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What if we paused for a moment and looked ahead? Not at next week鈥檚 tournament or next month鈥檚 training plan, but 10 years from now? What stories do we want our youth to tell?

That鈥檚 the question I keep coming back to.

Maybe it鈥檚 the afterglow of Super Soccer, where kids from different schools cheered for each other, took a group photo, and reminded us that sports can build bridges, not walls. Or maybe it鈥檚 reflecting on the quiet power of table tennis on a kitchen table, a snowball fight at -30, or a hallway dance-off after dinner.

These moments aren鈥檛 just activities. They鈥檙e stories in the making.

Imagine it鈥檚 the year 2035. A young adult looks back and says:

• 鈥淚 started walking to school because of that Walk to Tuk challenge. Now, I hike trails around the world.鈥�
• 鈥淭here was this coach who never cared if I won, only that I had fun. That鈥檚 why I now coach kids myself.鈥�
• 鈥淚 joined because someone believed in me before I believed in myself.鈥�

Wouldn鈥檛 that be something?

These future stories won鈥檛 come from medals. They鈥檒l come from the way we made people feel welcomed, seen and valued. From the quiet moments when someone hesitated on the sidelines and we waved them in anyway. When we swapped competition for compassion, and scoreboard pressure for shared laughter. When we said, 鈥淵es, you belong here,鈥� without needing to say it out loud.

Like the kid who showed up nervous to their first Dene games event but left with a smile, because someone took the time to explain the rules, wait for them, and cheer them on.

Or the RCMP officer in Whati giving a high five after a youth鈥檚 first successful layup, not because of statistics, but because of connection.

And even in these columns where we laughed about starting a territorial sport organization for snowball fighting, the message was the same. If it brings us together, if it sparks joy, if it empowers people, if it makes someone feel included, then it counts.

These are the seeds of stories we want our youth to carry forward. Not stories about being the best, but about being part of something. Because the feeling of belonging? That sticks around. And that鈥檚 what makes a story worth telling.

What will these stories tell us in 2035?

Will they remember the day someone noticed them? The moment a team became a second family? The time they believed they could try again? We don鈥檛 get to write their stories for them, but we do get to shape the moments they鈥檒l one day hold onto.

And here鈥檚 the best part: those stories from 2035? They鈥檙e not far away. They begin now in school gyms, snowy sidewalks, classrooms, and community halls across the North. They begin with us. So if we want those stories to come true, stories of confidence, inclusion, joy, and belonging, we can help write them now.

Do you want to help write the stories of 2035? Try one of these small, powerful actions this month:

• Host a 10-minute activity break at your school, office, or community centre. No prep, no pressure. Dance, stretch, move. It all counts.
• Tell a youth 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got this鈥� the next time you see them try something new. It might be the moment that changes everything.
• Share a story from your own past. When did movement make you feel proud, brave, or joyful? Stories are medicine. Pass them on.

If you鈥檙e already doing one of these, thank you. Truly.

Thank you for the moments you create that no one sees. For tying skates before school, sweeping the gym floor after practice, offering a quiet 鈥淵ou did great鈥� to a nervous kid. Thank you for laughing during the awkward dance breaks, for letting someone else serve first in table tennis, for driving through snowstorms so your team could show up.Thank you for being the coach who claps the loudest, the teacher who makes space for movement, the Elder who tells stories that turn into courage.

These are the things our youth remember. These are the moments that become stories. And if you haven鈥檛 done any of these yet, don鈥檛 worry. Every story starts somewhere.

The North has always been full of powerful stories. Together, we get to choose which ones our youth carry forward. Let鈥檚 make sure they鈥檙e stories of courage, laughter, connection, and movement that lasts a lifetime.

Because the best stories aren鈥檛 told yet. They鈥檙e still in motion.