Biathlon 2020 – Part 4

Due to unexplained reasons, we only received the provisional results of the relay races.  All the times were posted but they weren’t organized.  Maybe the Canmore Nordic Centre needed the Judges Building earlier than expected and requested the military to vacate right away?  Whatever the reasons, we were assured the selections for the National Biathlon Competition would be made in a few days.  I’m sure we could have figured them out ourselves, but that would have required a lot of time.  And the bus arrived to take us back to Edmonton.

            

The coach bus was spacious and came with a washroom.  The bus was filled with teams from Edmonton and the Territories.  The drive took about four hours.  We were all thankful the bus driver let us stop at a roadside Tim Hortons halfway.  My four cadets & I were the first ones to get off the bus.  The military had reserved rooms for us at a hotel near the Edmonton Airport.  We said our goodbyes and thanked the driver for giving us a lift.  We checked in for the night.  I celebrated the end of the competition and the beginning of the journey home with a steak dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. 

            

January 27 was a long travel day.  The day began in the early morning, checking out of the hotel and taking a taxi to the airport.  The terminal was surprisingly busy.  Thankfully, the line through security was short when we got there.  We made it to the gate on time and boarded our flight.

            

Flight to Rankin Inlet.

We landed in Yellowknife at 9:50am, 10 minutes later than scheduled.  We only had 20 minutes to make it to our next flight.  What happened next was slightly humourous in my opinion.  We exited the plane, stepped onto the tarmac, and were directed to the terminal.  On the way, we walked by the Summit First Air plane that was going to take us to Rankin Inlet.  Why not just let us board the plane now instead of making us go through the terminal, I wondered?  We entered the building and quickly found the gate for the Rankin Inlet flight.  Boarding commenced just as we arrived.  We exited the terminal and boarded the flight.  Our time inside the terminal was less than 10 minutes.

            

Somewhere between Yellowknife & Rankin Inlet.

Snow in Rankin Inlet.

The flight to Rankin Inlet was uneventful.  I was a little worried about this travel route because Rankin Inlet is prone to blizzards and high winds.  If the plane were to land and then become stranded, we would have to overnight.  Of course, the flight could also be forced to stay in Rankin Inlet if a blizzard were to strike Iqaluit.  Blizzards are a common occurrence in Iqaluit at this time of year.  I would just have to hope for the best.  The plane landed in Rankin Inlet.  Sure enough, wind was present, confirmed by the snow being blown across the paved runway.  We waited in the terminal for two hours.  The plane was refueled and restocked with food.  The terminal was built in 1996 and is finally getting an upgrade & expansion.  Two new wings will be added, increasing capacity by four.  The expansion was well underway when we were there.

            

Rankin Inlet from the air.

We boarded the same plane again and flew to Iqaluit.  We arrived in the late afternoon.  The Iqaluit air cadets were met by their parents in the Arrivals Area.  They picked up their luggage and said their goodbyes to us.  My remaining two cadets & I picked up our stuff and took a cab to the Frobisher Inn.  Iqaluit’s shortage of hotel rooms was on display.  There was a very long line at the front desk.  A large portion of people in line were attached to the military in a civilian capacity.  I think they were on their way to Resolute Bay but their flight got cancelled and the military was trying to find hotel rooms for the night.  (Don’t quote me on this).  In the end, the officer-in-charge split the group in half.  Half stayed at the Frobisher while the other half went to a different hotel.  Our rooms were reserved weeks in advance. 

            

Me & Qapik.

I was back the airport with the two cadets the next day.  Our flight was scheduled for the afternoon.  We met Qapik Attagutsiak in the Elders Lounge.  She was also returning to Arctic Bay. She & her daughter, Kataisee, were in Ottawa for a special ceremony.  Qapik was honoured for her contributions during the Second World War at the Canadian Museum of History, located in Hull, Quebec.  (The French speaking city is located just across the river from Ottawa).  The ceremony coincided with the 75^th anniversary of the end of the war and was part of Parks Canada’s Hometown Heroes initiative.  The community-based initiative began in 2015 and “honours [the] men and women who defended Canadian values, and contributed to the cause of freedom during the world wars.” 

