'It feels like I was a part of something historic': AWG Dene Games opens to women of all ages

A new category has been added to the Arctic Winter Games to include women over 18 in the Dene Games and participants say it's historic, exciting and long overdue.

The Dene Games includes traditional sports like stick pull, snowsnake, hand games and finger pull. In previous years female athletes could only compete until age 18, but Monday marked the start of the open women category in the AWG's Dene Games.

Shawna McLeod of Team NT won the category's first gold ulu.

McLeod, 32, is from Fort Providence, N.W.T., and cur‐ rently lives in Fort Simpson. She first competed in the games 18 years ago.

"There really isn't an op‐ portunity for women who age out of competition ... to compete," she said.

"So it feels really good to finally have it in the Arctic Winter Games ... I would say it's about time."

Jordan Bennett, an athlete with Team Alaska, competed in the very first competition of the new category.

"It feels like I was part of something historic," she said.

Theresa Lynn, 26, from Dettah, N.W.T., coaches kids in Dene Games and says she was excited to learn she could participate too.

"This is amazing for all women honestly from all the contingents. It's amazing that they were able to open the category for the 18 and older to keep competing," she said.

Lynn says the new cate‐ gory will help keep girls in‐ volved in the games through their lives and connected to the culture as a result.

"It's very traditional, I feel very traditional and cultural when I'm competing," she said. "I am Indigenous so it just feels like I'm practicing my culture."

The open age category is something that already exists in the men's Dene Games and for women in the AWG's Arctic Sports.

Peter Daniels, head offici‐ al of the AWG's Dene Games, says the new category is something that's been wan‐ ted for a while and that seeing it come to fruition has been emotional.

He said that traditionally some contingencies believe women shouldn't play hand games because of women having a strong spirit.

While he said it's impor‐ tant to respect everyone's be‐ liefs, he said he's glad to see more women get to compete and he says inclusion is part of Indigenous traditional be‐ liefs too.

"Traditional sports is one way that we share our cul‐ ture with the world," he said. "It's our responsibility too as Indigenous people to share our culture and to teach."