Fall Biathlon 2024

Physical training (PT) is an important component of the Canadian cadet program.  It’s part of the healthy living training module and cadets can earn badges by achieving high grades on physical training tests.  The physical training program is currently under review and new standards are being written.  The current badges are no longer applicable, but cadets are still allowed to do the “old” physical training test for fun.

The army cadets of 3045 Arctic Bay usually do a PT test on the first Saturday of the month.  However, November of this year was different.  The cadets competed in the annual Fall Biathlon competition on November 2.  The day-long competition is voluntary and sees cadets shoot metal plinker targets indoors & run outside, all while completing the relays in the shortest time.  So, I guess the cadets did get to do PT.

The cadets & I arrived at the school gym at 9am to turn it into a temporary air rifle range.  We achieved this with tables, chairs, backboards, plinker targets, shooting mats, and pylons.  All working air rifles were brought out, paper bowls were filled with lead pellets, spotting scopes were set up, and three clipboards & stop watches were set on the main table.  I prepared individual scorecards & name labels for the stop watches the week before.  The gym was ready by 10am.  The air rifle range had three shooting lanes, divided by two lines of wooden tables acting as walls.

A short briefing was held at 10am.  I welcomed the cadets & explained the plan for the day.  They would be given time to select their rifles and practice before completing their relays.  Cadets would shoot three times, but the Year 1 cadets only had to run 2 laps.  Everyone else had to run 3 laps.  The 1 kilometre running course goes around the school and surrounding neighbourhood.  The cadets & I walked the course a week before for familiarization.  There was no set order, so competitors were free to volunteer when ready to complete their relays.  A max of three cadets would compete at a time, making it easier for judges to keep track of time, and the number of targets hit.  Senior cadets & I would be judges.

To ensure fairness, cadets were placed into three groups according to their years of training: Year 1, Years 2 & 3, and Years 4+. 

Three practice relays were held.  Cadets also stretched to prepare for running.  Biathlon usually includes skiing, but the water in the bay only begins to freeze in early November.

A few cadets completed their relays before noon.  A senior cadet boiled water in a large pot on a Coleman stove outside in preparation for lunch.  The menu was meals-ready-to-eat (MREs).

The competition was paused at noon for lunch.  Cadets lined up to choose their MREs.  Junior cadets went first, and the only officer present (me) went last.  It’s how it goes.  MRE meals usually take about 15 minutes to cook.  Juice boxes were also available.  Lunch lasted an hour.

The competition continued at 1:00pm after cleanup.  It took about 2 hours for the remaining cadets to complete their relays.  Thankfully the temperature wasn’t too cold outside.  The scorecards were placed inside a large envelope for me to correct later. 

The cadets & I spent about 30 minutes putting everything away and cleaning the gym.  Teamwork.  A lot of lead pellets were used.  The cadets formed up for a debriefing.  I congratulated them for completing their relays and the final results would be announced at the next Wednesday training night.  There was still time left in the day, so I let the cadets play sports in the gym before sending them home.             

 

Halloween 2024

Halloween is a great way to end the month of October.  Free candy, wearing scary costumes, and a good reason to forget winter is on the way.  Or in the case of Arctic Bay, winter is already here.  Halloween is well observed in the community.  I order my costume and candy at least a month & a half in advance to guarantee their arrival before the big day.

Inuujaq School’s Events Committee began planning activities & an assembly at the beginning of the month.  Classes were given a week before October 31 to decorate their doors for a chance to win prizes.  (Door decorating contests have been a standard for years.  We really like to decorate our doors).  The winners would be announced at the assembly.  The assembly would feature my high school drumline and a costume contest.  High school students decided to organize a haunted house this year and convinced the high school science teacher to hold it in his classroom.

My costume this year was Front Man from the popular tv series Squid Game.  I decided to dress as another character from the show after being a Squid Game Guard in 2022.  I hear a second season is going to be released at the end of this year.  I admit I’ve only watched the first episode of Season 1, so I have a lot of catching up to.  From what I’ve been reading in the news, I don’t think Season 2 will be the end of the series.  Squid Game has been a runaway hit so I won’t be surprised if a third season will be produced.

