Good As Gold

TAMARA MACPHERSON
AWG Host Society

IQALUIT — June Pangon excels at any sport she plays. She competed in Arctic sports at the 1998 Yellowknife Arctic Winter Games, and at the 2000 Whitehorse Games she won three gold ulus and one bronze.

She was presented the coveted Nellie Cournoyea Award — recognizing the most outstanding Arctic sports athlete from all participating contingents — while in Whitehorse. June played ringette in the 1995 Canada Games in Grand Prairie, Alberta, after only a few days of being coached on the rules of the game.

And, her commitment to excellence in sport was internationally recognized when she was invited to attend the Sydney Olympics as a youth delegate. Now, at 17 years old, she’s tackling hockey, basketball and volleyball.

June hopes to play hockey in the 2002 Iqaluit Arctic Winter Games. “I love Arctic sport, but I’m looking for a new challenge,” she explained.

She’s one of eight young women from Nunavut recently selected to play on the Hockey North team to compete in the Western Shield. The team will compete against others from across Western Canada in Regina, Sask., April 6-8, 2001. She follows in the athletic footsteps of her father and his father before him, who were both known for their Arctic sports savvy.

It is easy to see that June is thrilled that the 2002 games will be held in her home territory. “It is a great chance to meet new people from different cultures,” said June. “Being involved in the Arctic Winter Games inspires me to work harder and play fair.”

She looks forward to hosting the many friends she has made at the last two sets of games. The games will bring close to 1,000 athletes, coaches and officials to Iqaluit March 17-23, 2002. Athletes will come from nine participating contingents — Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Northern Alberta, Northern Quebec, Alaska, Greenland, Magadan (Russia) and Chutkotka (Russia).

Fellow Western Shield team member Jesse Mike of Iqaluit is quick to sing June’s praises. “She shows good sportsmanship and she’s a fair player,” she said.

Jesse looks forward to spending more time with June when they get together to play hockey as the games draw nearer. “You feel special when you hang out with someone who has gone as far as she has,” she adds.

The friendships that form and mentoring that unfolds are just a taste of the many legacies that will be realized through the 2002 Arctic Winter Games.

The Arctic Winter Games is the most prestigious multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-sport event in the circumpolar North.

The games reach nearly a million people from communities across Canada, Greenland, Russia and the U.S., and they are second-to-none in having an ability to promote the history, culture and artistic traditions of the north — directly to millions of observers for an entire week.

The Iqaluit Host Society is the non-profit organization responsible for staging the 2002 Games.