. What should have been a day of celebration, turned into a day of sorrow. To those people affected— runners, spectators, Bostonites — my thoughts and …
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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Gearing up to Hammer the Trails
If you ride a mountain bike from the 1990s with your kick-around shoes on and some jeans, have no fear, you are welcome at the Contagious Mountain Bike Club (CMBC). Kristina Gardner, treasurer of the club, says everyone is welcome, from beginners to those that go hard and are dialed into the scene. “There are …
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 …
Fill the Parks
There are two things that really frustrate me — and they are related. First, the couches in my house have permanent dents from the backsides of my kids. “Go outside and do something,” I say, echoing the words from the mouths of my parents when I was a kid. Of course the same resistance exists …
Play Makers: Raising an Olympian
Standing in front of the large crowd of Yukoners that had gathered earlier this month at Sport Yukon for an Olympic pep rally, Greig Bell made no effort to contain his excitement. Microphone in hand and donning a black and silver long sleeved shirt with “Yukon” splashed across the front, the long time Yukoner paced …
Game of Go
The old man entered the shop quietly. His feet took him to the back table which he had been going to for over 30 years. No longer did he think to go. It just happened. As usual he was the early one. Like his style of play, he would settle in and prepare himself for …
Breathing 101
“You cannot do it,” explained the master,” because you do not breathe right.” ~ E Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery Have you ever watched a baby breathe? The abdominal breath moves with each cycle as part of the whole deep process of life. It rises and falls according to its needs. Each cycle …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Your Intermediate Workout
(Part 1 of 2) Hello, fitness enthusiasts! Now that you have had a month or so to complete your beginner workout it’s time to pick it up a notch with this intermediate workout. Complete each group as mini sets three times through before moving on to the next set. Be sure to listen to your …
Boot Camp: If It Is Good Enough For Soldiers …
Boot camp is an extremely popular group fitness program and has stayed consistently popular over many years. I know by experience that boot camp style workouts are intense, sweaty and sometimes painful. Participants always leave my class feeling like they got what they came for: an intense workout incorporating strength and cardiovascular components while being …
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 …
Martial Arts Offer Power To Women
What was predominately a male activity has slowly been changing over the last few decades. You now can go into any training hall where martial arts are being taught and often find more women than men practising. Their approach and spirit is often different and the challenges they face can be considerable if there are …
Tai Chi Requires Many Skills
It is said that in order to draw the silk from a silkworm’s cocoon, you need to do so in a constant smooth movement. If done fast or jerky or changing direction too much, the silk will break. If too slow, it will tangle. So it is with the practice of silk reeling in Tai …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Holiday Fitness Tricks and Tips
As we all know, the holiday season can be struggle to stay on your fitness regime, but here are some simple tips and tricks to help get you through this season and maintain a festive attitude. 1. Keep it quick: We don’t have a lot of time over the holidays for workouts. With the kids …
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Aceto Balsamico, A Drink of Another Time Shines On Us Today
We often need the past to give meaning to our present. I have a dear friend who, over many years, has enthralled us with stories of his family, his culture and the traditions from which the very substance of his character is so deeply defined. His stories have taken me on journeys into the unknown …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Exercise Those Demons
When in doubt – work it out! This is my new motto for 2009. We all have rough patches in our lives and it can be difficult to maintain sanity during these rough times, never mind maintaining your physical health. Last month, I had to deal with the sudden death of my Dad and Step-Mom. …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Workouts Don’t Take Energy,
Workouts Give Energy Tired? Lazy? Does even the thought of getting up and starting your car make you feel exhausted? No energy to go to the gym? Well, the truth is that going to the gym and getting some exercise is exactly what your body is begging for. New research suggests regular exercise can increase …
Good Breathing Requires Practise
Breathing is probably the single most important aspect of the martial arts. We can all learn the basic techniques whether, blocking, kicking and striking, but each rely upon our breath to execute properly. Central to this idea is what breathing does. It is a cleansing within, getting rid of old and bringing in new. It …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: The Buff-est in the North
On April 27, women from across Canada will come to Whitehorse to compete in FemSport, an event that sees women competing in a variety of different athletic disciplines, such as a tire pull event and an obstacle course. Nancy Lockington, owner and manager of FemSport, is bringing the competition back to her hometown. “FemSport is …