The festivities began on the morning of October 31.  I photographed all the decorated doors before school began at 8:35am.  A selected panel of three judges judged the doors in the late morning and selected the winners before the lunch bell rang.  To ensure fairness, classes were divided into groups.  The high school haunted house opened its doors after morning recess and was busy until lunch time.  The haunted house was restricted to Grades 4 – 12.  We didn’t want to scare the younger children for life.  My drummers & I played through our concert performance pieces and worked through a few passages that needed extra attention.  I assured them the concert would go alright and would be over before they knew it.  Our opening set would last at most 6 minutes. 

Lunch was extended to 90 minutes so that everyone had time to eat and change into their costumes.  I borrowed the principal’s vehicle to drive home, get all my costumes, and bring them back to school.  I let students & staff wear my costumes from previous years in case they don’t have one to wear.  My drummers have priority because they have to perform and if they’re nervous, they can wear a costume, and no one will know it’s them.

My lunch time was short because I had to go to the gym and set up the drums.  My drummers arrived at 1:15pm and helped me.  Everything was ready to go by 1:30pm.  The school was full of excitement and people wearing costumes.  Everyone was called down to the gym at 1:40pm.  The assembly began at 1:50pm.

The principal opened the assembly with a short welcome speech.  She then introduced the high school drumline.  My drummers & I entered the packed gym and took positions behind our drums.  My spot was in the middle.  I raised my drumsticks, clicked 4 times, and our concert began.  We played three drum pieces about a minute long each.  Then a few drummers & I played short solos for the audience.  And just like that our concert was over in 6 minutes.  The audience enjoyed & applauded our performance.  My drummers & I breathed sighs of relief under our masks and then moved our drums to the back of the gym.  A teacher filmed the performance with my camera.  My students & I watched our performance the next day.

The assembly continued with the costume contest.  Classes walked around the middle of the gym, starting with preschool, displaying their costumes for everyone.  I provided the Halloween themed background music by playing it from my portable MP3 player.  A panel of judges, sitting off to the side, watched and then picked the best dressed from each class.  Teachers, parents, & guardians also participated.  Winners received Co-op gift cards from the head of the local District Education Authority (DEA). 

The last part of the assembly was the announcing of the winners of the door decorating contest.  The winning classes were awarded funds to hold pizza/popcorn parties at later dates.

Students & teachers returned to their classes to engage in Halloween themed activities until 3:00pm.  Parents & guardians were allowed to be present.  Teachers also distributed Halloween candy to their students.  My drummers & I spent the remaining time moving our instruments & equipment to my classroom.  Several high school students also helped. 

Classes were dismissed early at 3:00pm to give families time to eat and get ready for trick-or-treating at 5:00pm.  The principal gave me & the large box containing my previous costumes a lift home.  I brought out the boxes of candy I bought online and filled several bowls.  I placed them near the door and then left the door unlocked.  I sat on a chair in costume and waited. 

It’s easier to leave the door unlocked then have kids knock.  Knocking on doors is a southern custom.  Up here, people just walk inside . . . unless the door it locked.  Kids started arriving just after 5:00pm.  Trick-or-treaters come & go in clusters, and it does get busy at certain times.  Many kids are driven around town by their parents/guardians because it’s dark & cold outside.  I’m generous when I give out candy, about 4 pieces per person.  I also offer candy to parents/guardians.  I don’t discriminate.  I went through a lot of boxes, but thankfully, I still had leftovers when trick-or-treating finished at 7:00pm.  The leftover candy will be used for the year-end candy toss for cadets.  (More on that in December).

I changed into regular clothes and made my way to the community hall for the annual Ugliest Halloween Costume Contest.  I found a seat at the back and got my camera ready.  This event is a staple of Arctic Bay culture.  I’ve been attending them since moving here in 2013 and they’re always entertaining to watch.  The amount of creativity participants put into their costumes is out of this world.  To a first-time observer, it may appear participants just put on whatever they can find in their house, but thought & strategy are invested.  One consistent feature of most costumes is the hiding of participants’ faces with masks.  You don’t know who they are until the end.

