Kicking up their heels

KIRSTEN MURPHY

Days before Arctic Sport athletes were stretching and kicking for Queen Elizabeth, Steve Amarualik was considering the future.

“We shouldn’t fall,” Amarualik dead-panned from the carpeted stage in the middle of Inuksuk High School’s gym.

Four athletes from Nunavut are kicking up their heels as part of a 20-minute Arctic sports demonstration for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on Oct. 4.

Amarualik, 17, holds the Baffin Inuit Games record for the two-foot jump. The Resolute Bay teen won three gold medals at the 2002 Arctic Winter Games and was named athlete of the year by Sport Nunavut.

Last minute details for the royal performance were being worked out by press time on Oct. 2.

“I like the idea of the stage, but there are cracks,” said Amarualik while pacing the stage one metre above the ground. “It’s different, it’s exciting.”

The royal visitors will be seated a stone’s throw from the wooden stand and sealskin target. The athletes have been instructed not to speak to the Queen unless spoken to.

All four athletes were hand-picked by Sport Nunavut based on their performances in past competitions. The other three athletes are Heather Kolit from Coral Harbour, Andrew Atatahak from Kugluktuk and Hannaq Ikkutisluk from Gjoa Haven.

Some last-minute kinks included finding replacement uniforms for the shirts and sweat pants that never arrived and scheduling the order of events.

As of Wednesday, the athletes were starting with the one-hand reach and finishing with the one-foot high kick — an event typically billed as the premier jump.

The triple jump was dropped because the 3.5-metre by 3.5-metre stage is too small to accommodate the takeoff.

Because athletes are demonstrating kicking and pulling and are not actually competing, Amarualik said the usual pressure to win is gone. The absence of rivalry, however, does not eliminate all nervousness, Amarualik said.

“It’s not competition but we are showing our sport to the Queen. It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”