The Way of a Warrior
“I have been many years training in the Way of Strategy, Ni Ten Ichi Ryu, and now I think I will explain it in writing for the first time. “It is now during the first 10 days of the tenth month in the twentieth year of Kanei (1645). I have climbed mountain Iwato of Higo, …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Roadblocks Are No Obstacle for This Trainer
One thing I talk to all of my clients about, when they are first starting on their fitness journey, is goal setting. And with goal setting, we always talk about roadblocks along the way. No matter how much planning we do, there will always be something or someone who steps in our way. I have …
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The Bull Behind the Karate Man
On the island of Okinawa, there is a cultural sport called bullfighting. It is quite different from bullfighting in Spain. There, the bull takes on a man. It is very flamboyant, but it can also be very gruesome. In Okinawa, they pit one bull against another. Two bulls are lead into a ring and put …
The Ancient Cloth from Which Taijiquan Was Cut
Breathing is probably the single most important aspect of the martial arts. We can all learn. Earlier, I wrote about the time and the area where Tai Chi is generally believed to have been formalized, and thus recognized, as what we practise today. Yet, in doing so we cannot ignore the fact that it did …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: To Indulge or Not to Indulge: That is the Question
Five weeks out and things are getting rough. It was my birthday this week. Now is the dreaded question: Do I cheat and go out for a lovely birthday dinner with my family? or do I disappoint those people around me? Hmm … I judge how I am doing. I know family is the most …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: My Road to the Arnold
Back in November I received a phone call from my trainer, Jen Hendershott, offering me an opportunity to compete at the Amateur Arnold Classic 2009. The Arnold is the most prestigious amateur event you can be accepted to compete in and it was a true honour that my trainer and the event organizers figured I …
Weaker Than Our Resolve
BY IAN PARKER Playing over 20 cities from east to west to north, in less than two months with multiple gigs in most stops, is a gruelling test for any band. But if the Rolling Tundra Revue has been a slog, it hasn’t dampened John K. Samson’s enthusiasm for the journey. “It’s been great,” he …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Lee and ‘Arnold’ – Together at Last
Part 1 of 2 My first Arnold Classic was, in one word, unbelievable … Over 17,000 athletes with over 150,000 people in attendance. The experience was overwhelming. To put that in perspective, there are 10,000 athletes at the Olympics. It is impossible to take in everything as a spectator; as a competitor, you are lucky …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Six-Pack for Summer
With only weeks until school is out, summer is just around the corner. Want a six-pack? The American Council on Exercise has given us the facts. If only it were as easy as those infomercials and magazine ads promise. The truth is, in order to sport a six-pack, you need to be genetically blessed, eat …
Moments That Teach
Chop wood, haul water … It was the very simple movement of mopping the floor that taught me the circular motion and energy needed to do a mid-level block. Like the famous scene in the original Karate Kid movie, I discovered the actions and intention of this movement through a non-martial-art practice. If my memory …
‘Fat-Tire Fever’ Is a Winter Illness
“When, oh when, can we ride again?” Fat tire bikes make unrideable surfaces – unrideable without hike-a-bike & colourful language– rideable
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 …
Take it in stride: The mental game
The mental part of running is more difficult to train for and equally, if not more, important to your ultimate success than the physical aspect. All runners have hit the wall. Your body feels like it wants to shut down and your brain starts telling you to pack it in. It is a very difficult …
Goethe Would Rip on a Snowboard
Whatever you do, or dream you can do, begin it. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Far from sharing exhortations of obscure 18th-century German scholars, this column was conceived as a venue for profiling the often unique, sometimes downright-mad things Yukoners do to be active, stay fit and, generally, get stoked. But I hope it will …
Children in Martial Arts
The other day, my wife and I were reminiscing about the children we have taught karate to. Our classes ranged in sizes of over 50 and down to six. We taught classes with ages from four years on up. I even remember Louise teaching children and carrying their younger siblings, still in diapers, on her …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Lee and ‘Arnold’ – Together at Last: Part 2
When I finished my routine, I felt pretty good … I made some mistakes, like pouring pop up my nose, but other than that I did pretty well. I am pumped. We wait a couple of hours more and then it is our turn again. Next, we do the bikini round when we are marched …
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Special Olympian Brings Back Hardware
It’s not every day that a Yukon figure skater is named to Team Canada for the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games. For that athlete to win a silver medal is a very proud moment and that is exactly what 15 year old Michael Sumner did in Pyeonchang, South Korea this month. Sumner joined 101 …
