Polar Horizons / Horizons Polaires

Une de mes photos de la statue de Vilhjálmur Stefánsson devient une bande dessinée en Australie!!

FranceR — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:46:20 +0000

Hey! Regardez la bande dessinée Arctic Circle titrée This Statue is Odd Looking, But I Like It (cette statue a une allure bizarre mais je l’aime bien):

Alex Hallatt's cartoon featuring Vilhjalmur Stefansson

Elle a été inspirée d’une photo vue sur mon texte intitulé : Vilhjálmur Stefánsson : de Arnes au Musée canadien des civilisations

Statue de Vilhjalmur Stefansson à Arnes, Manitoba

Cool, non?
France

One of my photos of Vilhjálmur Stefánsson’s statue becomes a cartoon in Australia!!

FranceR — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:38:38 +0000

Version française de ce texte.

Hey! Look at today’s Arctic Circle Cartoon entitled This Statue is Odd Looking, But I Like It:

Alex Hallatt's cartoon featuring Vilhjalmur Stefansson

It was inspired by a photo seen on my blog post entitled : Vilhjálmur Stefánsson : from Arnes to the Canadian Museum of civilisation

Statue of Vilhjalmur Stefansson in Arnes, Manitoba

Ain’t that cool?
France

IPY 2012 Montreal Conference – PolarEDUCATORS workshop

FranceR — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:37:28 +0000

Good afternoon all,

Finally found some time to work on part of the photos taken last week in Montreal during the International Polar Year (IPY) 2012 Conference “From Knowledge to Action”. Today, I’d like to share with you some of the photos taken during the PolarEDUCATORS workshop prior to the start of the conference.

It was such a priviledge to be part of this memorable event reuniting over 170 educators, scientists and representatives from the circumpolar native nations. People flew in from all 5 continents! The countries represented were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States and Zaire. So neat to see that polar education is not reserved to the circumpolar countries as one might be tempted to assume.

To start things off, here is a short video summarizing what the PolarEDUCATORS workshop was all about:

After the welcome reception on Friday evening, it was time to get a good night’s rest as the following morning we had to be up and ready at 7:30AM to jump in the metro and head to Montreal’s Space for life complex where the workshop was being held.

At 8:30AM, Geoff Green, founder and president of Students on Ice, welcomed us all and declared the workshop open!

Geoff Green.

Anne Charpentier, director of Montreal’s Insectarium, then took the stage and welcomed us to Montreal’s Space for Life, a natural science complex combining the Insectarium, the Biodome, the Botanical Gardens and the Planetarium. She explained the vision and the goals of this new and evolutive concept where outreach, conservation, education and research initiatives will invite us all to look at nature in a different light.

Anne Charpentier, director of the Insectarium

Next, Dr. Peter Harrison, Chair of the IPY 2012 From Knowledge to Action Conference, greeted us and gave us some insight on the exciting program for the week ahead. Dr Harrison admitted that he was simply blown away by the interest in the poles. The organizing commitee had initially planned for 30 exhibitors. Close to 100 registered! Over 2500 individuals registered to attend the conference! A significantly higher number than expectations. As Dr. Harrison said, this conference is the beginning instead of the end of International Polar Year!

Dr. Peter Harrison

Dr. José Xavier’s gave us a most dynamic & enthousiastic overview of the polar regions and polar education. José is an Antarctic marine biologist based at the Institute of Marine Research of the University of Coimbra (Portugal) and a guest scientist of the British Antarctic Survey (UK). He strongly encouraged teachers to get in touch with the scientists as they play a crucial in building bridges between the scientists and the general public. Scientists will become better if they learn to talk to educators and students. José also explained how polar science was unknown in Portugal before IPY and how their efforts creating an educational program, organizing forums for teachers, etc. have paid off.

