Judo Nunavut athletes head south for national competition
7 girls and 9 boys have been training for the past year for event
Miki-Jaq Bracken, 12, left, and Henri Lagace, 11, grapple in a judo contest. Both athletes are heading to Edmonton this week to compete in a national competition. (Photo courtesy of This Is Living Now Photography)
Judo Nunavut is sending a team of 16 athletes and two coaches south on Wednesday to compete in the Edmonton International Tournament.
The annual Judo Canada-sanctioned event, which features 900 athletes from across Canada, takes place at the West Edmonton Mall Ice Palace, March 7 to March 9.
The Iqaluit athletes include seven girls and nine boys ranging in age from 10 to 17, all of whom have trained as part of an elite-level 90-minute practice regimen every Saturday for the past year in preparation for the event, in addition to their regular twice-weekly practice sessions.
The eldest athlete, Julian Gissing, 17, is competing in the under-21 category.
“For the last three years we’ve been slowly rebuilding our competitive team thanks to our really dedicated coaches,” said Matilda Pinksen, Judo Nunavut president.
One of the coaches, Peter Melanson, coached a young Pinksen while she was growing up with judo in Iqaluit.
“It’s really awesome to see him still be involved in judo after so many years,” Pinksen said.
Head coach Michael Smook and chaperones Pinksen and Pauline Melanson are also part of the trip.
If it’s only based Iqaluit how come it’s called Nunavut team not Iqaluit judo club
Kangiqliniq and Iglulik have both had clubs, they just need volunteers.