She’s on an amazing journey and she’s not done yet. Mary-Jane Qinuajuak is 21 years old and she’s from Inukjuak, Nunavik, though she was born in Montreal. She’s been an arctic sports athlete since 2018 and she grew up playing sports. She also plays hockey and volleyball. Growing up, she was surrounded by youth who were really into sports and she would join them and found she really enjoyed playing.

Her many other responsibilities have kept her from sports lately but she has nothing but gratitude for her athletics. “I don't know how to put it, but being an athlete brought me here, and I'm so thankful for it. It's been an amazing journey.” Qinuajuak’s been all over Nunavik, to the Northwest Territories and Alaska.

Qinuajuak was inspired to pursue Arctic sports by Desiree Cumberbatch who told her about all the opportunities for travel and otherwise. She found she enjoyed arctic sports as much as she did hockey and persevered. She is thankful for her sport and for Cumberbatch.

As an athlete, she’s faced challenges. Qinuajuak tore her meniscus, changing her mentality and physicality. “You want to quit, but then it's something that you love to do, so you can’t,” she shares, describing the frustration and tension she experiences and what helps her overcome it.

Her advice for younger Inuit and Indigenous athletes just starting their journey would be, “Keep going. It's going to bring you to places where you've never been before. Try and think about the future ahead of you, because if you just start now, think about the next year on this day, and look how far you've come, and look how much better you got, look at the improvements you have, and you're going to be so proud of yourself. You're gonna love it. Keep going."

To take care of herself mentally, Qinuajuak looks at the bigger picture and tries to be there for herself, putting in time to heal and be reading mentally, physically and emotionally. She keeps her body moving, eating and sleeping well to promote muscle growth. Taking a lot of time for herself is also something she advocates for.

Her goals for the future include making the Arctic Winter Games known to everyone in the world, hoping that people will know the difference between nations and the opportunity to meet people. Her message to her home community and supporters is, “You're gonna have a lot of fun. You're gonna meet a lot of people….Keep practicing, please. You're gonna make a lot of friends too…so please keep going…”

On an amazing journey, Mary-Jane Qinuajuak is pursuing her athletic dreams while playing arctic sports at a competitive level. A torn meniscus didn’t stop her, even though she wanted to quit at times. Determined to continue with the sport she loves, she’s travelled all over to realize her potential and keep getting better with every competition from Alaska to the Northwest Territories and Inuvik. 

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.