Sharing the Yukon With Seven Sled Dogs
BY CAROLIN FISCHER Being an exchange student in the Yukon is fantastic! When I arrived in August 2008, I had read lots about the Territory and its nature. Now I know that there is no book and no picture that can explain and show the beauty of this place on Earth. Since I was very …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Exciting New Studies
From research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention London: Muscular men who pump iron are up to 40 per cent less likely to die from cancer. This was concluded from a new study by an international team of researchers. The international researchers showed when it comes to protecting the body against deadly …
Leaping Feats Celebrates 10 Years
Andrea Simpson Fowler’s pride, passion and excitement beam throughout our half-hour interview. Even though we are speaking over the phone, the long-time managing director of Leaping Feats Creative Danceworks (LFCD) exudes a contagious enthusiasm as she lists the accomplishments of the Yukon Dance Program that is now 10 years old. There is Rodney Morgan, an …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Keep the Motivation Going…
When you reach around the third week of your new training and/or nutrition regime, things will start to peter off. The scale will slow down; your strength won’t increase as fast and your cardiovascular ability won’t improve as quickly as you would like it to. This is the time when you will start to see …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Get ‘Uncomfortable’ to Get Fit!
Sorry to break this to you, but sometimes exercising is uncomfortable. Sometimes you have to get sweaty; sometimes you have to push through your comfort zone; sometimes it’s a little hard to breathe … yes, sometimes it’s uncomfortable. I’m not saying you need to be in pain. I’m not saying you need to make yourself …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Landscaping Can Switch Up Your Workout
Here is a question from a member that I would like to share with you. I’ve been away from the gym for five days because I’ve been working on the driveway. I dug a 25-foot-long trench and removed a whack of grass and hauled in sand and, really, all kinds of hard stuff. I worked …
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Thank You for NOT Racing
If you were trying to invent the best sport in the world in terms of potential for mass appeal, what would that sport look like? Would it be outdoors? Involve some moderate sustained activity? High on the social quotient, but low on the competitive one? It would probably involve beer. If this sounds like your …
Yukon Dirt Girls Run For the Hills
We introduced bikes. My favourite, “Flipper”, likes to “flip her rider”. Mine is Xena. I want mine to encourage my inner warrior princess.
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: If You Lead, They Will Follow!
Q: My son is 10 and showing interest in coming to the gym with me. Is it safe for him to lift weights? A: Yes. It is absolutely OK to bring your pre-teen son [or daughter] with you to the gym as long as you follow some basic guidelines: 1. Be sure you are with …
Team Yukon Fuel and the Whitehorse Food Bank
Gettin’ the dirt while rippin’ some dirt. “Hey, Bill. You riding tonight?” “Yup. Easy hour and a half. Chadburn area. Come along?” “Let’s do it! Can we make it a rap-and-ride ’cause I want to interview you for my What’s Up Yukon column about the whole BC Bike Race/food bank project.” “Uh … OK.” (Forty-five …
Mirage
Sometimes, when you need a refuge, a magical place appears. It was late at night and I was driving to the Tombstone Mountains for the first time. Already on the road for hours, I needed to find a campsite, fast. I had passed on Pelly Crossing, where one lonely tent perched by the river and …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: You’ve Got to Move It, Move It …
Summer is here and although it may not be swimsuit season in the Yukon, it’s nice to feel great in that tank top or shorts. So in order to stay active throughout the summer and burn off those few extra hot dog and Frappuccino calories, here are a few fun summer activities. The calories associated …
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Peel Watershed is not reserved for elite slobs
As every Yukoner should, I have been following the debate over the Peel Watershed Draft Land-Use Plan. It is a debate that will decide what kind of Yukon we want to live in; it will decide how the world will consider us. I have formed an opinion, but I will not divulge it here because …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Flour Power
For about a year now I have been experimenting with different types of flours. Now, I admit it, a few years ago I didn’t even know there was anything other than wheat flours. Then I starting baking my own Ezekiel bread and all of a sudden a world of flour possibilities opened up: quinoa, barley, …
Advancing in Years and Grace in the Martial Arts
When you are young, you are invincible. When the challenges placed before you are insignificant to what you want to do and they mean little more than just ploughing through and driving harder, power and speed are your companions. But there is another factor at play and that is age. It waits for no one …
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A Scenic Drive Through Martial Arts
With no desire to rush, I chose a different route to Karate class. I saw a small fraction of martial arts being practiced in Whitehorse.
