Team N.W.T.’s Chris Stipdonk breaks 38-year-old Arctic Winter Games record in the knuckle hop
CBC
Team N.W.T.’s Chris Stipdonk set a new Arctic Winter Games record in the knuckle hop Wednesday, hopping 217 feet and breaking his own world record in the process.
“It's been like a journey of ups and downs, successive challenges, failures. I feel like I could write a book,” Stipdonk said after he learned he had officially broken the record.
The 40-year-old Yellowknife resident has been chasing the elusive Arctic Winter Games record of 191 feet for years. Rodney Worl of Alaska set the record in 1988. Now Worl’s son Kyle competes in the event and is Stipdonk's toughest competitor. Worl won silver and set a personal best Wednesday, with a distance of 179 feet.
“Kyle and I have been chasing that for a long time. And that's so impressive that [Rodney] held it for that long considering we know so much more about nutrition and training,” Stipdonk said. “It's just a very different game now than it was before.”
Although Stipdonk had previously hopped farther, setting a world record of 206 feet at the Indigenous Summer Games in 2022, he had never been able to replicate such a performance at the Arctic Winter Games.
Worl said he called his father to tell him that his record had been broken, and they are both glad it was broken by such a deserving person.
“I feel very proud of Chris. We've been waiting for his moment, and we knew it was coming,” he said. “This year he locked in. It was pristine form the entire time. And that just shows how amazing of an athlete he is and to persevere year after year.”
Stipdonk announced his retirement after just missing the games record in 2023. He returned to the event to compete in the 2024 games but was stopped early for an infraction. With the next Arctic Winter Games not scheduled for another three years, Stipdonk knew he had to make these games count.
“That put even more pressure on me because I don't know what's going to happen in three years," he said. "So I really put in my best effort.”
Stipdonk was the first competitor in this year’s event, and as he began his attempt, the packed gym at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in Whitehorse erupted with cheers of support.
He completed over a lap of the track before collapsing on the hardwood and rolling over on his back breathing heavily. Once he was able to catch his breath, he stood up and waved to the roaring crowd.
“It’s so exciting,” said Cherie Ratti, who was watching the event. “I’ve watched Chris Stipdonk and Kyle Worl before, so I was really excited to see them, but it’s also great to see all these new young competitors who are just going for it, no matter how hard it is.”
The knuckle hop is a grueling event and one of 10 events in Arctic Sports. The traditional Inuit game is intended to mimic the movement of a seal on ice.
Competitors must hop on their knuckles around a track taped to the gym floor, while moving their feet in unison and keeping their backs flat and arms tucked closely to their sides. Any infraction will result in a competitor being stopped where they are.
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