Breaking Records

Turning Life’s Lemons into Medallions

by Zoe Ho

Noel Cockney said he liked to “run all over” as his team’s forward in basketball. Indeed, this 16-year-old youth is going places! He played in basketball competitions at Yellowknife, ran at the NWT Track and Field Championships at Hay River, and is an avid volleyball and soccer player in school. You might have seen him at the Inuvik pool on Sundays, working towards his certification to be a lifeguard. He has also been snowshoeing pretty hard, practicing a whole year for the Arctic Winter Games. His active participation in sports is certainly paying off; he is one of the young athletes who qualified at the Arctic Winter Games Territorials. This March, Noel is going to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska to represent us in the Snowshoe Biathlon.

Last year, he tried out for the same category but missed getting on the team by four seconds. That must have been pretty devastating, but if you asked Noel what is the motto he lives by, he will tell you, “Never give up on anything

These are wise words from a young man. I suggested to him being 16 must be a difficult time, because it was the time when you discovered adults are not perfect, and there is a lot of peer pressure to be “cool” or lose popularity. He said easily, “Those are part of life’s

“There is a lot of peer pressure here. A lot of kids are getting into drugs and alcohol.” Some of his friends have succumbed to substance abuse, but Noel is not interested to try it. He has chosen to stay away from the influence of those friends. “Is it because your mum is in the RCMP?” I asked and he laughed.

“I would like to be a lifeguard for a living, but my ultimate goal is to be a RCMP officer.”

“We moved to Inuvik from Tuktoyaktuk about six years ago. At first, it was difficult, but I made a lot of friends and felt totally comfortable eventually.”

Noel is the only Inuvialuit out of 6 people in the lifeguard certification course. He does not believe in differentiating people because of nationality or race, and has friends from all groups. In a few months, he will achieve his lifeguard certification. He has gotten a bronze medallion and will soon be getting his bronze cross. He prioritizes his time for sports and school. On January 31st, he broke the school’s mile run record, coming in at 5 min 16”.