Skills Canada's 4 th Annual Yellowknife Cardboard Boat Race was once again a wet, wild success. Held at Ruth Inch Memorial Pool, Yellowknife, on Friday, October 15 th , the event involved a total of 110 participants. The event engaged teams of four in construction of a boat using only cardboard, duct tape, string, and contact cement. Each team's boat was then raced across the pool. Boats that survived the race were put to a test of endurance/buoyancy.

The winning team from Grade 7-9 was The Daredevils from Mildred Hall School. The crew: Annabelle Lim, Mitchell Porter, Dylan Desjarlais, Levi Papatsie. Their teacher/coach was Carson Loftsgard.

The winning team from Grade 10-12 was the St. Pat's Piranhas from St. Patrick High School. The crew: Aryn Franklin, Stephanie Laity, Amanda White, Briony Wright. Their teacher/coach was Susan Huvenaars.

Click here to view photos of the event

Teams trophies will be displayed at their school throughout the remainder of the school year. All participating teams should be commended for their spirit, ingenuity, and sportsmanship.

"Besides being a promotional splash (pardon the pun) for Skills Canada NWT/NU, the activity is meant to introduce youth to trade-oriented skills" explained Guy Barnable, Executive Director of Skills Canada NWT/NU. "If students discover a passion for this sort of project, they should consider a career in trades and technologies."

The Cardboard Boat Race also involved a Corporate Challenge composed of Skills Canada NWT/NU program sponsors. The winning corporate team was The Diavik Diatanics. The crew: Brent Hicks, Lawrence Duguay, David Gathercole, Margaret Blair, Corrine Paul, Graeme Hopkins, and Darryl Paul. Diavik has been a dedicated sponsor of Skills Canada NWT/NU since 2002.

Thanks largely to the contributions of the 15 volunteers and 24 sponsors, the Yellowknife Cardboard Boat Race saw its fourth year of success.

Thanks to our Program Sponsors as well as the following Event Sponsors:
Diavik Diamond Mines
Johnson's Building Supplies
Petersen & Auger
Robinson's Transport Ltd. (RTL)
City of Yellowknife
Yellowknife Curling Club
Yellowknife School Districts 1 & 2
Domino's Pizza
Shipper Supply Cardboard
Northern Souvenirs

Thanks to the following people who volunteered their time and energy to make this possible:

Participant comments:
"It was a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about trades, cerate a boat as a team, and have fun."
"Great team-building opportunity. Thank you for inviting us to participate."
"It was funny and a bit stressful."