Team Alaska Wins Hodgson Trophy as Arctic Winter Games Concludes
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Team Alaska was awarded the prestigious Hodgson Sportsmanship Trophy at Saturday’s Closing Ceremonies of the 21st biannual Arctic Winter Games in Grande Prairie. The Hodgson Trophy is the only award besides the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Ulu medals awarded in individual and team sporting events.
Named in honor of Commissioner S.M. Hodgson of the Northwest Territories, one of the founders of the Arctic Winter Games, the Hodgson Trophy recognizes team-wide good sportsmanship, fair play, and respect for the philosophy behind the Arctic Winter Games.
The Hodgson Trophy itself is a beautiful Inuit carving made up of a six-foot tall narwhal tusk. A carved walrus is wrapped around the tusk at its base and symbolically reaching for the top is a carved bear.
This is the third time Team Alaska has won this coveted award since its inception in 1978. Alaska’s recognition is made more remarkable by the fact that Team Alaska also dominated the Ulu medal count winning 241 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Ulus (local host Team Alberta North was second with 140 total Ulu medals). “This was a total surprise,” says John Estle Chef de Mission for Team Alaska. “Usually winning lots of medals is the kiss of death for winning the Hodgson Sportsmanship Trophy.”
363 young Alaska athletes traveled from more than 45 Alaska communities to make up Team Alaska and participate in the Arctic Winter Games. The Games are a high profile circumpolar sport competition for northern and Arctic athletes. The Arctic Winter Games provide an opportunity to develop young athletes, promote the benefits of sport, build partnerships, and promote and share northern cultures.
In this 21st Arctic Winter Games, teams competed from Alaska, Alberta North, Greenland, Nunavik (Northern Quebec), Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Russia (Yamal-Nenet Region of northwest Siberia), Samiland (Sami region of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia), and the Yukon Territory.
At the Arctic Winter Games, Alaskan and other young circumpolar athletes competed in 20 sports plus cultural events including Ice Hockey, Cross Country Skiing, Dog Mushing, Curling, Basketball, Soccer, and traditional Dene (Athabascan) and Inuit competitions.
Team Alaska is the official representative of the State of Alaska at the international Arctic Winter Games. Its mission is to promote and integrate athletic and cultural activities for the youth of Alaska with the youth of the circumpolar north.