Dr. José Xavier

Karen Edwards, coordinator for the Canadian International Polar Year (IPY) Secretariat from 2004-2010, introduced us to the ressource guide “Polar Science and Global Climate – An International Resource for Education and Outreach”. This bible of polar research was first released in Oslo in 2010. As stated in the guide’s introduction: “It is a response to the continual requests from teachers, early career and senior scientists worldwide wishing to raise awareness of the importance of polar science.” Karen has given us numerous examples of how the book has been used: course development, research skill development, field trips for data collection, guest lectures, educational expeditions, workshops, climate change activism, fundraising, and on and on.

Karen Edwards

For the entire duration of the workshop, Kara Stonehouse of AHA! Graphic facilitation, was standing on stage attentively listening and observing what was going on and transcribing the main messages into a graphical output. The result was simply fascinating!

Kara Stonehouse

Dr. Eric Galbraith, oceanographer and assistant professor at McGill University, talked about the atmosphere and oceans. His research focuses on global ocean circulation. One of the topics he touched on was Argo (an observation system for the Earth’s oceans that provides real-time data for use in climate, weather, oceanographic and fisheries research). Over 3000 underwater robots collect data about water temperature and salinity. If I understood correctly you can go on Google and click on any float to see the data it has recorded. I’ll have to try it out!!

Dr. Eric Galbraith

The morning ended with our first workshop session. Educators had to choose one of 7 proposed workshops focusing on Atmosphere and Oceans: State of water, The role of the Arctic Ocean in northern hemisphere weather, Dive into the polar oceans, Marine biology in polar regions: why polar bears do not eat penguins, … were some of the workshops offered. I opted for the “Arctic knowledge perspective”, a round-table discussion about the place traditional knowledge plays in our scientific understanding of the Arctic. Roundtable participants were :

John Crump (GRID-Arendal, a Norwegian foundation that supports the work of the United Nations Environment Programme),
Johnny Issaluk (a famous Inuit athlete who wan over 200 medals at Arctic Games. Johnny was recently presented with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions towards improving the health and community well-being in Nunavut),
Rebecca Mearns (MA in Geography with a research focus on Inuit knowledge transfer between Elders and Youth at land-based camps),
Jennifer Provencher (Association Polar Early Career Scientists/Carleton University),
David Serkoak (drum maker, drum dancer, cultural instructor with the Nunavut Sivuniksavut Training Program).

"Arctic knowledge perspective" roundtable discussion

John Crump and David Serkoak

All agreed that trying to separate science and Inuit knowledge is counter productive. Rebecca explained how she wants Inuit knowledge to be the basis of her study on caribous and have science fill the gaps. Inuit knowledge is not an historic knowledge. It is very much active.

Language teacher Robert Suvlu from Barrow, Alaska also contributed to the discussion. He explained how the land and the ocean are the Inuits’ way of life. Their knowledge is based on their senses such as sight and earing, on spatial intelligence, winds, snow drifts, cloud formations, etc. but changes are currently happening too fast and have a major impact on their traditional knowledge.

Robert Suvlu

Note: On Saturday night, during a reception at the McCord Museum we were treated to a demonstration of inuit games by Johnny Issaluk. A few days later, at the Polar Film Festival, we had the surprise of seeing Johnny featured in a short film: Inuit High Kick. Check the link to see Johnny perform the high kick in slow motion. Impressive!

After the lunch break, the afternoon session resumed with a presentation by Dr. James White, director of INSTAAR, the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, at the University of Colorado. His presentation entitled Sustainability, Climate Change and the Earth’s Polar Regions – What you should know and why you should care clearly showed that mankind has altered the earth’s balance and changed the climate. As Dr. White explained, we have caused 10 times more erosion than all natural processes and we make more fertilizer than all bacteria in the world! We have already passed the point of no return as far as climate change goes. It is now inevitable but we have to act now otherwise changes will be even stronger.

Dr. James White

Kara Stonehouse continues to capture the day's events.

The next presenter, Dr. Eric Mattson, Nipissing University, talked to us about ice, land and space. One of the aspects he covered was how the sea ice getting thinner, the snow cover diminishing, the ice on lakes and rivers disappearing earlier, … impact existing infrastructure built on top of permafrost (e.g. railroads, air strips, ice roads used in winter to link communities).

