In the flexihall at the Canada Games Centre, small groups gather two apparatuses.

They take turns running and jumping at the small hanging ball, sometimes with one foot, others with two. Occasionally they start from the floor, contorted in a crab shape, their faces brushing the hardwood.

One group is made up of teenagers, they play music from a small bluetooth speaker as they make their passes, the other is made up of kids and their coach, Colin Hickman, who is introducing them to Arctic sports.

Arctic Sports from Whitehorse Star Sports on Vimeo.

“Arctic sports are traditional Inuit games that are played throughout the Circumpolar North,” says Hickman.

Historically, he says, “The main purposed of the games was to prepare to live on the land, certain hunting skills, prepare the body, as well there were lots of games that were just done for entertainment purposes.”

Hickman was first introduced to Arctic games in 2014. There was a lack of coaches able to take athletes to participate at the Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks that year.

Hickman stepped in. Although he didn’t have any experience with Arctic games, he did know how to coach and he’s been involved ever since.

One of his original athletes, Fayne O’Donovan, was at the practice on Tuesday night. She’s been to four Arctic Winter Games. In 2014 and 2016 she went for Arctic sports.

O’Donovan was a bronze medallist last winter in the sport.

Her favourite part is the supportive community.

“Everybody helps each other out in the sport,” she says. “It’s kind of cool that way.”

Her best events are the one-foot high kick and the one-arm. She likes how technical the one-arm is and how you can see yourself improving at each height.

Hickman likens the games to athletics events in that there are tests of strength, distance and endurance.

Each game corresponds to different skills you would need if you were hunting or living off the land in the Arctic.

“These games would help your body prepare for the strenuous conditions, such as lifting meat off the ground, jumping from ice flow to ice flow,” he says. “They were games to have fun because there weren’t all these toys and entertainment that’s accessible like today. So most of these games would be done after hours to have fun with your friends.”

Every Tuesday Hickman is hosting drop-in time from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the CGC for those wanting to learn Arctic sports, or to practice.

He’s hoping to get more people interested so there are more athletes and coaches to attend competitions like the Arctic Winter Games, World Eskimo Indian Olympics and Native Youth Olympics.

The next session will be on Sept. 27 at the CGC.