She started playing hockey young and her perseverance has taken her far. Now, Tina Misheralak is representing Rankin Inlet in the 2026 Arctic Winter Games. It’s not her first time at the Games, having competed once before in hockey. Her hockey career began at the age of six or seven and she has been playing since. She loves playing in tournaments with the Rankin team because she’s familiar with the other players and she always has fun.

When it comes to inspiration to compete at higher level competitions like the Arctic WInter Games and to be conditioned to play at such a competitive level of hockey, Misheralak looks to her dad. He went to the Arctic Winter Games himself and he has been her inspiration to keep playing hockey.

While she’s playing at a high level, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Misheralak had some injuries to contend with when she was between 10 and 12 years old. She also struggled to have the energy to go to practices. To overcome that barrier of exhaustion, Misheralak kept telling herself to keep going. Living in a hockey town with a new arena just built five years ago, there’s no shortage of enthusiasm for the sport.

To stay connected to her community, Misheralak keeps working her job and playing more sports. In the summer, she plays baseball, even though she doesn’t feel she has as much talent in that area. She also plays soccer, another popular sport in Rankin Inlet. Hockey is her main activity, though.

Her advice for younger Inuit athletes who aspire to compete at the Arctic winter games is, “Keep going to the practices. The coaches are nice, and you'll keep learning new stuff. Have a great attitude, that's probably one of the reasons I was on the team.”

To maintain her mental wellness as an athlete, Misheralak has other hobbies to engage in outside of hockey. She enjoys drawing, painting and other artistic pursuits because it helps her keep her mind off of things.

When it comes to her goals beyond the Arctic Winter Games, in sport or in life or giving back, Misheralak is not sure yet what she wants to pursue. She still has a couple years before she has to make those kinds of big decisions so she’s taking her time to make those choices.

If she could share a message with her family and her community as she moves into the Arctic Winter Games it would be, “Thank you for all the support that you've given me throughout the years. I wouldn't be able to do all that without the support.”

At the last Games, her family went all the way to Alaska to watch her compete. They took two flights and had a long drive just to witness her as she played alongside her older sister. The siblings grew up playing hockey together and while only a year separated the two, she played in a higher league due to her age at one point.

After getting her start playing hockey at a young age, Tina Misheralak has made it all the way to the Arctic Winter Games. Inspired by her family and even playing alongside them, her hockey dreams have been supported by her parents and her community. Competing with players she knows well, she’s having fun and making her athletic dreams come true.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.