Dr. Eric Mattson

Then came the workshop session #2 highlighting ice, land and space topics. Polar educators had to choose one of 7 proposed workshops: Climate change: more than just polar bears, melting ice and consequences, looking at the polar regions through satellites: a NASA perspective, etc. I opted for the workshop lead by Dr James Raffan, Knowing Place: the land as teacher and the traditions of indigenous knowledge.

Dr. James Raffan

Back in the auditorium of the Botanical Gardens, we were then treated to a out of the ordinary talk show hosted by an Irish TV star, “Shameless Shamus” alias Dr. James Raffan.

"Shameless Shamus"

Guests appearing on the TV show included:

Dr. David Carlson, IPY International Programme Office
Karen Edwards, University of Alberta
Sandra Vanhove, International Polar Foundation
Louise Huffman, Antarctic Geological Drilling
David Serkoak, Nunavut Sivuniksavut Training Program
Dr. James White, University of Colorado

Dr. David Carlson and Karen Edwards being interviewed by Shameless Shamus

The talk show's distinguished guests

To end the first day’s activities, Kara walked us through the day’s drawings summarizing all presentations and workshops! Great work!

Kara Stonehouse

Day 2 started with Dr. David Carlson’s presentation on “Polar Issues – Frozen and Unfrozen Carbon in the North”. One of the topics he touched on was his method for calculating the carbon footprint of his grocery cart. If my notes are acurate, annually, the grocery shopping carts of all 7 billion people on the planet generate less than 1 Gigaton of carbon. IPY research has shown that fossil use by humans amounts to 3 Gigatons each year. From the 1960s to 2010, the amount of atmospheric carbon has increased from 700 to 850 Gigatons. But was is even more worrysome is the fact that 1750 Gigatons are emprisoned in the East Siberian Arctic shelf and 1000 Gigatons are emprisoned in the top 3 meter of the planet’s permafrost. The process of going from a frozen to an unfrozen planet is already underway. Is the impact finished or ahead? It will all depend on the actions that will be taken by all. Sorry! I guess I was not awake yet! I have no photos of Dr. Carlson on stage ;-(

The next presenter, Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) gave us a personnal and moving account of her childhood and explained the major milestones in recent Inuit history. She described how Inuit have gone from having all decisions made for them by non-Inuit to having signed several land claim agreements, Nunatsiavut’s being the latest one in 2005. She also explained how the education deficit in Inuit communities is one of the biggest social challenges the Inuit are currently facing and one she takes very much at heart.

Mary Simon

The day’s activities continued with two workshop sessions back to back. The third series of workshops focused on People with topics such as “drumming, song writing and a social history of Nunavut”, connecting to people of the Arctic, healthy bodies and healthy minds: inuit traditions and connection to land. The fourht series of workshops was a potpourri with topics such as “what can plants and animals tell us about how the tundra is changing?”, films for polar education, the role of the Arctic Ocean in northern hemisphere weather, melting ice and consequences, …

Following the workshops, Lisa Glithero, founder of the EYES Project (a Canadian not-for-profit organization committed to bringing a sustainability imperative into educational pedagogy and practice), talked to us about mobilizing knowledge to action.

Lisa Glithero

The next step was for the polar educators to break up into distinct sessions to explore ways to relating to mobilizing knowledge to action. We then reconvened and representatives of each group gave a summary of the discussions.

Group 1 – Examining best practices of integrating polar education into classroom teaching practices
Group 2 – PolarEDUCATORS professional development network
Group 3 – Connecting urban education with polar education
Group 4 – Exploring polar education learning strategies that foster/enhance eco-justice oriented civic engagement
Group 5 – Polar Education Network
Group 6 – Leveraging funding opportunities to support polar education
Group 7 – Polar education in post-secondary education and professional development
Group 8 – From margins to mainstream education (polar education as a visceral experience for the masses and using technology and social media for polar education)

To end the PolarEDUCATORS workshop, Dr. James Raffan read a poem made up of sentences heard during the break out sessions presentations. He then went on to become the conductor of the very first Polar Educators Choir!! What a wonderful way to end this workshop and motivate the troups to take action and ensure a bright future for polar education!

