Olympian-led camp prepares Nunavut speedskaters for Arctic Winter Games

With the Arctic Winter Games about three weeks away, Nunavut’s young short-track speedskaters took part in an intensive training camp to prepare themselves for the competition.

Éric Bédard and Jonah Hurtubise — coaches with Nagano Skate, a Quebec-based company that provides speedskating equipment and coaching — spent last week in Iqaluit leading more than a dozen Nunavut skaters in several on- and off-ice training drills, aimed at getting the athletes ready for the games.

“At the end of the day, you can feel it more,” said Miles Brewster, one of the athletes who attended the camp at Iqaluit’s Arctic Winter Games Arena, and who is headed to Alaska for the games that run from March 10 to 16.

Bédard and Hurtubise each have their own extensive backgrounds in speedskating.

Bédard has four Olympic medals including two golds, which he earned in the 5000-metre relay events at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics. He has also coached several national teams over the years, and has previously visited Iqaluit to coach youth.

Hurtubise is a former long-track Canadian national team member, who came to Iqaluit also with the goal of teaching equipment maintenance, including how to take care of their skates.

The two coaches said they wanted to bring new drills and training activities to Nunavut’s skaters.

Some of the drills were related to balancing, form, turning and improving relay times.

According to the coaches, the athletes showed significant progress in the short camp they ran.

Bédard said one of their 3000-metre relay times was 15 seconds faster after a few days of training

“Cutting 15 seconds just after a few days with us as a relay; it’s amazing,” Bédard said.

Former Olympian Éric Bédard was in Iqaluit last week training speed skaters ahead of the Arctic Winter Games. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)

“It’s fun for them, but it’s fun also for us to be here and working with them because they want to be better.”

The young athletes also had positive things to say.

“I think it’s cool that we have former athletes who can come give us different pointers than the coaches we have now,” said Meliya Allain, who is set to represent Nunavut again this year after earning medals last year.

“They’re not our usual coaches, so they have different drills and they have different pointers they can give to us while we’re skating.”

Martine Dupont, head coach of the Nunavut Speed Skating Association, said she was able to pick up on some new skills as well.

She said he hopes to copy some of the drills Bédard and Hurtubise led for her skaters.

“They bring a lot of positive input to the skaters themselves, to us as well,” Dupont said.

Nunavut’s skaters said they are excited to leave Canada to compete in the Arctic Winter Games, but also to develop friendships with some of their out-of-territory competitors.

“You’re competing against each other on-ice, but when you’re off-ice, you’re friends with each other,” said skater Arthur Pothier.

Dupont said it would be great if, one day in the future, a Nunavut speedskater were once again able to compete at the Olympics; Michael Gilday – who was born in Iqaluit when it was part of the Northwest Territories – skated in the 2014 Winter Olympics, and Nunavummiut consider him as one of their own.

For now, however, Dupont said the main focus is making sure this year’s teams are ready for the Arctic Winter Games competition.

“We’ve been working with them on this this week and we’re looking forward [to] the games,” she said.

“Let’s make sure that all the kids have a great experience and they’re proud of themselves – Olympic medals or not – and that we have to get them physically but [also] mentally ready as well.”