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Seek and Ye Shall Find
All right, today I am going to let you off the hook a little bit … just this once – and just a little bit. I was in Hollywood for a week visiting my sister and my brother-in-law and, I have to admit, maybe it’s their health-conscious focus and knowledge of the latest fitness craze …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Keep Track to Keep on Track!
Fall is here, the kids are going back to school and you are going back to the gym. Yes, it’s time. In order to be sure you’re successful this year, it is time to re-organize your life. A bit of “fall cleaning” of sorts. To be sure you are setting yourself up for success, print …
The Way of Harmonious Movement
It is always enjoyable to write about an activity that is well-represented in the Yukon. However, to do some form of justice to Aikido and those who teach it, I will need to touch on the history of this amazing martial art and the founder of it before I explore what is offered here. Aikido …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: What’s on the Inside, Outside
Label-reading can be a tricky business, at best, but when companies try to fool you with promises of healthy choices, then we really are in trouble. Look at the following examples of why we need to educate ourselves about food and learn to stick with clean, non-packaged foods as much as possible: There is a …
Another Take on Commuting
I am in awe of bicycle commuters. I feel one-upped by them. So I decided, way back in February, that as soon as the weather was reasonable I would start cycling to work at least three days per week. I spent serious coin on some very-high-tech, all-weather cycling clothes and waited for May and reasonable …
Whitewater and Wedgies
I can’t make this look good. I’ve just stepped out from the Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club’s (YCKC’s) wooden change room wearing neoprene booties, baggy board shorts stuffed into my vintage ’80s short-legged wetsuit with orange stripes down the side, a puke-grey paddling jacket, a purple PFD and a black kayak “sprayskirt” that flares boldly, …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Food is Food, right? Well … Not Quite
Not all foods are created equal, not even if it’s the “same” food. You’ve heard me tout the benefits of eating whole foods, unprocessed, untouched by man. But have you wondered what the reason is behind it? Why whole oats as opposed to quick oats? An oat’s an oat, right? Wrong. As you eat, many …
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Get out of your comfort zone (but try not to look stupid).
Yoga, Part I Expand your consciousness by becoming aware and accepting of your body and state of mind. Improve your physical health and mental stability while expanding your emotional and spiritual awareness. Get inspired to change in order to grow. Lunch time drop-in: $10. And I thought five bucks for drop-in kayaking on Thursday nights …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Pass the water, please!