Dr. James Raffan

Here is the link where the Polar Educators Choir can be heard Just copy and paste the link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v794tz9qrevr8xp/Polar%20Education%20Rocks.avi

Here is the link to have a look at Kara Stonehouse’s drawings.

Thank you to the Students on Ice team for taking on the challenge to make this PolarEDUCATION workshop a reality!

The Students on Ice team: Katrina Adams, Clare Glassco, Tim Straka, Niki Trudeau and Geoff Green

IPY 2012 Montreal Conference – Cultural Performances

FranceR — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:10:23 +0000

Bonjour from Montreal,

Hard to believe that the IPY 2012 Conference “From Knowledge to Action” is almost coming to an end. All week, deciding which sessions to attend has been a source of tough decisions. The number of possibilities is just overwhelming!

Fortunately, at lunch break, the choice is quite easy: it’s time to attend cultural performances. Today, I’m sharing with you some of the photos taken on Tuesday. It was a great pleasure to see Artcirq, the Inuit circus based in Igloolik (Nunavut). Back in February 2009, I had attended their performances during Winterlude in Gatineau and I was glad to realize that several members of the group were still around: Joey, Jimmy, Terry, Jenny and of course, their mentor Guillaume Saladin. Hundreds of congress attendees flocked to the stage area and based on the laughs and applauses, all had a great time and appreciated the group’s humourous presentation!

Artcirq was preceeded by the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers, a Traditional Inland Tlingit dance group from the Carcross/Tagish area (Yukon). Dakhká Khwáan means Inland People/Nation. We were treated to a very colourful drumming and singing performance.

In spring 2011, I spent a few days in the Carcross area. Unfortunately, it was too early in the season to hope to be able to attend some of the shows they give in the summer time. But, I did walk around the town and along Lake Bennett and took in some of the spectacular scenery. I also went for a walk in the desert that the drum leader and singer, Gary Kanas’iax Johnson, mentionned. If you are curious to see some images from the Carcross area, I invite you to take a look at last year’s post entitled : My first day in the Yukon: Tagish and Carcross.

Long live Artcirq and the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers! It is wonderful to see such initiatives to keep traditions alive.

Enjoy your day! Time to head to the Palais des Congrès for more polar activities.
France Rivet

IPY 2012 Montreal Conference – Opening Ceremonies Speakers

FranceR — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:51:24 +0000

Version française de ce texte.

Good morning from the “From Knowledge to Action” IPY 2012 conference in Montreal. What a thrill to take part in such an event that is bringing together over 3000 individuals from all over the world who share an interest in the polar regions.

The last few days have been extremely busy attending the conference as well as the PolarEDUCATORS workshop organised prior to the start of the conference. I thought I would nevertheless take a few minutes to at least share a few photos taken yesterday during the opening ceremonies.

Security was high yesterday around the Palais des Congrès where the event is being held. Fortunately, everything went very smoothly and by mid-afternoon, doors to the building were opened once again to the general public.

Have a great day!
France Rivet

The master of ceremony and chair of the conference, Dr Peter Harrison.

Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Honourable Jean charest, Premier of Québec

Ms Mary Simon, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)

Ms. Kyla Kakfwi Scott, Fellow of the Jane Glassco Arctic Program

Dr. Yuan-Tseh Lee, president of the International Council for Science and Nobel prize winner in Chemistry (1986)

Mr. David Grimes, President of the World Meteorological Organization

Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Member of the UN Secretery General's High Level Panel on Global Sustainability and former Prime Minister of Norway.

Mr. Martin Fortier, Executive Director of ArticNet announcing the new $1 million CAD Arctic Inspiration Prize.

