By Karli Zsch枚gner
Special to Northern News Services
With the Easter weekendSA国际影视传媒檚 Thursday-to-Monday carnival from April 6 to 10, this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 AklavikSA国际影视传媒檚 Mad Trapper Rendezvous was fundraised uniquely by the lead of all-women fundraisers.
SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檝e always had King and Queens, but as you know, women do most of the work, selling tickets and fundraising,SA国际影视传媒� said Mina McLeod, this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 carnival president and fundraiser winner. SA国际影视传媒淪o we thought, SA国际影视传媒榃ell, why not do a battle of the QueensSA国际影视传媒�, so thatSA国际影视传媒檚 what we did.SA国际影视传媒�
Announced on the opening evening, the three groups of fundraisers brought in a total of over $53,000 to go back into event prizes. With two plane tickets for first and second to Edmonton and third to Whitehorse, McLeod and her daughter Karyln Blake raised in a landslide of over $43,000 followed by Megan Lennie and Heather Evans with over $7,000, and fundraisers mother and daughter Shauna and Courtney Charlie.
With 14 singer-contestants for the Friday evening, including youth from Fort Smith and Dawson, Doris Rogers won, followed by Brayden John and Colton Landry. This followed two fiddler contestants.
McLeod says this year they added to the carnival schedule a unique elders snowmobile race on Friday, and a second day of dog races on Monday.
SA国际影视传媒淲e hope to see [dog races] coming back into the region,SA国际影视传媒� said McLeod.
Quebec biologist and international dog mushing champion Anny Malo placed first out of seven mushers to claim $1,000. Her partner, Marco Rivest, finished in second in both Saturday and Monday 16-km dog races along the ice road.
SA国际影视传媒淚 feel really great to be here and SA国际影视传媒� weSA国际影视传媒檙e feeling really welcomed here,SA国际影视传媒� she said following the Saturday race.
She encourages more mushers to put themselves out there to the national and international level as she has done including her last wins in Wyoming and Manitoba, and a second place in Fairbanks, Alaska.
SA国际影视传媒淚 like to see that thereSA国际影视传媒檚 other people here that still doing sled dogs SA国际影视传媒� I know that the sport is a little bit going down, itSA国际影视传媒檚 the same thing in Quebec,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 so important to be out there with the dogs.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淚 think it teaches people to be grounded,SA国际影视传媒� she added.
In SaturdaySA国际影视传媒檚 dog races, AklavikSA国际影视传媒檚 Andrew Charlie placed third and on Monday, TuktoyaktukSA国际影视传媒檚 Jemra Gruben was the third place.
SA国际影视传媒淚 feel pretty good,SA国际影视传媒� said the 23-year-old Gruben. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 very proud of my dogs, theySA国际影视传媒檙e awesome.SA国际影视传媒�
She said sheSA国际影视传媒檚 been mushing for three years now and has travelled to across the NWT, Alberta, and Alaska for races.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 so traditional,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淎nd you know, itSA国际影视传媒檚 good to bring back the tradition of running dogs again. I hope a lot of young people get into it, too.SA国际影视传媒�
Following Saturday morningSA国际影视传媒檚 dog races, there followed childrenSA国际影视传媒檚 snowmobile and other open contests, followed by bingo and late-night jigging contests with winners receiving $600. On Sunday, there were more traditional contests such as ice chiselling and tea boiling.
InuvikSA国际影视传媒檚 Melba Mitchell, who is originally from Aklavik, said she looks most forwards to the traditional contests at jamborees. She said itSA国际影视传媒檚 important to keep these life skills alive.
SA国际影视传媒淚 think this is one of the biggest, best jamborees that you could come to,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 a lot of traditional events going on.SA国际影视传媒�
She won in SundaySA国际影视传媒檚 elders tea boiling, snowshoeing, and she and her husband, Ben, won in separate menSA国际影视传媒檚 and womenSA国际影视传媒檚 elders tea boiling. She then volunteered to be one of the spotters for the younger category for tea boiling.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 good that a lot of the young girls and boys get into that and learn these skills so it can carry in into the future,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 not about winning, itSA国际影视传媒檚 about participating and thatSA国际影视传媒檚 the best thing when you do that.SA国际影视传媒�
Sunday evening featured the menSA国际影视传媒檚 and womenSA国际影视传媒檚 oval open snowmobile races and memorial SA国际影视传媒楤un Bun Arey 50-mile track race. MondaySA国际影视传媒檚 100-mile track race, with the winner receiving $5,000, was rescheduled to April 11 due to weather visibility.
Inuvik and TuktoyaktukSA国际影视传媒檚 jamborees were on the same weekend this year, which has created some regional concern.
McLeod said she was not aware of any cross-community jamboree planning and that there should be going forward.
SA国际影视传媒淚t is tough because you want to go to go to every community, you have family and every community, you want to see the races in every community and when they double up like that, I think the committee will lose out,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
She said AklavikSA国际影视传媒檚 jamboree is always held on Easter weekend and next yearSA国际影视传媒檚 event will be from March 28 to April 1.
