Nunavik teams look to future after Quebec Games debut

The Nunavik boys’ volleyball team that represented Nunavik at the Quebec Games in Gatineau earlier this month. (PHOTO BY PASCAL POULIN)

Two regional volleyball teams – one male, one female – participated in this year’s summer edition of the Quebec Games (Jeux du Québec) in Gatineau, competing against 4,000 athletes from 19 regions of the province.

They may not have the medals to show for it, said a delegation member, but the teams’ presence has made headway for Nunavik’s future in competitive sports.

“This was really a chance to see how else we can get young people involved in more sporting events,” said Tunu Napartuk, recreation director with the Kativik Regional Government.

“We’re learning how Nunavik can structure itself to be (better recognized) by the Quebec Games. We have the infrastructure, the gyms, the space to practice the sports, but we still need to put in place a structure that is acceptable to sporting federations across the province.”

Napartuk said he made contacts at the event that will help Nunavik prepare for the 2012 Games in Shawinigan.

That aside, Napartuk said the Gatineau Games were “a great experience for the kids.”

Although athletes from one community have participated in the Games in the past, this is the first time Nunavik sent regional teams.

Twenty-one athletes (17 and under) from across the region qualified to compete on either team this year.

Salluit social worker Philippe Paradis – who doubles as a volleyball coach in that community – worked with the KRG to recruit players, who gathered for official tryouts at the end of June.

Behind the bench at the Gatineau Games, Paradis led the sometimes-discouraged teams through an intense week of competition.

And the competition was tough, Paradis said, especially for the girls’ team who had less experience. They didn’t win a single match, while the boys beat the Laval team twice.

“Despite the highs and lows, it went really well,” he said. “This really shows them the model for sports competition.”

Interest in the Games’ first Inuit delegation was high too, Paradis said – Nunavik’s participation in the Games was reported in several Quebec media outlets.

The 2010 Jeux du Québec wrapped up in Gatineau Aug. 6.