M. Arnold Witzig, co-founder of the S. and A. Inspiration Foundation, initiator of the Arctic Inspiration Prize.

Conférence de l’année polaire internationale 2012 à Montréal – Cérémonies d’ouverture

FranceR — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:50:21 +0000

English version of this post.

Bonjour en provenance de la conférence “De la connaissance à l’action” à Montréal. Quel plaisir de prendre part à un tel événement qui réunit plus de 3000 personnes venant des quatre coins de la planète et qui partagent un intérêt pour les régions polaires.

Les derniers jours ont été extrêmement occupé à assister à la conférence ainsi qu’à l’atelier PolarEDUCATORS (éducateurs polaires) organisé en marge de la conférence. J’ai pensé prendre un peu de temps pour au moins partager quelques photos prises hier, lors de la cérémonie d’ouverture.

La sécurité était intense hier autour du Palais des Congrès où l’événement se tient compte-tenu des émeutes de vendredi dernier. Heureusement, c’était le calme plat à l’extérieur de l’édifice. Vers le milieu de l’après-midi, les portes de l’édifice ont été ouvertes à nouveau au grand public.

Bonne journée!
France Rivet

Le maître de cérémonie et Président de la conférence, Dr Peter Harrison.

L'Honorable John Duncan, Ministre des Affaires autochtones et du Dévelopement du Nord canadien

L'Honorable Jean charest, Premier ministre du Québec

Mme Mary Simon, Présidente de Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)

Mrs Kyla Kakfwi Scott, Détentrice d'une bourse de recherche sur l'Arctique Jane Glassco

Dr. Yuan-Tseh Lee, président du Conseil international pour la science et récipiendaire du prix Nobel de Chimie (1986)

Mr. David Grimes, Président de l'Organisation météorologique mondiale

Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Membre du Groupe de haut niveau sur la viabilité de l'environnement mondial du Secrétariat général des Nations Unies et ancienne première ministre de la Norvège.

Mr. Martin Fortier, Directeur exécutif de ArticNet announçant la création du Prix Inspiration Arctique.

M. Arnold Witzig, co-fondateur de la fondation S. and A. Inspiration, instigateur du Prix Inspiration Arctique.

Nunavik Nordiks are going back home holding their head high!

FranceR — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:13:16 +0000

The very first tournament in the history of the Nunavik Nordiks’ girls hockey team ended earlier this afternoon when the team faced the Sudbury Her-Icanes in the semi finals. During the whole game, the Nordiks gave headaches to their opponent.

They had their goalie on her butt!

They had their defense and offense players running!

They fought hard for the puck!

They got in their way!

They got together to prevent that puck from going in!

They even insisted! No! It’s not going in!

The referee stepped in and confirmed the decision: No goal!

Speaking of referees: the Nordiks even had one of them dancing

But, unfortunately, for the first time in the tournament, their opponents also gave the Nordiks some headaches. It started with the very first goal of the Her-Icanes with 3:41 left in the second period. Here’s the sequence of shots I was able to get of that goal.

Then, at 2:53, the Her-Icaners did it again!

But, as the two defense players told the goalie: “Don’t worry! We’ve got a plan to fix things up real soon”

And they sure did! 37 seconds later the Nordiks scored their first goal. In a split second their fans jumped up with joy!

With 1:02 left in the second period, the Nordiks tied the score 2-2. Once again their fans were clapping, screaming, whistling, banging on the walls, jumping up and down! WOO HOO! GO NUNAVIK GO!

Speaking of fans, did you notice something different today? Yes, the number of Nordiks’ fans more than quadrupled from previous days! Indeed!! Several family members made the trip to Ottawa specifically to cheer for a daughter, a sister, … It was so neat to see a much larger crowd cheering for the Nordiks! I’m sure the girls were thrilled as well.

Unfortunately, the Her-Icanes hadn’t said their last word. They went on to score three more goals. Goal #3 was scored only 23 seconds in the 3rd period. Goal#4 was scored at 6:13.

