Winter in northern Canada is not for the faint of heart. Temperatures in Yukon and Northwest Territories (NWT) commonly drop more than 50 degrees below zero Farenheit. The abandoned Yukon town of Snag registered the coldest recorded temperature in North American history, reaching -81.4 degrees Farenheit in 1947. (This also shed some light on why Snag might have been abandoned in the first place.) For mammals with precious little fur, such as the few humans who inhabit this inhospitable habitat, it is wise to take up an indoor sport. Luckily, a burgeoning table tennis culture in both territories is providing such an opportunity. In preparation for next month's Canada Winter Games in Alberta, the NWT table tennis team recently traveled to Whitehorse to train with the Yukon team. Yukon coach Kevin Murphy sang the praises of NWT coach Thorsten Gohl, leading his team its first Canada Winter Games appearance in 40 years. “He’s brought it back up to that level where they are well financed with lots of players and in a lot of communities. So he’s done an amazing job for table tennis in the N.W.T,” Said Murphy of Gohl. For his part, Gohl spoke of the larger goal of the cooperative training with his rival team: “Hopefully we can foster those relationships where we can come back-and-forth. It’s not just about the winning aspect. It’s about learning, experiencing and building friendships for life.” When Murphy and Gohl meet again at the Canada Winter Games, the teams will be in competition mode. Still, the northerly neighbors, along with Nunavut, share a camaraderie in constituting what Murphy terms "table tennis north." "It doesn’t matter what territory you are from," says Murphy. "It is something to take pride in and especially going down there we are team north and will be cheering for each other." It's enough to warm the heart.

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