The Junior Trapper event returned for the second year at the Prince Albert Winter Festival this weekend with King and Queen champions crowned in the U18 and U14 categories.
The event was organized through a partnership with Shane Bird of the Prince Albert Indian and Metis Friendship Centre and was separate from the King and Queen Trapper, though they all took place at the Prince Albert Winter Festival Outdoor site on Saturday and Sunday.
Willow Bearhead, who is a practicum student from First Nations University, was part of the planning committee for the event. The numbers have steadily grown since the first event last.
“This is my first winter festival and so I think it was a good turnout. It was a little slow at the beginning but picked up,” Bearhead said.
“I’m happy with the outcome of it all. The youth had a great time, a lot of the adults that were watching – they were cheering, good spirits. It was an overall great event.”
There were six competitors in the U18 Male event, six competitors in the U18 female event, as well as multiple competitors in the U14 male and U14 female categories.
The King and Queen Trapper were crowned in each category and the contestants each received individual event medals.
Participants competed in events like rope winding, nail pounding, log sawing, trap setting, axe throwing, portage event, log tossing and flour bag packing.
The sponsors of the event include FNUniv Students Association, Montreal Lake Cree Nation Social Services and the Friendship Centre, among others.
There was also a 50/50 and a canteen that acted as a fundraiser for a youth program.
Bearhead thanked everyone involved in the event.
“Just a big thank you for the Winter Festival for having us and a big thank you to all our sponsors and our volunteers who have come out from the First Nations University.
We had some friends and family that come out and help as well, and then our youth as well they really helped out lots,” he said.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
