Punches and pirouettes

KUUJJUAQ — Sylvain Gagnon gives his boxers a stiff workout from the moment they arrive at the Kuujjuaq Forum.

First, it’s jumping rope, then several minutes of muscle stretches. Then they wrap up their hands and shadow box in the ring. After that, the sparring begins in earnest and, finally, they take in a few rounds.

Boxing has only been in Kuujjuaq for a couple of months, since the Uvikkait Dome, the community’s year-old youth centre, added this sport to the activities it offers young Kuujjuamiut.

In February, Stéphane Ouellet, a top-ranked boxer with a reputation for violence in the ring, was expected to come to Kuujjuaq to teach boxing, but at the very last minute he backed out.

Instead, upbeat Gagnon, a former trainer with Quebec’s provincial boxing team, arrived in March — bringing his enthusiasm for boxing to the community.

Gagnon takes time to help each boxer with his moves, encouraging them patiently to learn an activity that’s demanding and fun.

The warmth during practice isn’t just seen in the sweat pouring off everyone’s foreheads, it’s also reflected in the spirit of teamwork and camaraderie.

“I really like it,” said 15-year old Joewillie Saunders.

A boxing ring was assembled in the Forum last week so the boxers could practice in a real ring.

Training in the new ring is serious stuff, because at the end of June, eight of the new boxers are planning a trip to Montreal to compete with other young boxers.

Through the sport, Gagnon hopes the boys will look at ways to stay in shape outside the rink.

“One of the things that bothers me is smoking,” Gagnon said. “They can’t do three rounds, or they lose in the second. Maybe they will ask themselves, ‘Did I lose it in the second round from smoking?’”

The centre promotes clean living, and smoking, drinking and violence are prohibited.

“All the difference in the world”

Boxing gloves are on equal footing with tutus at the centre. On one afternoon last week, more than 15 little girls were at the centre, practicing for their first recital.

Youth centre coordinator Jennifer Matchett, who doubles as a dance teacher, took the eager ballerinas through the steps for the “Hokey Pokey.”

Dressed in pink and white tutus, some girls wore serious expressions, while others wore giant smiles. The dancers put their right foot in, their right foot out and then they pirouetted themselves about. At the end of the song, they took a deep bow.

Open daily from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., the centre provides a place where youth aged six and up can hang out, do homework, watch television, play pool or learn karate, cooking or drumming.

Kids do all the cleaning at the centre. They sweep, mop and do dishes.

“Do you want to sweep?” Matchett asks one girl who arrived early.

“Yeah, I’m bored,” she answers, picking up a broom.

Up to 60 kids show up at the centre every day. When there’s a special event, such as bingo or brunch, it quickly becomes overcrowded.

“We need twice as much space,” Matchett says.

The centre, which was a daycare centre in a past life, could use some sprucing up, too, although the kids have decorated it with bright colours.

The provincial government has provided funding for two full-time youth coordinators in every community in Nunavik, but not every community has space for a youth centre.

Kuujjuaq’s youth centre has two full-time employees, Matchett and Daisy Angnatuk, as well as four part-time youth workers, who make sure things run smoothly. The municipality pays for additional expenses.

The centre also depends on adults who are willing to teach one-hour classes, for which they’re paid a token fee of $10 per hour. Kuujjuaq’s new Crown Prosecutor has offered to teach a cooking class, and another couple teaches drumming, but Matchett would also like to volunteers who would help the kids learn traditional activities such as carving or sewing.

The centre has been open since last July, but, as new activities are added, the past few months have seen an increase in its use.

And the young people now care about what happens at their centre, Matchett says. There have been a couple of break-ins, but kids who use the centre quickly volunteered information about who had done it.

“This place has made all the difference in the world,” Matchett says. “Before, there was nothing else for them to do.”