Janet Enge, a Varsity Blues player, is the driving force behind the inaugural North of 60 Classic, which will bring six women's teams to her hometown of Yellowknife in October.
For Janet Enge, basketball has always been about more than the game – it’s a vehicle for growth, a connection to culture and a pathway to opportunities that once seemed far beyond the horizon of her hometown of Yellowknife.
Enge is a first-year student at U of T’s Faculty of Information (photo by Daniel Johnston)
Now, the University of Toronto first-year student and Varsity Blues women's basketball player is bringing those opportunities back to her community.
Alongside a committee of volunteers, Enge has put together the inaugural North of 60 Classic exhibition tournament in Yellowknife, welcoming six university women's basketball programs from across Canada.
She says the event – which will focus on competition, mentorship, cultural exchange and community connection – is about something deeper than basketball: giving back.
"Growing up in Yellowknife, there is a very large Indigenous population, which I am a part of, and because of that we get taught Indigenous values from a very young age,” says Enge, who studies in U of T’s Faculty of Information. “One of those that has stuck with me is sharing – share what you have and be a pillar for your community.
“I think that is part of the reason why this tournament came to mind. I have the privilege of being on a university basketball team and I can share that with my community that gave me my start, gave me my values and, truth be told, is the reason I am where I am today.”
The six teams set to play in the North of 60 Classic are the U of T Varsity Blues, Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks, Lakehead University Thunderwolves, Mount Saint Vincent University Mystics, University of Lethbridge Pronghorns and University of Victoria Vikes. They will spend five days in Yellowknife from Oct. 7 to 12, competing on the court and participating in school visits, mentorship opportunities and cultural programming.
Enge plays forward for the Varsity Blues (photo by Nathan Oribhabor)
As someone who grew up playing basketball in Yellowknife, Enge says local players are talented and passionate about the sport but have few opportunities to compete.
“The biggest challenge for us was that there was only one girls' team in Yellowknife,” says Enge. “That meant we didn't have anyone to play against other than those much older in the women's league. So, the only time that we would go against competition was when we would travel.”
That often meant journeys of more than 1,500 kilometres to cities such as Edmonton. Yet, despite the challenges, basketball opened doors early for Enge.
As a young athlete, she competed at the Arctic Winter Games, where she faced teams from Alaska, Yukon and Nunavut while being exposed to cultures and traditions from across the circumpolar North. “Northwest Territories might be small, but that doesn't mean there is a lack of opportunity to explore the world and explore different cultures and, if anything, it gives you a unique opportunity to do so.”
Eventually, basketball led Enge south to pursue post-secondary education and high-performance sport.
Leaving home was not easy.
“I am very fortunate to have coaches and people around me who were very supportive,” says Enge. “And I knew when I was leaving Yellowknife that I wasn't leaving my community behind – I was just going to build something new. I know where home is and the foundations that I was provided there shaped who I am.”
While attending university and competing in preseason tournaments across the country, she kept returning to the same question: Why couldn't something similar happen in Yellowknife?
What began as a thought slowly evolved into a plan.
“The only thing stopping a tournament like this from happening in Yellowknife was someone who was willing to put the energy forward and organize it,” says Enge.
She leaned on mentors, coaches and community leaders who shared her vision. Dianna Ros, head of U of T’s women’s basketball program, helped connect her with key partners like Canadian Olympian and One Sky Sports founder Paige Crozon and Mike Tanton, who co-founded One Love Basketball and the Living Skies Indigenous Basketball League. Enge also used her own connections, reaching out to Basketball NWT coaches Aaron Wells and Tina Locke-Setter, all of whom immediately embraced the idea.
Community support soon followed.
Air North partnered with organizers to provide transportation support for teams travelling from Eastern Canada, while The Explorer Hotel helped with accommodations, and local partners stepped forward to help make the event financially viable.
"When we started contacting people in the North, we realized this is going to happen," says Enge.
Enge, second from right, with her Team NWT teammates (supplied image)
"It is important for me to bring this to Yellowknife because I know how much I would have wanted it when I was a kid and I know how much other people deserve it. I was fortunate when I was in middle school, I was able to travel to Calgary and do a Dinos Basketball Camp ... it made the world of difference and those lessons that I learned truly guided me into becoming a university basketball player.
“I was able to do that because my family could afford it. That is not the situation for everyone and just because someone can't afford it, it doesn't mean they should be barred from having that. So, it becomes about how I can eliminate that barrier, how can I give someone that experience even if they aren't in the same financial position that I was. That is what this tournament is about. How can we bring that high-level basketball to the North instead of those girls always having to come to us?"
She hopes the impact of the tournament extends beyond basketball.
“I hope that even if someone's sport isn't basketball, especially girls, that the experience of being exposed to high-level athletes and strong, powerful women will encourage them to stay in sport. Overall, if the girls feel empowered, if they feel strong, if they feel like they belong in sport – there is nothing stopping them from realizing their dreams.”
She knows exactly how she would have reacted to the experience she’s planning for participants this fall.
“If younger Janet could see this, she would freak out,” she says. “I would be jumping for joy. I think little Janet would have loved to have basketball come to her.”
To support the University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball program as they travel to the historic North of 60 Classic in Yellowknife visit the donation link HERE.