When the 5th goal was scored in an empty net at 3:44, a time-out was called.

The Nordiks’ tireless flash fan from Wednesday’s friendship game was still cheering for her friends!

When the buzzer signaling the end of the game was heard, the Nordiks did as they’ve done in all previous games and grouped together.

Of course, this “big hug” was less joyful than that of previous games. But, the sadness might very well be due to the fact that they knew they would not get to play together again as a team for at least another year!

One thing for sure, the Nordiks’ girls midget team has proven without a doubt that their presence in such tournaments is more than legitimate! Their above expectation performance reminds us all that with perseverence, hard work, motivation, team work, even your wildest dreams are reachable!

Congratulations to all players (Leanna, Andrea, Emaly, Lucina, Rebecca, Tusaajiapik, Sacha, Gloria, Julia (2), Molly, Jana, Minie Molly, Alice, Penina), the two goaltenders (Leanne and Pamela), the whole team of NYDHP coaches, instructors, tutors (Joé, Louis, Erica, Joanasi, and all the others involved I haven’t had the chance to meet!) and the families who support and encourage their children throughout the year. Nunavik and the whole province of Quebec can be very proud. You can represent us any time you’d like!!

Keep up the great work and see you next year!
France Rivet

Nunavik Nordiks girls midget hockey team makes it to the semi-finals!

FranceR — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:40:11 +0000

View of the Kanata Recreation Center's arena where the Nordiks played their second game of the tournament.

Once again today, the Nunavik Nordiks girls midget hockey team had the opponent teams’ goalies sweating heavily! At 12:30PM they played against the Kanata 3 team. During this second game of the tournament, they went off to break their record number of goals in a single game. The record almost doubled as it went from 4 to 7 goals. But guess what? Being such nice and compassionate girls, they gave two chances to their opponants. The first one occured at 5:11 minutes into the second period when they allowed their very first goal of the tournament.

The first and only goal the Nordiks have allowed their opponents to score so far in the tournament!

As for the second chance they gave their opponents, everybody will have to agree that they went above and beyond their call of duty as they scored one of these 7 goals in their own net Sorry! I don’t have a picture of that goal! I was right there, just a few feet away, but I was so surprised that I didn’t have the reflex to click on the shutter!! With 4:31 minutes left in the second period, the score was 3-1 for the Nordiks when one of the defense players attempted to make a pass going in front of her goalie. In a flash, the puck went in front of the goaler (who, very understandably, had no reason to feel threatened) and right in the bottom right corner of the net! The siren went off! The score board was changed to 3-2. The Nordiks defense player and the goalie both looked at each other wondering what had just hapenned! Kanata girls were jubilating but they were brought back to reality very quickly. Their celebration lasted a mere 18 seconds! At 4:14 left in the second period, the Nordiks had turned around and went on to score in the proper net! New score 4-2.

The Nordiks's 4th goal of the game just went in!

Let me tell you that you better not go get a coffee when the Nordiks are playing! As we just saw, within 57 seconds, the score went from 3-1 to 4-2!! That’s 2 goals in less time it would take you to get to the coffee shop!

I wish I had been on the viewing deck beside Joanasi Kaitaq when the Nordiks took their own goalie by surprise. Joanasi is one of the team’s accompanying adult. When the girls are on the ice, he can be seen attentively watching the game while having a fifty minute long cellphone conversation.

You can see Joanasi (second from the right) cellphone in hand and observing the game from the viewer's deck.

Well! Contrary to one might assume, Joanasi is not just having an ordinary chat. The reality is much more interesting! Joanasi is providing a radio commentary of the Nordiks’ games that is being broadcasted live to all Nunavik communities! So cool!! He’s to Nunavik what René Lecavalier or Claude Queneville were to French Canadians when French CBC broadcasted Saturday night hockey!! Wish I could have heard & understood his description of that surprise goal!!

