Today I’d like to wish everyone Happy Valentine’s Day and, in my statement, highlight a sport that I love. I want to alert all Members of this House to an upcoming event that is sure to please and delight even the grumpiest among us.
The N.W.T. Power Corporation Junior Cager and Senior Cager Basketball Championships will be held in Yellowknife February 22 to 24 and February 29 to March 1. Members can go to any school in Yellowknife on either of these weekends and witness kids from communities across the North having fun and playing my favourite sport. Basketball rules!
Mr. Speaker, these two weekends will showcase both our upcoming athletes and our current star athletes. There will be competition in five different categories: grades 6, 7, and 8, under 15, and under 19. The tournament will showcase members of both the men’s and women’s 2008 Arctic Winter Games basketball teams competing, in this case, against each other, representing their home communities.
This is a big tournament, Mr. Speaker. For the 2007 championships, Yellowknife hosted 73 teams from communities across N.W.T. and Nunavut. More than 150 basketball games were played by more than 700 athletes, and all this was done on two weekends.
It is through the efforts of volunteers that these two weekends are successful, volunteers like Bill Burlington of Sir John Franklin High School, who has been teaching in the N.W.T. since the days when Pine Point was a vibrant community; volunteers like the numerous teachers and community members who coach these teams; and volunteers like the members of the Basketball N.W.T. organization who volunteer tirelessly before and during these championship weekends to ensure the kids have a great time and enjoy the competitions.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to acknowledge and applaud the corporate sponsorship of the N.W.T. Power Corporation, which recognizes the value of sport and what an active lifestyle can have for our young athletes. The Power Corp commitment to these tournaments ensures successful championships.
When the temperature drops past minus 30, a weekend of basketball will warm you up and create good memories. I have my own good memories from involvement in this sport as a player.
So, Mr. Speaker, dust off your sneakers, pick a gym, and cheer on your community’s team next weekend, February 22 to 24, and the following weekend, February 29 to March 1.