Participants took their seats in front of the stage.  Numbers were taped to their backs to make it easier for judges to pick the winners.  I wasn’t a judge this year.  Participants were divided into 2 groups: 12 & Under, and 13 & Over.  Participants were competing for bragging rights & cash prizes.

The costume contest was like the one held at Inuujaq School.  The 12 & Under group walked around the middle of the hall, showing everyone their costume creations, while music played from loudspeakers.  They sat down and then the 13 & Over group did the same.  The one participant, or should I say participants, that stood out from this group was a father & son duo who entered the contest dressed as a very tall woman in a red dress.  And I do mean one woman.  The father was the bottom half & the son was the top half.  I placed my bets on these two winning first place.

The judges announced the winners of 13 & Over group first.  They called up 3^rd place, 2^nd place, and then 1^st place to receive their cash prizes.  I was right.  The father-son duo won over the judges and the audience to claim first prize.  The judges then moved onto the 12 & Under group and called up the top 3 winners to receive their cash prizes.  The winners removed their masks to the delight of everyone.

The community assembly ended with a candy toss.  Community hall staff tossed candy into the audience from the main stage and from the back of the hall.  I didn’t catch any.  I was busy filming and had leftover candy at home to snack on if I wanted to.  I returned home at the end of the toss.

Inuujaq School students & staff were hyper for the next several days.

Parents Night Parade (October 2024)

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its first Parents Night Parade of the 2024-2025 Training Year on October 23.  It was a great opportunity to invite parents, guardians, friends, & community members and show them what the cadets had achieved since the start of the year.

The cadets & I arrived at Inuujaq School’s gym an hour before the start of the parade to set everything up.  The setup has been standard since I became commanding officer.  We line one whole wall with chairs, two flags, and an awards table.  The Royal Regiment flag is taped to the opposite wall and a line of chairs for cadets sits underneath it.  The reception table, filled with snacks, and drinks sits in a far corner.  On the wall near the exit doors, cadets tape informative posters about the cadet program and results from marksmanship & physical fitness training.  I also include pictures of past cadet events.  The cadets changed into their green dress uniforms once everything was ready.  Doors opened at 6:15pm.  The parade started at 6:30pm.

I recruited & trained a teacher to be the Guest Reviewing Officer (GRO).  I marched in first and the GRO followed.  We both received the General Salute.  The cadet parade commander introduced himself and then escorted the GRO through the ranks for inspection.  I briefly spoke to the audience while this was happening, welcoming them to the parade, and introducing the GRO.  The cadets then did a March Past for everyone. 

The GRO gave a brief congratulatory speech to the cadets for looking good in their uniforms and marching in unison.  He also thanked me for giving him the opportunity to participate.

The parade continued with the presentation of badges, awards, and promotions.  Marksmanship badges were the first on the list.  The corps runs a marksmanship program throughout the year on weekends where cadets shoot air pellet rifles at paper targets.  Badges are awarded based on accuracy.  There are 4 levels: Level 1 is the lowest & Level 4 is the highest.  This time, one cadet received a Level 1, six cadets received Level 2, two cadets received Level 3, and three cadets received Level 4.  It’s very impressive to achieve Level 4 so quickly.  The real challenge is maintaining that level of skill for the remainder of the year.  Each cadet received their badge and had their picture taken with the GRO.

Junior Biathlon shooters.

Senior Biathlon shooters.

I announced the eight cadets who were selected for this year’s biathlon team and instructed them to come to the front to be publicly recognized.  I held a tryout competition last month and selected 4 junior cadets & 4 senior cadets based on the highest scores.  The competition will take place early next year.

A cadet who attended summer camp at Whitehorse had an article written about them in Nunavut News.  I called them up to the front to receive a laminated copy of the article and to congratulate them for successfully completing the course.

The next four awards were from the Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) Parade in May, but I called the recipients again to place their engraved name plates on the plaques & trophies.  They also had their pictures taken again with the awards.  The four awards are: Most Improved Cadet, Best Boots & Deportment, Top Female & Male Athletes, and Top Cadet.  I order the name plates much later because when selecting cadets, I review everything up until the ACR, so it’s too late to order & receive the name plates before the actual parade.

