Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to talk about young athletes, and Jeremy Jaud is a very impressive young athlete. I would like to talk about our speedskaters. This weekend, the NWT Speedskating Association is holding their territorial championships. There are 150 skaters involved in the Yellowknife club. They've been coached by very dedicated long-time coaches, Gay Kennedy and Dave McCann, who have been with the club for many, many years.
We also have a wave of the future. Three of the great young skaters in the club, Giny Wainwright, Dwight Pennington and Jamie Sanders are fantastic skaters and have taken certification courses with Sport North and are giving back to the sport, as coaches, so that the club continues. The Yellowknife Speedskating Club has held clinics in Igloolik, Fort Providence, Pangnirtung, Tuktoyaktuk, Norman Wells, Inuvik and in Aklavik. Last week, we had eight athletes at the Canada Winter Games
and everybody at the Winter Games were very impressed with the calibre of our athletes.
Speedskating is a wonderful sport for those who have ever seen it. Those kids skate like the wind. There are very simple rules: skate fast and turn left, at least that's what they tell me. It's a sport that can take place anywhere in the territories because all you really need is an arena, skates and a helmet. I understand that Pangnirtung is one example where it's really catching on and two kids from Pangnirtung are competing here at the championships. They are a really good bunch of kids and a good bunch of coaches, with tremendous camaraderie. I think the Yellowknife Speedskating Club is a great credit to the community.
The championships are being held at the Yellowknife Community Arena on Friday from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm and on Saturday from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Everybody is welcome. On behalf of the Legislative Assembly, I wish all the competitors well in the NWT championships. Thank you.
---Applause