One of the first questions I ask every client, be it the first time I see them or the hundreth, is this, “How much water are you drinking?” The reason for this is that getting enough water in our body each day has huge health benefits, some of which you would never think of. Did …
Enriching the Yukon with Martial Arts
?Quite a few years ago, a couple from New York arrived in the North. Lured by the mystic and splendour of this great territory, they set about living closer to the land and integrating within our community. They brought with them the teachings of aikido: the way of harmonious action.??Rose and Abby Mayer were the …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Time to Tweak Your Goals
Fall is here, 2009 is almost over and I’d like to know if you’ve reached your goals for this year. It’s time to look back at your goals that you set back in January and then re-visited in May. What goals do you still want to accomplish? Have you reached your goal weight? Have you …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Spice up Your Cardio Workouts
Don’t get in the same old ruts … we try it all: reading a magazine, watching TV, playlist after playlist, but the true way to keep cardio interesting and most beneficial is to change it up every day. Use your imagination. Change machines. Get off the machine and try some plyometrics mixed with a bit …
Testing a Legendary Art under a Legend
I had fallen asleep while waiting for my test to begin. There were over 400 black belts at the week-long camp. Many had travelled thousands of miles from different countries to have the opportunity to attend. Over 15 instructors were brought in from around the world. We had just gone through a week of training …
Transcendence for Newbies
Yoga, Part 2 Sabu Chaitanya has something that I want. I’m not really sure what it is: it’s that gleam in his eye; it’s the peaceful energy that radiates from him; it’s how expressive he is – even though he uses few words and English is clearly his second language. It’s all of these things. …
Breathe
There is a story told that Confucius once attended a court function in which he was part of the rituals performed. He conducted himself beautifully throughout the ceremonies, but after they concluded he immediately retired into seclusion. His disciples approached him and enquired about his reclusive behaviour and he said, “During the ritual, I noticed …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: You – on a Scale of 1 to 10
A lot of times I will get asked this: What level should I be working on, on the machine? Or this: How do I know if I am working hard enough or too hard? The truth is, only you know what level the machine should be at. If I could crawl into your body and …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: First Step: Getting Off ‘The Couch’
No matter where you are in your healthy lifestyle, whether you are just getting your butt off the couch or trying to take your fitness level to the next step, you need to create and re-evaluate the support group you have. It is extremely important that you tell your close friends and family members what …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Keeping the Cold and Flu in Check
It is cold and flu season and, this year especially, we are all concerned about getting sick. This doesn’t mean you have to stay away from public places like your favourite gym; it just means you need to be more aware of your surroundings and maybe a bit more vigilant at cleaning up after yourself. …
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Defending Yourself
As I write this, I am aware of an article, in the local paper, that is lying by my side: “Killing of women, child ‘witches’ on rise, U.N. told”. Women and children, in many countries, are being killed and maimed because of poverty and lack of education. And the numbers are staggering. In the Yukon, …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Those Winter Cravings
As promised in last week’s article, this week let’s talk about winter eating habits. With the onset of colder weather, people show an increase is both carbohydrate and overall food consumption in the winter months. Interestingly, it’s the inverse with alcohol consumption: we tend to drink more in the summer months. According to John de …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: The Season of (Over) Eating is Here
Winter is coming and, with it, the season of eating; or should I say, overeating. Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas and all the celebrations in between, not to mention the added desire for comfort foods to warm us up and the higher instances overeating caused from depression due to lack of sunlight. Then there is the tendency …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Say Yes to Cheating
It is OK to cheat. I often get asked if I ever “cheat” and the answer, of course, is “Yes!” A successful eating plan is not based around what we can’t have, but more what we choose to have. The moment we are told we can never have a chocolate bar again, that is what …
Dressed to Kill
Samurai Sword Fighting: Part II I’m in a cavernous garage, stamping my feet in a vain effort to warm up while waiting for samurai sword-fighting class to begin when Sensei Vitold Jordan arrives with a flourish. Jordan is a black belt (5th Dan) in both Aikido and Laido/Ken-jutsu. He is also the founder of the …
An Ever-Changing Tide
There is often nothing like a martial-arts movie to stimulate interest in whatever is being depicted on the screen. For example, I remember one evening, many years ago, walking by the theatre and seeing huge lineups of children and parents waiting to get in. I asked what was on and was told a movie called …
Dressed to ‘Kill’
Samurai Sword Fighting: Part I It was one of the first really cold nights of the winter, last Thursday, when I found myself wondering one of those typical weekday-evening questions: What does one wear to engage in some samurai sword fighting? I truly had no idea what I had signed on for when What’s Up …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Wanna Play?
