By Karli Zsch枚gner

Special to Inuvik Drum

With the cancellation of 2020 due to the pandemic and a last minute postponement so that they were not competing with jamboree last weekend with Inuvik, this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 53rd was held the final weekend of April 28 to May 1.

Friday evening kicked off with the announcement of their SA国际影视传媒楰ing and QueenSA国际影视传媒� fundraisers followed by drum dancing and jigging.

SA国际影视传媒淚t means a lot helping out the community with all the fundraising from all the contestants,SA国际影视传媒� said fundraiser winner Noah Gruben with his partner Chantel, who also won 10 years ago they said.

SA国际影视传媒淚t gives our community that much more to put towards the games that are happening and whatever prizes that the money that we raised could go towards or in the future as well,SA国际影视传媒� said Chantel Gruben.

Uniquely and stirring community concern, the Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk jamborees had been scheduled for the same weekend. However mid-week prior to the Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk jamboree, the Tuktoyaktuk Beluga jamboree committee made the announcement of the week later rescheduling due to expected blizzards said jamboree chair Chelsea Raddi.

SA国际影视传媒淲e didnSA国际影视传媒檛 want to go ahead with the jamboree and then having the ITH close and not very many people from surrounding communities would have been able to come and enjoy the jamboree,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淭ravel would be back and forth all weekend from the Beluga Jamboree to the Muskrat Jamboree, so the highway would have been really busy, like from people going back and forth. So we took that into consideration.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淲e had such a good outcome last year for jamboree that weSA国际影视传媒檙e hoping weSA国际影视传媒檇 have pretty well the same outcome this year.SA国际影视传媒�

The last of the spring jamborees in the region, it brought people from across the Beaufort Delta, but also internationally.

SA国际影视传媒淭he drum dances are brilliant,SA国际影视传媒� said Sarash Tiku from Bombay, India and drove from Vancouver on a road trip to see the arctic ocean hamlet. SA国际影视传媒淚 look forward to seeing the dog sled races.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 think when you live in cities of 50 million 20 million 10 million people there isnSA国际影视传媒檛 that sense of community that is there in Tuk.SA国际影视传媒�

Unique compared to other regional jamboree races, for the Arctic Ocean Dog Sled Race, there back-to-back races both 12-mile 10 dog race followed by a 6-dog 8-mile race. With final scores to confirm the winnings.

With his first time in Tuktoyaktuk and also competing the first time competing in Akalvik and InuvikSA国际影视传媒檚 jamboree dog races, AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 Don Cousins won first in the 6-dog 8mile race overall with InuvikSA国际影视传媒檚 JoJo AreySA国际影视传媒檚 dog right behind him, and receiving second with TuktoyaktukSA国际影视传媒檚 Mitchell Jacobson in first for the 12-mile 10-dog race.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 pretty cool to come up here and race on the Mackenzie River and race on the Arctic Ocean,SA国际影视传媒� said Cousins, a musher for 44 years.

He said heSA国际影视传媒檚 always wanted to visit the hamlet which his veteran father had come to in taking some of the first aerial photos, and to visit the place of the historical international dog musher from Tuktoyaktuk Peter Norberg.

SA国际影视传媒淚 wanted to come up and see where Peter came from, and what Tuktoyaktuk is all about,SA国际影视传媒� who had also spoke at Mangilaulik School. SA国际影视传媒淗is nephew is Jackie Jacobson and Jackie used to train with Peter when he was a young boy, so I think thatSA国际影视传媒檚 pretty special.SA国际影视传媒�

Rob Schausitz under Noksana Mushing and DeeDee Nasogaluak of Beaufort Sea Kennels were first-time dog racers at the jamboree.

SA国际影视传媒淚t means so much,SA国际影视传媒� she said following SaturdaySA国际影视传媒檚 race. SA国际影视传媒淚 grew up with my dadSA国际影视传媒檚 dogs all my life and now my brother has his own, itSA国际影视传媒檚 really nice to grow up around dogs.SA国际影视传媒�

Splitting the back-to-backs, she raced the 8-mile as her older brother Joe David Nasogaluak.

SA国际影视传媒淚t was so nice and relaxing, I really liked it. My mind was just so peaceful just watching the dogs do their hard work.SA国际影视传媒�

With this yearSA国际影视传媒檚 dog sled race marshallSA国际影视传媒檚 MLA Jackie Jacobson and Mayor Erwin Elias for skidoo races, she said they make the decisions on race prize amounts including $3,000 for 1-dog race and $2,000 for six-dog race, and $5,000 for menSA国际影视传媒檚 100-mile and $4,000 for womenSA国际影视传媒檚 75-mile.

Jimmy Kalinek, Isaac Lennie, and Aklavik youth Matthew McLeod placed first to third in both the Inuvik and TuktoyaktukSA国际影视传媒檚 menSA国际影视传媒檚 100-mile snowmobile track race.

AklavikSA国际影视传媒檚 Courtney Charlie continued on as womenSA国际影视传媒檚 snowmobile champion across the jamborees as in the 75-mile track race followed by TuktoyatukSA国际影视传媒檚 Sophie Stefure.

Prize money pays for the hobby

Don Storr was there all weekend maintaining and fixing snowmobiles across the jamborees including for his nineteen-year-old daughter DeAndra Storr who placed fifth in the womenSA国际影视传媒檚 75-mile race.

SA国际影视传媒淚 look forward to it each year,SA国际影视传媒� he said who says had raced for about 30 years while now putting his time in maintaining the racing sleds. SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 where a lot of the fun is for us that pull wrenches is just in the shop time and just that alone.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 got this 800 for my daughter. And she was wanting to race right from when she was younger. So when she was of age I made sure I had a machine for her.SA国际影视传媒�

With a kudos to year-round dog mushers who commit time and money into preparing for these races, having community jamborees on the same weekend is a concern on their budgets as well as overall sense of competitor community in being all together.

SA国际影视传媒淚t would have affected us because we would have had one less race to attend, he said. SA国际影视传媒淲hen youSA国际影视传媒檙e a racer, usually you want to compete against the whole field, not just half of it.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚t does help when you happen to get a prize because that money usually goes right back into the machines like for instance, tracks are $800 and for these machines that race every week, and youSA国际影视传媒檙e lucky if you get two weekends out of one track.SA国际影视传媒�

He said the cost to maintain the skidoos for the four jamborees is around $10,000.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 just good to see everybody on the same track, because it takes so much time and effort to get ready and itSA国际影视传媒檚 good that they worked that out.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 good that we were able to race both places.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淭he friendships you make they last a lifetime like people I used to race against back in the day, theySA国际影视传媒檙e still good friends today,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淲e usually help each other to make sure that we all can participate.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 good to keep that tradition going, and for the new racers,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭o be mindful and respect each other and help each other you can it goes a long way.SA国际影视传媒�

The weekend events were also filled with jigging contests, traditional games including harpoon throwing, ice chiselling, and even rope wrestling.

For Saturday night following men and womenSA国际影视传媒檚 snowmobile oval race and bingo was a significantly large 24 contestants talent show mainly guitar and singing. Judged on originality, creativity, technical ability, and presentation, Aklavik youth Brayden John won first for $1,500, followed by Chelsea Gorczyca and John Semple.

This yearSA国际影视传媒檚 jamboree they dedicated to the late Bill and Lucy Cockney for their dedication and volunteer work in the past jamborees she said alongside the menSA国际影视传媒檚 100-mile to local racer Emmanuel Felix Jr.