Develop

Two young female NWT athletes, Raine Mingo and Emma Carey,  had the opportunity to attend the Play to Lead Summit in Edmonton over the weekend. 

The Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation’s Play to Lead initiative is making a significant impact by empowering young women to develop leadership skills and promoting gender equality and diversity in sports.

Both athletes were able to take part in sessions that helped develop their leadership skills while building lasting relationships with like-minded peers.  When asking Raine to reflect on the summit, she said “I had an incredible time at the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities Play to Lead Summit in Edmonton.  I’ve learned lots of new things and ways to bring back the sense of confidence and inclusion in the female athlete world.” Raine is appreciative of the valuable knowledge and strategies she gained at the conference, emphasizing the importance of confidence and inclusion for female athletes. This demonstrates the impact that Play to Lead has on participants’ understanding and ability to create positive change in the sports community.

Additionally, Emma was thankful for the personal growth and motivation she gained from the workshops.  ” All the workshops provided valuable lessons and motivation, benefiting my personal growth as both an individual, athlete and coach.  It is my wish to enhance my own abilities and empower young female athletes to pursue their passion for sports and promote gender equality and diversity in sports in the NWT”. It is heartening to see that Emma aspires not only to enhance her own abilities but also to empower other young female athletes in the North to pursue their passions and advocate for gender equity and diversity in sports.

The Play to Lead Summit not only offers valuable lessons and motivation but also encourages athletes to become change agents in their communities. By equipping young women with the tools they need to be leaders, Play to Lead is fostering a more inclusive and equitable sports environment.

Confident and competent board members build successful nonprofits. This board development series focuses on giving aspiring, new, and experienced individuals the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed. 

Register and reserve your spot in one (or all!) of the upcoming sessions!

REGISTER

September 27 – Conflict Competence

The daily conflict situations that we all experience present opportunities to grow our conflict competency muscles so that we can confidently engage in those difficult conversations. Join us to learn about the dynamics of conflict and resolution strategies to achieve a win-win result!  

October 25 – Financial Literacy

Dollars, statements, reporting, oh my! Organizational finances should not be frustrating or intimidating. Let us help you begin to understand the financial information of the organizations you serve.

November 29 – Board Basics

You are on a board! Now what? Join us as we help you understand what a board of directors is, what they do/why they exist, types of boards, board of director titles, and the role of officers. We will use the NWT SPAR sector as examples to introduce different terminology: bylaws, board roles & responsibilities, and governance.

January 31 – Being a Board Chair

We have all been in busy meetings, where it is hard to get to a place where a clear decision can be made and board frustration rises. The board chair plays a pivotal role in running effective meetings to avoid losing volunteers and getting on with the business. Join us for a moderated panel discussion with three seasoned chairs who will share their experience on tips and tricks for keeping everyone engaged, getting through meetings on time, and ensuring an effective team decision-making process.

February 28 – Risk Management

Risk is everywhere! Join us as we explore what risk is, different types of risk (financial, programming, reputational, governance, and human resources), and risk management strategies for your organization. 

March 28 – Effective Strategies

Today’s successful strategies are the ones that are deliberate, competitive, and able to adapt to the changing environment. Strategic adaptation must become an ongoing,   iterative process of hypothesis, experimentation, learning, and action. Join us to discuss the key elements of an effective strategy and the pitfalls to avoid ensuring your organization thrives!

April 25 – Financial Statements

Behind every set of numbers is a story waiting to be discovered. Let’s dive in to learn what tale your organization’s financial statements have to tell!

In collaboration with

Lead Dog Consulting

Lead Dog Consulting (LDC) was founded in 2017 to support not-for-profit organizations, volunteers, and staff avoid the pitfalls of volunteer burnout, financial trouble, and a dysfunctional organization. The Lead Dog Consulting team has broad experience in human resource management, governance, stakeholder engagement, risk management, employment law, financial management, and policy development. 

Supported by

We took the time to run a big outreach program in the Dehcho & Beaufort Delta region of the Northwest Territories. Visiting 7 communities in a three weeks period and providing National Coach Certification Program (NCCP) coaching sessions as well as Elders & Table Tennis and Community Table Tennis programming. We also provided communities with five professional Table Tennis tables and four youth sized tables.

The goal was to build capacity in the communities, provide equipment and have some fun playing Table Tennis. We trained a total of seven Community Coaches and certified one Introduction to Competition Coach throughout our travels. And we took advantage of this amazing opportunity to introduce ourselves and build a connection with the schools and recreation departments of the communities.

