'Really fast and really skilled': Nunavut Fury empowers girls at Rankin Inlet hockey camp
Around 70 athletes attended the camp, said non-profit's program director
About 70 girls from around Nunavut were in Rankin Inlet over the weekend for a hockey camp, aimed at empowering female players – and building a team for the next Arctic Winter Games.
"Girls hockey is on the rise in the territory," said Maxwell Joy, an Iqaluit resident and the director of programs for the Nunavut Fury Hockey Association, a new non-profit organization that aims to "change the game" for girls hockey in the territory.
"We're really looking to build off that momentum."
The five-day girls camp and territorial tournament was put on by Nunavut Fury with help from Hockey Nunavut, the Rankin Inlet Minor Hockey Association, and Ilitaqsiniq, from Wednesday to Sunday.
Joy said about 70 girls from the under-13 to under-18 levels attended the event. Hockey Nunavut said in an email 80 people attended in total, including athletes, coaches and chaperones from nine communities. It involved on-ice skills development, team-building, and female empowerment sessions.
Joy used to play hockey at a high level until he experienced a career-ending injury. After he recovered, he started coaching a girls team within the Iqaluit Amateur Hockey Association, and after getting certified by Hockey Canada began coaching the girls team at the Arctic Winter Games as well.
He's seen how girls don't get the same opportunities in the sport – and that's something Nunavut Fury hopes to change.
"We've seen for years that girls in the territory haven't had access to the same opportunities as boys. Things like less ice time, fewer development opportunities … and fewer chances to compete at a high level."
Joy said Nunavut Fury aims to break down "hyper-masculine ideals" around hockey and to create safer spaces for girls who want to play competitive hockey in all Nunavut communities.
Ayva-Lin Noah, a hockey player on the amateur girls team in Iqaluit, was preparing to head to the camp in Rankin Inlet when CBC News spoke with her. She said she was excited about all of the ice time she'd get, and said the five-day event would help show off the level she and other female athletes can play at.
"A lot of the girls are really, really fast and really, really skilled," she said, adding that they're "right up there" with the male athletes. "It's going to have an amazing impact."
With files from Mah Noor Mubarik