Joanasi Kaitaq

Joanasi has been playing the live commentator’s role for about 6 years. He regularly commentates the games of Nunavik boy hockey teams participating in tournaments. He’s not sure whose idea it was in the first place but it wasn’t his! The very first time he commentated a game live for the radio was here in Ottawa. The experience was later repeated during a tournament in Quebec City and now he comes along wherever a Nunavik team takes part in a tournament. It was therefore a given that he would be the commentator for this very first Nunavik girls team participation in a tournament.

Joanasi admits to sometimes having trouble remembering all of the girls’ names! He’s got them printed out on a tiny piece of paper to help him. His descriptions are provided in Inuktitut but English words do slip in once in a while. He uses whatever comes to mind first especially when the action is frantic on the ice. And believe me, that’s the case most of the time!

The Nordiks wan today’s first match by a score of 6-2. Goal 5 was scored with 32 seconds of the start of the 3rd period. Goal 6 was scored with 7:18 minutes left in the game.

First victory of the day.

The girls had a few hours break before their second game of the day. Jean, their bus driver and new #1 fan, was waiting to help them throw their equipment at the back of the bus.

Jean, the team's bus driver and new #1 fan!!

At 5PM, the team was back on the ice at the Bell’s Sensplex to face the Kanata 4 team.

Joanasi observing the 5PM game at the Sensplex.

Once again, their opponents were in for a treat. The Nordiks scored 5 goals, the first one at 1 minute precisely of the start of the game. Goal #2 was scored at 7:54 minutes of the first period. Two more goals scored in the second period, #3 at 6:11 and #4 at 5:35. Final goal was scored at 4:43 of the third period.

After winning all three games and scoring a total of 15 goals while giving only 2 to their opponents, the Nunavik Nordiks have obviously wan their place into the semi-finals. What an accomplishment! The fact that the team was scheduled to fly back home Sunday, the day of the semi-finals and championship, gives an indication that the officials considered that the odds of making it were against them. Well! That was before the girls stepped in!

The Nunavik Nordiks girls midget team 2011-2012 and coaching staff!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s report on the results of the semi-finals and, based on what we have witnessed over the last four days, the odds are that they will also make it to the championship game!!!

If you can spare some time and feel like coming to support the Nordiks, please come on down!!! Their semi-finale game is at 14:15 at the Bell’s Sensplex. If they win then they’ll be playing for the championship later that day!

In the mean time, here are a few more of today’s photos.
France Rivet

12:30PM game against the Kanata 3 team

5PM game against the Kanata 4 team

Nunavik Nordiks win their first game of the hockey tournament in Ottawa!

FranceR — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 03:16:42 +0000

Well! What a game! Just as I showed up at the Mattamy Homes arena, with 4 minutes left in the first period, the Nunavik Nordiks scored their first goal. By the time I walked to the other end of the arena, they had scored their second goal. By the time I took my camera gear out of the bag and ensured my settings were appropriate, they had scored their third goal and… only two minutes had gone by!! The decision was easy to make: I was to spend the whole game focusing on trying to photograph the activity around the Clarence Rockland Lightning’s goalie! It was a very good decision. The Nordiks scored one more goal but the girls sure kept her on her toes for the whole game!!

One thing I had not realized when I attended the friendship game on Wednesday was that, prior to their arrival in Ottawa, the Nordiks had never played as a team nor against another team. The way they have have been playing so far and with a total of 12 goals in only 3 games, who would have ever guessed it?

What one one their coaches, Louis explained to me is that except for 5 girls who reside in Kuujjuaq, all girls come from different Nunavik communities. Since September they have been practicing on their own with a coach. To get ready for the Kanata tournament, they were reunited for a one-week camp with their head coach, Joé Juneau. The Kanata tournament is the only opportunity they will have to play against other teams. As Louis explained, their whole hockey season is being played here in Ottawa.

The tournament is not over yet but what these girls have accomplished so far is nothing less than extraordinary! The smiles on their faces when they got off the ice said it all! They have all the reasons to be very proud.

