By Alex Soloducha

VIDEO: Winter relay challenge a hit at SIAST

Mar 20, 2014 | 5:03 PM

SIAST students gathered Thursday to participate in the second annual Woodland Winter Relay Challenge.

There were nine events including pack running, freight hauling, cross-country skiing, 2X4 country skiing, snowshoeing, log cutting, log throwing, log crosser and fire starting/water boil.

Lucas Smith was participating in fire starting for the team from the corrections course.

“I believe it’s still firmly ingrained in our Saskatchewan culture and a lot of people up north still do this kind of stuff… it’s still common,” said Smith.

Before they started their heat, Smith predicted that his team would come out on top, “Heck yes we are, look at our team, we’re awesome,” he said.

SIGA

SIGA and Northern Lights Casino main sponsors of the 31st PAGC Fine Arts Festival

9h ago

Workplace incident

City of Prince Albert pleads guilty to workplace safety violation, handed fines

11h ago

Lighting it up

P.A.'s Zablocki leads Regina to victory on Day 4 at Esso Cup

Apr 24, 2024

Miranda Morin was on the same team. She said she’s been in similar events for Scouts Canada and she was happy her classmates would get to try it as well.

“I’ve had a lot of experience with most of the things in the relay … plus I like participating with the class a lot, I’m really close with all my classmates,” said Morin.

For her, she said it’s a good opportunity for people to learn these traditions.

“I think it’s very important … There’s a lot of knowledge to learn,” said Morin. “I think it’s a lot of fun. People will have fun, I know it.”

According to Morin, the people on her team (from corrections) are very competitive in nature. Luckily, they were almost two minutes ahead of every other team’s final time.

One of the organizers, Holly Rivet, said the event is sponsored by the Aboriginal Student Achievement Plan (ASAP).

“The idea of the event is to honour the Aboriginal heritage and to do it in the spirit of a northern pioneer, so that’s why we have some of the King Trapper kind of events,” said Rivet.

She said they wanted to support Aboriginal culture in the school and provide activities that would allow students to try some skills still used in the north today, and from this idea their committee formed a relay race.

There were 10 teams and 100 participants this year, double from last year, and many other students and staff came out to watch the events in the snowy weather.

“It’s been an awesome success so far,” said Rivet, who added she’s already looking forward to next year’s relay.

news@panow.com

On Twitter @alex_soloducha