The Alberta Winter Games invaded Jasper last weekend. From Friday morning until Saturday evening, hundreds of young athletes were giving their all at five separate venues around town, with the squash competition finishing up first thing on Sunday. All told, it was controlled athletic chaos. Follow the Fitzhugh on a journey from fencing to the frozen oval on Lake Mildred and back again.

Saturday - 12:45 p.m. 

Fencing Team Finals

The high school gymnasium is crackling with energy, the large crowd watching intently as two fencers duel on the mat before them. Surrounded by parents, the previously defeated teams and a coterie of officials and volunteers, the six-member mixed teams from Zones 3 and 5 are battling for the gold in the event. 

The Calgarians (Zone 3) have dominated the elimination rounds of the competition earlier in the day, winning their quarterfinal 30-4 and the semi by a 30-15 count. This time, however, they are in a closer fight. The collection of fencers from Spruce Grove, Sherwood Park and St. Albert are keeping the score close, and as the match nears its conclusion, the crowd becomes increasingly energetic.

From the stage seating, it’s impossible to see the electronic scoreboard, which changes automatically whenever either competitor scores a hit. Parents and siblings, toting video cameras and relaying the results homeward on cell phones, crane their necks and extend their bodies precariously into space to get a better angle. Meanwhile on the floor, whoops of encouragement come regularly from the team areas, found on the far end of the fencing lane. From this vantage point, it’s difficult to see who has the advantage, and so the reactions come seconds after each subtle buzz, which indicates a point being scored. 

The fifth and penultimate pairing are locked into a war of attrition. The score is still close enough for the leaders to be concerned about being surpassed, so both athletes take a defensive posture, coming to a near standstill before making sudden movements in an effort to score. The Calgarian fencer uses her size advantage to full effect, increasing her team’s lead before being substituted by the final fencer.

Down 25-19, Zone 5’s Andrew Gergely can keep his side alive, but within seconds it is clear that this will not happen. His opponent, Eric Goldie, is all aggression, leaping forward to count three hits in rapid succession. The countdown to victory is on. The Calgary supporters are by now so loud that the tell-tale buzz is drowned out. Goldie strikes one final time, and the gold is won. His teammates swarm him as he tears off his protective face shield. Gergely turns his back on the celebration, but with a smile on his face.

Saturday - 1:30 p.m. 

Figure Skating Senior Gold Final

From the hectic excitement of the fencing final to the last go-round in the figure skating competition, which is set before a catatonic crowd at the Jasper Activity Centre. The young women execute difficult jumps and spins, some to perfection, other times just holding on to their tenuous balance, but are greeted by the overwhelming sound of one hand clapping. Throughout the stands younger skaters are clumped together in small groups, chatting amongst themselves and turning their attention to the action for brief seconds at the end of each program.

The three judges, meanwhile, are watching intently from their podium, perched atop the visitor’s hockey bench. Taking copious notes on each competitor, their faces are inscrutable above the pitch black table skirt that only adds to the funereal 

atmosphere.

The sixth skater of the group, Taylor Stronski of Okotoks, bursts out onto the ice in a bright orange outfit, skating in time to similarly engaging music. Her routine, while not flawless, is impressive, as she gains good altitude on her jumps and strings together several successful double-double combinations. Her efforts will later be rewarded with a silver medal, but her greatest achievement comes when her routine ends. Applause, an absolute torrent of it, cascades down from the rafters on both sides of the rink. She may have missed out on the top of the podium, but Stronski can take pride in the fact that she reinvigorated the crowd.

Saturday - 2:15 p.m. 

Speed Skating Senior Team Pursuits

Lake Mildred is basking in mid-winter sunshine, but don’t be fooled. It’s cold out there, as the muffled faces of the speed skaters reveal. Bundled in several layers while they take turns on the warm-up lane, the athletes are preparing for their final circuits on the outdoor oval. Competing head-to-head with another zone, teams of three or four skaters race six laps in the 

senior pursuits, a distance of 2.4 kilometres. 

The first pairing sees the team representing Zone 5 up against a group from Zone 6. From the gun, it’s clear that both teams know just what they’re doing, racing in single file to cut down on wind resistance for the trailing skaters, and bursting through the corners onto the long straightaways. Zone 5 wins by a nose, clocking a time just around four minutes. It will hold up for gold, with Zone 6 taking second place.

With the pace having been set, the remaining teams push hard to finish with a competitive time. 

In the very next heat, Zone 3 and Zone 4 are in a close race before disaster strikes on the third corner. Tessa Guerts catches an edge and goes down hard. She struggles to her feet, but her teammates are nearly half a lap in front. In the pursuit, three skaters must cross the finish line before the clock stops, so Guerts hustles to catch her group, which has come to an almost total halt.

Working together means screaming encouragement sometimes, as Alastair Starke from Lloydminister proves during the final lap of his team’s race.

“Last lap guys ... let’s gun it,” he yells, as teammates whistle in support from the snowy sidelines. Sadly for Starke, his Zone 7 side finish second in their heat and well out of the medals.

The race wraps up, the winter coats come on, and the crowd moves across the frozen lake for the medal ceremonies. The ebullient Scott Sugden, top skater on the champion Zone 5 team, is quizzed by the youthful track announcer about his race preparation.

“You definetly don’t want to eat cheeseburgers before a race like this,” he says with a smile. “Just drink a lot of water, and get lots of rest.”

Sunday - 8:30 a.m. 

Squash Team Finals

The Activity Centre lobby is saturated with the smell of an early breakfast, as the visiting athletes scramble to get fed before returning home on one of the many buses that sit idling on Pyramid Lake Road. Through a back corridor, the last competition of Jasper’s games is in its dying throes.

Before a tiny (but dedicated) crowd the final encounters in both the gold medal and bronze medal matches are underway. The players hustle into corners and bank their returns with savvy and strategy. Sportsmanship is king at this stage of the Games, especially in the battle for third, which sees two teams from Edmonton facing off against one another. 

Aleem Merali is in front, two sets to zero, but his opponent, Jasmine Harvey-Ganter, is giving him a good run in the third. Merali is left congratulating her time and time again as she places the ball in impossible spots to take a three-point lead. She can’t sustain it, however, and at match point, Harvey-Ganter’s return crashes into the tin. With a final handshake, the two depart from the court.

Outside, the exodus is on, under an overcast sky. It’s been two days of nearly constant action, but as a light snow begins to fall, our guests are going. It’s Games over.