Workouts are like play dates for adults. When our children are young, we make an effort to be sure they have opportunities to play with other children their age. We sign them up for all different activities to keep their brains and bodies active and get or keep them socialized. As the kids grow up, …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: A New Year and a New You
Here’s to hoping you all have a very healthy, happy holiday this year! Remember the following: Everything you do, do in moderation. Drink one or two drinks, not twelve. Have one dessert, not four. Get outside and get some fresh air. It’s good for your soul. Tell your loved ones you care for them with …
A Tribute to Marcella
“Hey,” Marcella says, “do you want to be on our team for a bike race?” I was visiting Marcella in her store above Shoppers on Main Street. My answer was ” … uh, I don’t have a bike.” “Oh, that’s OK, I can lend you one.” We’d met the previous spring, training for a Mothers’ …
The Common Threads of Self-Defence
Do you remember a little ad on the back of comic books? The legendary Charles Atlas had put together a promo about a skinny weakling having a big bully kick sand in his face in front of his girl. Off the skinny lad went and subscribed to the Charles Atlas training program, then came back …
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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Take It In Stride: Winter Running? You Bet!
For many runners and walkers, winter signals the time to tuck away their gear until spring. But this need not be the case. I hear two common reasons for not running in the winter: it is too cold and it is too dangerous. “You’ll freeze your lungs!” Not true. If you ski at -25°C, you …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Winter Wellness Recipes
A few issues ago I gave out a “clean” beef stew recipe. It went over very well and some of you have requested a few more healthy recipes to get you through the holidays, so here you go … a full day of clean eating recipes to get you through. Breakfast My favourite homemade stovetop …
Our Olympic contribution
The Yukon’s cultural contribution to the Vancouver Winter Olympics is all coming together. On Tuesday, Feb. 16, at the Yukon Arts Centre, audiences will see what the world will see later that week from B.C. Place. One Word: The Yukon Experience, pulls together select performances from The Yukon Experience and What the Land Remembers. It …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Vitamin Daylight
We have been hearing a lot lately about the importance of Vitamin D. Even the childhood bone disease, Rickets, is being seen again due to a lack of the vitamin in children. Some people blame the increase in immune diseases on a lack of Vitamin D as well. With the increase in the use of …
A New Year and a New You
Don’t leave things to the last minute. All too often, I get clients coming in two or three weeks before a trip or an event, stressed out about losing 10 or 20 or more pounds. Unless your vacation or wedding is coming as a surprise to you, do not leave the weight loss until the …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Life After Phat Camp
From October 1-3, fifty amazing women were rocking Whitehorse with two bodybuilding pros, including two-time Ms. Fitness Olympia Champion Jen Hendershott and figure pro Latisha Wilder. This year, Jen brought up her brother, Jon. Jon has undergone his own amazing transformation and was here to support in Jen in a cause he believes in. Phat …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Eat Food (Simple, eh?)
Are you one of the millions of North Americans in search of the “perfect” diet? Have you tried Atkins, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, the Cabbage Soup Diet, etc? Are you adding supplements to your diet monthly — Glutamine, Vitamin B, calcium, Vitamin D, multivitamins, multiminerals, acai berry drinks, CLA, fat burners, antioxidant formulas — as …
Get In the Ring
“OK, everyone. Arms out to the side. Palms up. Opening and closing your fist. Go.” Alright. That sounds easy enough. I can do this. We’re upstairs in Peak Fitness. Jess Staffen stands in front of a semi-circle of about eight sweaty but stoic individuals ranging in age from 16 to 50+. His charges are breathing …
Judo Is In a Building Year
I was 12 years old. I was facing a young girl, about my age, with a whole lot more experience in Judo than I had. However, I had the male ego in full swing and thought no way could this girl toss me. Moments later, I was flying through the air only to land on …
COMMON SENSE, SELF DEFENCE
The best defence of all is awareness … of your surroundings, your options, the situation and your abilities. Let’s use the example of going out to your car after a meeting, outside an event or establishment or even late at night coming from shopping. Once you step outside, are you aware of your surroundings? As …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Eat Food (Simple, eh?)
