Every Monday and Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the main floor of the Inuvik Community Corporation building is transformed into a training centre, with youth of various ages learning traditional Inuvialuit games that have been practised for generations.

"My brothers were high kicking when they were my age or younger," said instructor Chase Nogasak, 18, who has been practising since he was eight years old. "I enjoy having fun and meeting new people and teaching the younger generations."

The classes began three years ago with a small handful of kids. Today, the room is packed with more than 20 eager athletes.

Dating back long before confederation, traditional Inuvialuit games were how people would learn to survive in the unforgiving Arctic climate. The knuckle hop teaches hunters to sneak up on seals on unstable ice. The arm pull imparts how to cope with the pain that accompanies freezing temperatures, which hunters would have to endure for hours as they waited for their quarry.

Above all, the contests help improve athletic prowess and clarity of mind.

More recently, Northern Games have become a competitive sport, largely thanks to the efforts of Edward Lennie, who first brought them to the Arctic Winter Games in the 1950s.

Since then, the games have evolved from a local living room activity to an international phenomenon with athletes competing across the circumpolar Arctic. The growing popularity has resulted in an annual Northern Games Summit held every summer, which attracts athletes from across North America and beyond.

Ultimately, each athlete is competing against themselves, which helps foster a culture of encouragement and support.

"I feel like a lot of other sports are more competitive, where I'm against this person, but here you're really encouraging your opponent instead of competing against them," said instructor Brooke-Lyn Bodnar, who has been training for seven years. "It's nice to keep in touch with my community and I love to see the kids develop their skills and kicking higher."

Bodnar said she first got into the games when she participated in a summit in sixth grade.

In the modern world, these ancient traditions have found a new purpose. Program lead Steve "Gulak" Cockney Sr. was recently recognized for his efforts in preserving the games with a lifetime achievement award through the NWT Recreation and Parks Association. Cockney noted that he sees a marked transformation among youth who get involved in the games.

Not only do the events help with athleticism and camaraderie among peers, Cockney said it also provides a dramatic boost in self-esteem and confidence to tackle challenges elsewhere in their lives.

"It's been growing, more and more kids are coming in," he said. "Whenever they come in, they're shy at first, but once they get to learn the games they just want to continue.

"I've been doing it now for over 50 years. Prior to competition, we just had these games for the fun of it. But once we started competing, we've grown to full capacity and now we've got a lot of kids involved, so we're passing the tradition on to them. It's a good feeling SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½” we've grown quite a bit."

The space and equipment is sponsored by the Inuvik Community Corporation.

Cockney said classes run every week throughout the school year, with a break for the Christmas holiday and over the summer. He added classes are free to attend and are open to anyone interested in learning.

For Nogasak, teaching is his way to give back to his culture.

"This has been passed down from our ancestors to us," he said. "I think it's our turn to pass it down to the younger generations and teach them what we know from our ancestors."