The ceremony was attended by Johnathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment & Climate Change, David Akeeagok, Deputy Premier of Nunavut, Lieutenant-General Wayne Eyre, and hundreds of people.  The ceremony was blessed “by Elder Simon Brascoupé from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation,” and featured “traditional throat singing[,] drum dancing[, and] military music.” 

Qapik “is the last known surviving Inuk ‘bone collector’.”  During the war, Inuit were “encouraged to salvage animal fat [and the bones of] walrus[es], seal[s], and dog[s.]  These were shipped to processing plants in the south where the were transformed into glycerin, munitions, aircraft glue, and fertilizer.”  For her efforts, she was presented a large “inunnguat (and inuksuk-like figure in the shape of a human) covered with drawings made by local school children”.  I wish I was there.  You can read more in-depth coverage of the event in the following links:

APTN National News – ‘A living human treasure’ . . .

CBC News North – Inuk [E]lder honoured for helping home front during WWII

News Wire – The Government of Canada honours Inuk Elder Qapik Attagutsiak as Hometown Hero

Park Canada – Hometown Heroes: Qapik Attagutsiak

Wikipedia – Qapik Attagutsiak

(Extra) - Virtual Museum.ca – Qapik Attagutsiak, Arctic Bay, 1984.

I asked Qapik if I could have my picture taken with her, to which she replied “Yes,” in Inuktitut.  Kataisee translated my request and took the picture.  I was glad she said yes because I missed the opportunity in 2015 when I brought her freshly chiseled ice.

Blizzard at the Iqaluit Airport.

Somewhere in this picture there is a snowplow.

A blizzard suddenly appeared, enveloping the entire airport in a whiteout.  Several departure delay announcements were made, followed by the cancellation of all flights.  We were all stranded in the big city until the following day.  We all returned to the Arrivals Area to collect our baggage.  I quickly informed my military superiors in Winnipeg & my principal in Arctic Bay.  The principal said he would find a supply teacher to cover my classes.  The sudden cancellations created a mad dash to reserve the few remaining hotel rooms in the city.  Winnipeg was unable to reserve any for us, but thankfully, the cadets had relatives in town.  They were able to contact them and make arrangements for an overnight stay.  I had keys to my brother’s apartment.  Winnipeg approved Plan B.  The cadets & I agreed to meet back at the airport at noon the next day.  (Qapik & Kataisee were able to reserve a room at the Frobisher Inn).

The blizzard was gone the next day (January 29).  The sky was clear and the sun was shining above Iqaluit.  The cadets & I checked in our luggage and went to the same gate.  The same people were there, waiting to board the flight to Arctic Bay.  The flight was guaranteed to leave Iqaluit but landing in Arctic Bay was subject to weather.  If the plane couldn’t land, it would continue to Resolute Bay and we would have to overnight.  Winter flying in Nunavut, I said to myself while shaking my head.  We all boarded the plane hoping for the best.  (Qapik & Kataisee boarded first).

           

Luck was on our side.  Despite several low hanging clouds around the airport, the pilots were able to land the plane.  The Arctic Bay passengers breathed sighs of relief, glad to finally be home.  The luggage and skiing equipment were brought out to the front of the terminal by the ground crew.  I took possession of the skiing equipment and paid the local taxi to drive me to the school’s gym.  It was a Wednesday and cadets had just begun.  The cadets were surprised to see me.  They thought I would go home and sleep.  Unbeknownst to them, I secretly wanted to, but I changed my mind because leaders are supposed to lead by example.  The two biathlon cadets arrived later and briefly talked about their experiences.  Near the end of the training night, I showed the corps a few pictures & vids of the trip.

            

We covered a lot of ground in our travels.

Overall, the trip was fantastic despite the travel delays.  We travelled across the entire country.  Almost.  I revisited the West Edmonton Mall & Canmore after a long period of absence, and saw how Alberta runs a biathlon competition.  Three days later, I was informed the four cadets I coached/escorted were selected to represent the Territories at the National Biathlon Competition in Valcartier, Quebec.

End of Biathlon 2020 Mini-Series.