From MWO to CWO.

The last part of the presentations were promotions.  There were five promotions this time.  Three corporals were promoted to the rank of master-corporal, a senior-junior rank, if that makes sense.  One master-corporal cadet was promoted to the rank of sergeant, a junior-senior rank.  And one master warrant officer (MWO) was promoted to the highest rank of the cadet program, chief warrant officer (CWO).  This was probably the highlight of the parade because it’s been many years since 3045 had a CWO.  The size of the corps usually determines if a CWO is needed.  The choice was between two MWOs.

In my closing remarks, I thanked the corps sponsors, the audience for attending & supporting the corps, the teacher for being the GRO, and the cadets for putting on a good show.  I also made a few announcements on what’s coming up for the cadets.

The newly promoted cadet CWO led the cadets in the Advance In Review Order and General Salute.  I marched out of the gym with the GRO following behind me.  The cadets were then dismissed.

The cadets & I moved to the back of the gym for a group photo.  We then moved on to reception.  Reception lasted about 30 minutes.  The cadets & I then cleaned up the gym & put everything away.  I held a quick debriefing with the cadets before letting the CWO dismiss them for the night.

Snow, Freezers, & A Hide

Warning: This blog post contains images that some readers may find graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.

Heavy snow blanketed Arctic Bay in early October, signaling the start of winter.  The calendar may say winter begins in mid-December, but up here, when falling snow no longer melts when it immediately touches the ground, it’s winter.  The snowplows come out to make the roads passable and people begin driving their snowmobiles.  The waterways are still open and won’t begin freezing until the end of October.  The boaters still have time to hunt.

The Northern Store began replacing their old fridges & freezers on October 6, removing them from the back of store, leaving behind large open spaces.  They were close to 2 decades old.  Staff cleaned the space before the contractors began installing the new fridges & freezers.  The new large & heavy appliances were transported to the community by ship in several sea containers.  It must have taken some time & several hands to move the appliances from the containers into the store.  I wasn’t present when they were moved into place, but everyone was happy to see them installed and running.  They give the store a newer modern look.  The whole job took about a week & a half.

Inuujaq School held its first Perfect Attendance Awards assembly on October 8.  Classes were called down to the gym in the afternoon to publicly recognize students who achieved perfect attendance for the month of September.  Students were called from each class to receive a certificate, gift card, and have their photo taken.  I was the photographer.  School absenteeism is an issue that occurs at every school.  It’s not unique to Nunavut.  There are many factors that prevent students from attending regularly.  Recognizing students with perfect attendance is but one initiative Inuujaq School uses to encourage students to remain in school & complete their education.  Truth be told, I never received a perfect attendance award when I was school.  Stuff happens.

A student support assistant (SSA) successfully caught a polar bear in early October after being drawn for a tag.  She caught it not too far from the community.  She brought the hide to school to show students how its cleaned and skinned. 

Each Nunavut community annually receives a set number of polar bear tags that Inuit can apply for.  The tags are distributed by (free) lottery.  A small number of tags are set aside for non-Inuit sports hunters who come up throughout the year.  They’re usually the wealthy hunters because of the high costs attached to the hunt.  The polar bear tag alone is around $20,000 CAD, and you’re required to hire at least 2 local Inuit guides.  You also have to pay for gas, oil, food, equipment, & labour, and it’s possible to be out on the land for up to a week or more.  Total expenses can reach as high as $50,000 CAD.  The sports hunters usually give the polar bear to the community after the hunt, but if they want to take it with them, they’ll need to acquire a permit from the local Hunters & Trappers Organization office.

I should point out that polar bears are not endangered.  They’re listed as a “vulnerable species”.  They may look cute & majestic from afar, but up close, they’re super dangerous to humans.  They see us as food.  Nunavut communities have been asking for the set number of polar bear tags be increased because they’ve noticed more polar bears hanging around communities.  If a polar bear is killed in self-defence, the nearest community loses a tag.  That lowers the amount the community can hand out to Inuit who want to hunt polar bears for sustenance & clothing.   