I was happily surprised today to recognize some of the flash fans who were present on Wednesday night. This time, they had made a sign with the Nordiks’ logo and the word Nunavik written in the Inuktitut syllabics. After the game, Paola, one of the organizers of Wednesday’s friendship game, presented the Nordik’s coaching team with a brand new pair of skates (purchased with the money collected from the raffle) as well as with a bag full of gloves, shin pads and elbow pads donated by the Ottawa 67′s and going to the Nunavik Youth Hockey Development Program.

There are no reasons to believe the Nunavik Nordiks can’t win tomorrow’s (Saturday March 24) two games and make it to the semi-finals. If you’re in the Ottawa area and you’ve got time, why not come show your support to this team of young Inuit girls? The Nordiks are playing at 12:30PM (Kanata Recreation Complex – arena B) and at 5PM (Bell’s Sensplex – Palladium Insurance arena).

With no further delays, here are some of the photos I took of the Nordiks’ very first “official” game.
France Rivet

Second period

You can't see the puck on the photo but it's in!

The referree agrees! Goal #4!

A dedicated flash fan!

Third period

Game over! Final score : Nordiks 4 Lightning 0

Handing in the donations for the NYHDP

Sorry the photo is not in focus but I thought Louis' smile was so indicative of the coaches' pride!!

Nunavik Nordiks Vs Nepean Wildcats – Girls Midget Hockey Friendship Game

FranceR — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:47:50 +0000

Good morning!! As mentionned in last week’s post, last night, the Sensplex was host to a special event: a friendship game between Nunavik’s girls midget hockey team and Nepean’s Wildcats. More than 80 people gathered to watch and cheer for both teams.

The match was somewhat special as the organisers of this friendship game went through lots of efforts to make it a most memorable evening. To allow you to relive the events as they unfolded, here is a series of photographs. For those who were present, I hope they will bring back great memories! For those who did not attend, hope they will give you a feel for the atmosphere that filled the Mattamy Homes arena.

Thanks to all for a most enjoyable evening!
France Rivet

Update (Mar 23): Here’s a very interesting article that was published on Wednesday’s friendship game by Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen: Nunavik Nordik’s program makes a difference in northern Quebec

6PM. Paola, one of the organisers and coach of the Wildcats, puts the final touches to the gift basket that will be raffled.

Signs are starting to go up!

Let's get a "Friendship Game" sign ready!

The friendship game sign is up in no time!

For each girl of both teams, the organisers had prepared a colored cardboard on which fans were invited to draw their message.

Pick the girl you want to cheer for!

Alice Go Girl!!

Some showed up with their sign already made! Welcome Nunavik!

Team work!

Let's cheer for Pamela!

Go Go Go Pamela!

Hum! What color should I put here?

Concentrating to do a super job!

Let's go Caelan

Notice the hockey stick! So cool!

Go Meghan Go!

7:10! The Nunavik's Nordiks are ready to jump on the ice!

So are the Nepean Wildcats.

Nepean Wildcats' coaching team seems pretty relaxed!

Nunavik's coaching team puts the final touches to its strategy!

Last minutes instructions before the game starts.

Yes we can!

Flash fans!

More flash fans!

The game has started

Wildcats' goalie

I'm ready!

It's in! The Wildcats open the score.

Nordiks follow with a goal shortly after. Flash fans are doing their job!!

Third period starts. Score is now 2-2. Sorry! I missed both team's second goal! They scored as I was chatting with the Nordiks' bus driver

Only 11 minutes left in the game.

Everybody, except me, is looking at the other end of the rink where the action is

Let's go girls!

The Nordiks girls who scored the team's third goal...

... with less than 3 minutes left in the game.

At 11 seconds from the end, the Nordiks score in an empty net.

The Nordiks win their second friendship game in two days.

Job well done!

Thanks to both team for an exciting game.

Final score

Kirsten screaming out the winning number for the raffle

The winner receives her price from Tanya.

A whole bunch of happy smiles.