Ulukhaktok

Tuktoyaktuk

Fort McPherson

Tsiigehtchic

Inuvik

Wrigley

Fort Simpson

Now it is up to us to continue the support and communicate directly to our new trained coaches and to those we connected with. Our goal is to continue the relationship virtually and planning more trips to the communities in the near future. Trying to get as many youth involved as possible in preparation for the 2023 Canada Winter Games and the 2023 Arctic Winter Games.

A huge thank you to the GNWT’s Municipality and Community Affairs as well as Sport Canada in making this project happen. Without amazing partners this would not be possible.

There are now weekly Table Tennis sessions in most communities and we are looking forward in what the future will bring. If you like us to connect with one of the coaches in the community, learn more about Table Tennis or would like to know when and where to play, let us know and send us an e-mail [email protected].

Judo NWT and Table Tennis North, with the help and support of NWT’s Municipality and Community Affairs, the Mackenzie Recreation Association and Sport Canada, started a pilot project to bring a blended learning approach to small communities as well as building capacity.

Table Tennis

We started the project off with running a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Table Tennis course in the community. The idea was to get someone to help us from the community with our program. Over a two weeks span, we then provided both in person and virtual Table Tennis sessions to the grades 2/3, 4/5 and 6/7 of Deh Gah School in Fort Providence. Each session was between 35-45min long. All sessions included Aerobic Table Tennis as warm up and then training on eye-hand coordinator, racket skills, fun games and exercises on the table.

The sessions that we provided virtually were hosted by Canadian National Team Athletes from British Columbia and Ontario. As warm up they used Aerobic Table Tennis and then went into fun games and rackets skills.

Judo

Judo sessions started on Monday and Tuesday’s in person and on Wednesday’s virtually. The routine for each session did not change, what made it much easier for the kids to follow when it came to Wednesday’s. A few of the kids also participated in the after school program on Monday and got some additional training. Those that came were able to support others in our Wednesday session that was hosted virtually.

We are definitely proud of all the classes and the kids participating in the sessions. Teachers helped, supported and participated on the matt.

“What an amazing opportunity to build capacity in the community and provide programming in person and virtually. It works. Let’s continue and provide quality programs like this to small communities of the Northwest Territories” says Table Tennis North’s Executive Director Thorsten Gohl.

The programming will continue in Fort Providence for both sports. Table Tennis is available 3 times during the week at 5pm with our new Community Coach Neilson. Judo will continue on Monday’s in the after school program and on Wednesday during Physical Education classes virtually.

“Amazing things will come from this” says Thorsten Gohl with a big smile on his face. We are looking forward to continue this partnership and the blended learning approach in Fort Providence.

We are excited to continue our partnership with the Richmond Olympic Oval. Providing amazing webinars on Fitness, Nutrition and Mental Performance to our Table Tennis community, Territorial Sport Organizations and the Table Tennis Canada family.

Here are our upcoming sessions:

Strength & Conditioning February 3rd & 10th, 2022 at 12pm MST
Mental Performance March 10th & 24th, 2022 at 12pm MST
Nutrition February 24th & March 17th, 2022 at 12pm MST

If you like to connect directly, here is the information: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83784013290?pwd=L1Y5aTFZMzNJbGVMNFNET1FJU1ZuZz09 
Meeting ID: 837 8401 3290
Passcode: 191438

If you have any questions or need more information, please e-mail [email protected] and/or check our website for any updates and recordings.

Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, August 23, 2021 – Table Tennis North, in partnership with Table Tennis Canada, recently hosted an interactive workshop raising awareness about National Indigenous Peoples Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the new statutory holiday commemorating the tragic legacy of residential schools in Canada.

“The purpose behind it was very simple; we want to create a message from the Territorial and National Sport Organizations to highlight the importance of those days with the voice of the athletes,” said Thorsten Ghol, Executive Director for Table Tennis North. “It is essential that we support our athletes and their growth in the sport of table tennis, and reduce barriers to sports participation.”

Special guest Greg Henhawk, Mohawk of the Bear Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Southern Ontario, interacted with participants about land acknowledgement, sharing circles, treaties, and modern Indigenous peoples vocabulary. A second learning session is scheduled at the end of September to celebrate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and commemorate the legacy of residential schools across the country.

Table Tennis North is a not-for profit organization that supports, promotes and develops an active, healthy and fun environment with the sport of Table Tennis in the Northwest Territories.