The polar bear hide was laid out on flattened cardboard boxes and was still a little bloody.  Gloves, paper towels, ulus (knives), and flat boards were brought.  Teachers were informed they could bring their classes at specific times to observe and even participate in cleaning the hide.  I dropped in for a visit when the Grade 3 class were present.  I took several photos, observed the lesson, and then return to the main office.  The hide will be used to make clothing.

TFR & OSD

The annual Terry Fox Run (TFR) occurs on September 14.  It’s a “non-competitive charity event held around the world to raise money for cancer research in commemoration of Canadian cancer activist Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope.” 

The late great Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with the goal of running across Canada to raise money for cancer research.  He was hoping to raise at least $1 for each Canadian.  (The population of Canada was around 24 million at the time).  He ran a full marathon every day and gained national attention when he entered the province of Ontario.  Sadly, he was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, because cancer had returned and spread to his lungs.  By this point, he had run 5,373 kilometres over 143 days and raised $1.7 million.  Donations continued to come in and by April 1981, over $23 million had been raised.  Tragically, Terry didn’t recover and passed away on June 28, 1981, at the young age of 22.  His determination & legacy lives on in the hearts of many, and he continues to inspire people & causes, one of them being the Terry Fox Run.

The name Terry Fox is well known in Arctic Bay.  The Terry Fox Pass monument sits on the Road to Nanisivik and was established in 1980s by the Polar Pacers and the Midnight Marathoners.  Terry’s mother, Betty, attended the commemoration ceremony of the monument in 1981.  His younger brother once worked as a summer student at the former Nanisivik Mine. 

September 14 happened on a Saturday this year, so Inuujaq School couldn’t hold a school event that day.  We instead held it on the afternoon of September 17.  Teachers were encouraged to do lessons & activities about Terry Fox and how cancer affects everyone in Nunavut & beyond.  It would be nice if all forms of cancer (around 200) never existed, but unfortunately, that’s not how it is.  Progress has been made in detection, prevention, and treatment, thus increasing the survival rate, but a universal cure still isn’t available.  Hopefully that’ll happen very soon.

The afternoon assembly in the gym began at 1:45pm.  The principal did a short speech about Terry Fox.  This was followed by two brief biographical videos about Terry.  Maps of 3 walk/run courses were then shown for teachers & students before they went outside to participate.  (I had previously distributed laminated maps to the teachers).  The courses followed the roads and were organized according to distance (short, medium, long).  Elementary grades did the short course, middle school did the medium course, and high school did the long course.  All classes were instructed to return to the gym for snacks.  A few staff members & I stayed behind to set up snacks in the gym.  Snacks consisted of Bannock & juice boxes.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day (OSD), occurs every September 30, and is a day “of memorial to recognize the atrocities and multi-generational effects of the Canadian Indian residential school system.”  OSD was first observed in 2013 and comes from the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad, who wore an orange shirt to her first day at school at St. Joseph Mission.  She was stripped of her clothes, including the new orange shirt her grandmother bought her for school, and never returned.  “The orange shirt now symbolizes how the residential school system took away the indigenous identities of its students.” 

Orange shirts were distributed to students & staff on September 25.  Teachers & students did lessons & activities related to residential schools.  The younger grades read Phyllis Webstad’s book, Phyllis’s Orange Shirt.  An afternoon assembly was held in the gym on September 27.  We did it three days before because September 30 is a holiday and there’s no school.  Everyone wore orange shirts.  I began the assembly with a short speech about residential schools, Phyllis Webstad, the orange shirt, and reconciliation efforts.  This was followed by a Minute of Silence.  I then played two videos about OSD.  Classes then had their pictures taken. 

Every went outside behind the school after the assembly to enjoy a barbecue.  Several teachers & high school students set up the food station & began preparing food during the assembly.  It took some time to get everyone served, but at least they went home with full stomachs.  The barbecue lasted until the end of school.  Several high school students stayed behind to help teachers clean up the food station and put away the equipment.

Every Child Matters.