All wearing their Team Yukon hoodies, hundreds of athletes filled the Yukon Arts Centre Thursday evening for the Arctic Winter Games pep rally.

The team will be travelling to the Northwest Territories this weekend for the 2018 Games.

Competitors in 19 different sports will be representing the territory in Hay River and Fort Smith, N.W.T and were sent off with words of advice and wisdom from Arctic Winter Games medallist and Olympian Knute Johnsgaard.

Ski coach Pavlina Sudrich, who won a bronze ulu in 2000 in cross-country skiing, greeted the theatre of eager athletes – who were also hungry since the food didn’t arrive and was delayed until after the ceremony. She played a trick on the competitors saying she was there instead of Johnsgaard, but moments later he stepped out onto the stage after flying in from Ontario where he competed with the Yukon ski team at the ski nationals.

Johnsgaard shared stories from his three Games experiences, starting with his first one in 2002 where he didn’t qualify for the ski team in his own age category, but was able to compete up a level.

Both Johnsgaard and Sudrich shared stories of trading and bartering clothing and pins with the eight other regions.

Funny stories aside, the Olympian sent the team off with parting words of wisdom for the competition.

“You just got to expect the unexpected and just be prepared for anything,” he said. “You just got to be able to roll with it and just stay cool because everything always works itself out.”

Community Services Minister John Streicker was also on hand and gave an extra recognition to the small contingent of athletes from outside Whitehorse.

“Over the next week you’ll be challenged and will learn about your sport and about yourself, what you’re capable of when you dig deep and challenge yourself,” Streicker said to the sea of red and black sweaters. “Who knows how far these Games will take you.

“Whatever the outcome of the Games, this moment is yours.”

Streicker announced the flag bearer leading the 340-athlete contingent into the opening ceremonies of the Games on Sunday.

In her third AWG, female hockey player Maddie Nicholson was chosen as the flag bearer for the team.

Nicholson, 17, represented the territory for the first time when she was just 11-years-old and for the past two seasons has been playing hockey in B.C. with the Shawinigan Lake School Prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. This season, Nicholson had 10 points in 21 games for her team.

“Yukon is still home though and she is proud and excited to be playing for Yukon once again, this time as one of the older, more experienced players,” Streicker said while Nicholson waved the Yukon flag to the cheers of her fellow teammates.

The pep rally ended with a performance from the Yukon’s cultural dance group who will be performing throughout the Games. They will also be performing in the Cultural Gala performance at the end of the week.

Training and practices for most sports is on Sunday with competition beginning for speedskating. Competition will span until the following Saturday.

In the 2016 Games in Nuuk, Greenland, the team finished second in the standings to Alaska. The Yukon team took home 100 medals – 23 gold, 41 silver and 36 bronze. Rather than medals, the athletes are awarded ulus – the only competition in the world where these are the top prize.