Hello everybody,

It has been a while since I have written to you personally. You may remember the last time; I spoke to my experience dog sledding with my Zia (aunt) as well as some early observations from my first month in the Yukon.

In my last letter, I observed that the sports scene in Whitehorse is in great hands. There are dedicated coaching staffs, great youth involvement, and high caliber athletes.

As well it was noted that the dedication everyone has for his or her respective sports is inspiring, and that is something refreshing. Especially compared to the sports scene in my hometown (Hamilton), which was and probably still is, results driven, with little development focus on all the athletes.

Three months into living in Whitehorse these ideas have not changed, they continue to be reinforced every time I go and watch an event. I consider myself very lucky that for work I get to cover and watch all the talented athletes Whitehorse has to offer.

I am always amazed at the level in which all of you athletes compete at; it is easy to see the passion each and every one of you has for your discipline. You can hear it on the court, with the shouts of ‘let’s go’ or the yells after an amazing play is made. You can see it on the rink when players go to stick up for a teammate. It can be seen on the faces of all the athletes, that look of determination, you know the one? That look that says I’m trying my best, I’m giving it my full effort and no one can stop me until I succeed. It is awesome.

Another thing I would like to point out because it is absolutely a breath of fresh air is that it is so nice to see all the fans that come out to watch, family and friends, we see you and you deserve to get a shout out for that. You are one of the many reasons an athlete gets inspired and one of the reasons that an athlete pushes him or herself to their athletic best.

I say this is a breath of fresh air because in my high school athletic career no one came to watch our games outside of a few parents. My school’s population was 2,000 students and not a single one stayed to watch.

All the athletes out there, I encourage you to take a second and thank everyone that has come out to watch you. It is something really special that you’ve got going on up here. Also a quick shout out to all the fan signs I see everywhere, they are so creative and well done, keep it up and send me pictures of them, we can start running fan signs of the week.

Now I have been a sports fan my entire life, basketball and volleyball being my favourites, to play and watch. Over my three months here I have been exposed to sports I have only ever watched in the Olympics, such as figure skating, cross-country skiing, and synchronized swimming to name a few. I loved covering them all, and I look forward to learning more about all the sports as we head into the New Year.

Lastly, I would just like to say a big thank you to all of you in the sports community. I mentioned above that I believe myself to be a pretty lucky guy to get to cover your sports. It is an absolute honour and my pleasure to attend and watch your events and tournaments.

Thank you for always being so accessible and giving up your time to talk to me. Thank you for being so warm and welcoming towards me at the events, it means a lot, and you are all awesome.

Three months in the books in Whitehorse now I am looking forward to my first Christmas in Yukon.

To everyone in the community, I wish you all a very happy holiday to you and your families. Have fun, be safe and eat lots.

To the sports community, enjoy your few days off to regroup, recover and prepare to keep getting better in the New Year. See you all then.

Signed your sports editor.