Are you one of the millions of North Americans in search of the “perfect” diet? Have you tried Atkins, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, the Cabbage Soup Diet, etc? Are you adding supplements to your diet monthly — Glutamine, Vitamin B, calcium, Vitamin D, multivitamins, multiminerals, acai berry drinks, CLA, fat burners, antioxidant formulas — as …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: If Things Aren’t Going By Plan, It’s Because There Was No Plan
Did you know that 70 per cent of people who start an exercise program drop out within the first two to three months? If you started an exercise program in the New Year, this means chances are you have already given up. It’s not your fault, it is your process. You see, most people who …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: One Thing = A New You
This week I am encouraging you to tackle your fears head on. I have talked in the past about the idea of stepping out of your comfort zone, but this week I am going to get a little more personal with that idea and try to give you a look inside as to why this …
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 …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Baby Relies On You To Be Healthy
Today, I have some healthy eating tips for those new mothers who may be looking at eating enough calories to nurse a baby, but still want to lose those baby pounds. First of all, I think it goes without saying that it’s best to eat well at all times. During pregnancy you really don’t want …
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Be Your Own Hero: The Yukon Roller Girls
Community. Empowerment. Democracy. Roller derby? Believe it. One of the best things about trying out different activities for this column, is that I often meet people who remind me that each of us has the power to draw the parameters of our own lives. We get to choose the things that define us and tell …
Walking is a good skill to have
Daisy and I received a very nice gift last month: it’s a book on walking. Hmmm, you know, I’ve always felt that my Mom and Dad did a good job of teaching me how to walk. Seventeen years later, their lack of follow-up and obvious lax standards were efficiently cleaned up by Sergeant Hannah. Indeed, …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Are those toning shoes worth all that hype?
You’ve seen the commercials, the girl with the legs that go on for miles and that perky butt. She says, all you have to do is walk in her “toning” shoes and you, too, can have a butt like hers. Really? As an educated woman, I had to look at these shoes with a bit …
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Play Makers: Slo-Pitch is Serious Stuff in the North
Pin-striped baseball pants being worn at the slo-pitch AGM. That’s when I knew for sure that when it comes to slo-pitch, Yukoners are die-hard. No ballpark for miles but, still, ball pants being displayed proudly at the Westmark ballroom. That’s passion! With five co-ed divisions alone in Whitehorse, more than 600 league players registered, and …
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Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Exercising Gets to the Bottom of It
Hey ladies, time to get great glutes and feel better in those summer shorts. The following are some of my favourite leg and butt exercises sure to give you some tone and lift. Squats: Squats of all different kinds! Be sure to keep your knees behind your toes, push your hips back behind you (like …
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The Secret to a Successful Workout? It’s Clear as a (Kettle)bell
Kettlebells. You’ve probably seen them in magazines or mentioned around the gym lately, but what the heck are they? Do they make noise like a bell? What’s so great about them, anyway? A kettlebell is a large round weighted ball with a handle attached to it. Kettlebells were developed by Russian strongmen in the early …
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The tyranny of perfection
June was a bad month to be a human. First, we all watched with horror as Armando Galarraga’s perfect game was stolen from him, at the 27th out, by … human error. Then we had the disallowed goal in a FIFA World Cup game that resulted in a tie between the U.S. and Slovenia. Both …
Dawson’s Table Tennis Champ Heads to Ottawa
In her pink wheelchair and stylish red and grey shirt, Laurie Sokolowski grins as her dimpled racquet sends the orange table tennis ball over the net to land deep left on her opponent’s side. The rally continues for several returns under the fluorescent lights of the Dawson Curling Club before the ball skids under a …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Year-to-year Goal-setting
I know it’s only November, but it’s never too soon to start thinking about your goals for 2011. What will you start up in January? Almost seven years ago, when I decided it was time to change my life, a good friend suggested I try to do something each year that scares year. Just one …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Getting S.M.A.R.T. About Fitness
Kids are going back to school … maybe you’re an empty nester … or maybe you are a summer outdoor enthusiast. Well, it’s fall time and with the fall comes time to re-set your schedule and, with it, your fitness and healthy lifestyle goals. We have discussed goal setting a few times over the last …
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The Triathlon for Non-swimmers
