Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is Gilday Day, as declared by the mayor of Yellowknife, and I am pleased to see Members wearing red to honour Michael.
Today at 4:00 a.m., I joined a gathering of Northerners who overnighted at the Yellowknife Fieldhouse to cheer on Michael Gilday in his Olympic debut. Every athlete at these Olympic Games is a champion and Michael is no exception. His years of dedication, hard work and perseverance is reflected in his ability to compete with the best in the world.
Michael’s individual achievements are impressive and we are proud of them. While speed skating may appear to be a competition between individuals, Michael’s success shows that speed skating is, in fact, a team sport.
At 140 skaters, the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club is the largest in Canada. For 35 years athletes have figured prominently in the Arctic Winter Games, Western Canada Games, Canadian and world championships. Clearly, there are some very special, dedicated people supporting our speed skaters. From parents to coaches, volunteers, communities and sponsors, right down to the Zamboni operators, all are part of this Olympic achievement.
Locally, I would like to mention Shane Clark, head coach; and Karin Clark, president of the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club; Pam Dunbar, Michael’s
mother, president of the NWT Speed Skating Association and David Gilday, his dad, a long-time coach and a huge force in the NWT speed skating world.
Benefits ripple through our society. A Michael Gilday T-shirt signed by the Canadian Men’s Speed Skating Team auctioned Saturday night raised $2,900 for the Yellowknife Community Foundation. The community all-nighter at the Fieldhouse was festooned with red T-shirts designed by Sarah Erasmus of Erasmus Apparel. The sale of over 300 “I’m on Michael’s Team” T-shirts enabled the donation of $3,000 in profits to Kid Sport NWT. I’m proud to say that all these officials and Sarah are Weledeh constituents.
We are proud of Michael Gilday and fellow Olympian Northerners Brendan Green and Jesse Cockney competing in Sochi this week. Please join me in celebrating their accomplishments and honouring the NWT-wide families and volunteers who help our athletes on their path to success. Mahsi.
