For many athletes who compete at the Arctic Winter Games, it will be the biggest event they will ever do. And that鈥檚 OK for a lot of them.

Some athletes, though, have gone on to do bigger and better things. Athletes such as Brendan Green, who became part of the Canadian men鈥檚 biathlon team for several years with three appearances at the Winter Olympics to his credit (2010, 2014 and 2018). Curler Kevin Koe is another with four Canadian men鈥檚 curling championships under his belt, two world titles and a Winter Olympic appearance in 2018.

There鈥檚 Carlos Boozer, who played basketball with Alaska and who went on to a 13-year career in the NBA.

And there鈥檚 Michael Gilday, who only went on to become perhaps the most successful 快盈v3-born speedskater ever. Gilday competed at four Arctic Winter Games between 1998 and 2004 before cracking the national team a few years later. He competed in several World Cup and World Short Track Championships over the course of his career with the culmination coming as a member of the 2014 Winter Olympics Canadian squad in Sochi, Russia.

Gilday, who was 11 years old when he first hit the ice for the NWT at the 1998 Arctic Winter Games in Yellowknife, said the Olympics weren鈥檛 really on his radar when he started getting serious about the sport.

鈥淚 was aware of the Olympics, but it definitely wasn鈥檛 part of my plan back then,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was probably around 2002, my third AWG, when I really began looking at them more seriously.鈥�

Being one of the younger members of the team in 1998 meant Gilday had older skaters to look up to and learn from.

They imparted quite a bit of wisdom on him, he said, and it all started with the uniform itself.

鈥淭he older teammates were telling me that it was a big deal to get the uniform and you don鈥檛 wear any part of it until the Games began,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can remember stepping out in the uniform for the first time and I can remember the nerves and the weight of wearing the colours. The NWT has such a really big reputation for having a strong short-track squad and it was instilled in me at a young age. It鈥檚 all about having fun, but there鈥檚 also the expectation that we do well.鈥�

Comparing the Arctic Winter Games and Winter Olympics might seem unrealistic, but Gilday said there are some similarities.

The size of both events is one.

鈥淚f you look at the amount of athletes, the difference isn鈥檛 terribly dissimilar,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t the Arctic Winter Games, you鈥檙e living in a dorm-type of setting, eating at a cafeteria and hanging out with a lot of people. At the Olympics, you鈥檙e eating at a cafeteria, living in a dorm-type setting and hanging out with a lot of people. You can鈥檛 compare the two because they鈥檙e so different, but it鈥檚 interesting to look at it from that perspective.鈥�

Gilday retired shortly after the 2014 Olympics and since then, he鈥檚 tried to help give back wherever he can in terms of coaching and mentoring.

If athletes were to come up and ask him for advice, Gilday said one of the things he would tell them is to enjoy the experience.

鈥淚 had a blast every time I competed,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 got to meet so many people and I still have friends I talk to from all those years ago. It鈥檚 also a great way to test yourself. It brings together so many people in the circumpolar North and you don鈥檛 always get to compete against people from places such as Yukon or Alaska. If you鈥檙e a cross-country skier, you wouldn鈥檛 get the chance to race against skiers from Sapmi or Greenland unless you鈥檙e at the AWG.

鈥淛ust don鈥檛 let it overwhelm you. It鈥檚 an opportunity to see what you can do and grow in your chosen sport, but everyone鈥檚 there to do their best.鈥