Over a 12-week program, Table Tennis North and Richmond Olympic Oval offered fitness, nutrition and mental performance training sessions to youth, sports enthusiasts, athletes, and coaches in the North and across the country. Since March 2021, weekly fitness sessions were held virtually on Zoom every Saturday mornings, and mental performance & nutrition webinars were offered on a bi-weekly on Saturday at 11am, also via ZOOM.

“The Richmond Oval High Performance Team is excited about the dynamic evolution of this integrated service program with Table Tennis North. Accessibility to training services and facilities has been a challenge over the past year but also opened up the incredible opportunity to support athletes and teams in the Northern Regions of Canada virtually.

We want to thank Table Tennis North for the opportunity to be involved and are looking forward to seeing how we at the Richmond Olympic Oval can continue to support athletes as they pursue their goals regardless of their geographic location.” – Richmond Olympic Oval

Athletes from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and even Québec came together and participated in the weekly sessions. Being active in the fitness program and adapting this to the sport of Table Tennis as well as understanding the importance of Mental Performance and Nutrition in sports, but also day to day life.

The participants had a lot to say about this new webinar series:

Team NT athlete Nikhilesh: “It is a cool experience and I wanted to train with other athletes virtually. I enjoyed it like it was. It does not overwork us. It is the perfect fit and it challenges us to give our best. It was a little bit different to do it virtually, but still great to participate in.”

Canadian National Team Athlete Sophie: “My favourite part was learning new things. I never had classes like that, so I can apply it to my daily life even after this program. Doing it once a week does not overwork us, but still makes us work every week. Virtually was good as the teachers adopted to the classes. And it made me train, even for times when I did not want to train.”

Team Yukon Athlete Krish: “I enjoyed it like it was. It does not overwork us. It is the perfect fit and it challenges us to give our best. It was a little bit different to do it virtually, but still great to participate in.”

“It was amazing to work with the staff of the Richmond Olympic Oval,” said Thorsten Gohl, Executive Director of Table Tennis North. “From Ashley managing the program, Emily doing the weekly fitness classes, Scott and Evan alternating with the Mental Performance and Nutrition sessions. Everyone was very professional, well planed and made it easy for our participants to have the best experience possible.”

Table Tennis North will expand the program to open it up for more athletes to join in and prepare for upcoming multi-sport games like the 2023 Arctic Winter Games, the 2023 Canada Winter Games and the 2024 Arctic Winter Games. Including our athletes in taking part of our webinars and sharing their stories from a participant perspective is key to the success of our webinar series.

Table Tennis athletes will each be receiving a personalized training plan to work on through the summer that I will be monitoring and updating as we go. The idea is to keep them active and engaged, while still helping them to progress towards their multi-sport goals. The hope for these online programs is that our athletes can continue to see more strength and agility gains through the summer so that coming back in the fall isn’t such a shock to their bodies and they can start out at a higher level for the coming training season! 

We are very grateful working with Yukon Table Tennis and the Richmond Olympic Oval on these programs.

from Paul Devitt

A great way of learning some more about technique in Table Tennis is with watching videos. For beginners, I have recommended the following six Yang Yang Table Tennis videos found on YouTube. 

1.       Holding Racket and Basic Body Position 

2.       How to Play Forehand Drive 

3.       How to Play Backhand Drive

4.       How to Forehand Push

5.       How to Backhand Push

6.       How to Practice Table Tennis Alone

Deh Gáh School in Fort Providence is hosting a Table Tennis skills clinic from November 11th until 13th. In addition we will be hosting a coaching & officials clinic on October 9th in preparation to the 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games. Table Tennis will be hosted in Fort Smith at JBT Elementary School from March 18-24th, 2018.

Timeline

Saturday, November 11th, 2017
Coaching & Officials clinic

Saturday till Monday, November 11th-13th, 2017
Skills Camp

Fee

$50 for food (Saturday to Monday)
$100 for two nights at the Snowshoe Inn (per person, limited space)

Accommodation & Food

Snowshoe Inn, Fort Providence, food will be provided at the school.
Possibility to stay at the school.

Table Tennis Rules

We will follow the rules of the International Table Tennis Federation. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected] and we will be happy to help you.

ITTF Rules: http://www.ittf.com/ittf_handbook/hb.asp?s_number=2

Deadline for registration is November 9th, 2017. For registration, please send and e-mail to [email protected] with the following information: First Name, Last Name, Community and birthdate.

If you have any more questions, please contact [email protected]. Thank you! We are looking forward to seeing you in Fort Providence!!!