I wish I learned how to swim when I was a kid. I took lessons, I even earned some of those little coloured badges that my Mom sewed on my Incredible Hulk speedos, but they were mostly earned for “not drowning” – doggy paddling, treading water, floating on my back and stuff — all things …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: PHAT Camp is Coming to Whitehorse
PHAT Camp is coming to Whitehorse! This camp is truly an amazing experience (for women, that is … sorry, guys). For those of you who have been following my journey in What’s Up Yukon for the last five years, this is THE camp and THE lady who has given me the strength to change my …
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COMMON SENSE, SELF DEFENCE
It is important to understand how the Canadian Criminal Code defines self defence: 34.(1) Everyone who is unlawfully assaulted without having provoked the assault is justified in repelling force by force if the force he uses is not intended to cause death or grievous bodily harm and is no more than is necessary to enable …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Tear Down a Greenhouse, Build Up Your Muscles
Summer is just around the corner and with it will come “the lazy days of summer”. Don’t let all of that hard work through the winter and spring fall by the wayside with margaritas and non-active days. It’s alright to want to spend time lounging like a cat in the late afternoon sun after a …
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COMMON SENSE, SELF DEFENCE
Part 3 of 4 Time and Space s with all forums of interaction, timing and space are essential to being able to work together. Whether it is dance, music or sports, the better you are at understanding the timing needed, and the space allowed between movements and your partners, the better you shall perform. All …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Snowshoeing is Winter Exercise Made Easy
Did you know that snowshoeing is the fastest growing winter sport in the world? And, why not? It’s relatively cheap and if you live where there’s snow you likely already have most of the required gear. Snowshoeing is also not as technical as cross-country skiing. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. It is however, …
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Don’t be a Weekend (Ski) Warrior
Now that the snow is flying and you’re itching to get out on your skis or snowshoes, or jump on the sleds, don’t get injured by being a weekend warrior. A weekend warrior is a person who is focused all week on work, desk-jockeying for eight hours a day, relaxing in front of the television …
Play Makers: Lot Shortage What Lot Shortage?!
Sometimes when I write these articles, and I’m experiencing a little writer’s block, I start to picture life in the North through the eyes of the tourist. I like to imagine the look of confusion and dismay on their faces as they glance at a headline in one of the local newspapers about the current …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: The Secret to Fitness is Consistency
Every new year, it’s the same thing: New Year’s resolutioners coming into the gym saying “this is the year”. I applaud all of them. I applaud them whether being active, working out, trying a class or simply just getting off the couch is new for them, or if this is the 20th year they’ve tried …
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Play Makers: Yukon Winter Survival Tips
We are in the midst of winter now. Already we have endured record snowfalls, frigid temperatures near minus 40 and, for some, the reality that our friends may have “winter plans” that we don’t quite understand. For many long-time Yukoners this is all old hat and just part of the regular slog of living in …
Airdog Action
For the uninitiated, hearing the words “boarder” and “rail” together might conjure an image of a skateboarder doing tricks along the guardrail of a public staircase. But think of a bigger board and a chillier setup, and you’re closer to what will happen at the Sandor’s Icebreaker Rail Jam at Mt. Sima a week from …
Play Makers: Yukonisms: Yukon’s Letter to Santa
Another Christmas season is upon us and with that comes a time for each of us to give thanks for all that we have and reflect on the year that was. It is a time for Santa parades and office potlucks full of over-indulgence and sometimes regrettable, yet entertaining, moments. It is a time for …
Fit ‘n’ Healthy: Healthy Holiday Rules
Holidays are upon us. How much weight do you usually gain over the holidays? The average person takes on eight pounds over the two weeks. That’s an excess intake of 28,000 calories. Think about it: that is almost 50 Big Macs or 200 shortbread cookies! That will take more than 60 hours for a 150-lb …
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 …
Life in the Aquafit Lane
My friend Jeff once annoyed a woman so much that she splashed water in his face. They were in the Canada Games Centre pool at the time. Jeff was calmly swimming some laps when it happened, so this naturally triggered a few questions, such as: “We’re both already wet – what are you going to …
Tee-ing Off On Disc Golf
I really wanted to make fun of disc golf. I think it has to do with my past experience with the only other disc sport I have ever played: Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimately, I expected to run joyously around on a grassy field unhindered by sidelines, referees and other tiresome trappings of organized sports, while chucking …