The kneel jump, in slow motion, and other highlights from Nuuk

A slow motion video of a contestant in the kneel jump shows the athleticism required to excel in traditional Arctic Sports, as the competition gets underway at the Arctic Winter Games in Nuuk, Greenland. 

CBC reporter Mitch Wiles captured this video of James Day Jr. of Team N.W.T. performing the traditional Inuit feat, which was originally conceived to build the ability to quickly escape predators while kneeling outside or around a fire. 

The open men's record for the kneel jump at the Arctic Winter Games is five feet, one inch.

Day will also compete in the one foot high kick, the two foot high kick, the Alaskan high kick, airplane, the one hand reach, the head pull, the sledge jump, triple jump and the dreaded knuckle hop, where athletes travel as far as possible in a pushup position, with just toes and knuckles on the floor.

Before the Arctic Sports competition began, the Qilaatersortartut drum dancers played during a traditional opening ceremony.

As athletes practiced at the Arctic Sports venue on Monday, they were treated to a royal visitor.

Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark, stopped by the venue for a demonstration. He was later seen at the biathlon venue skiing with some local children.

Snow snake record falls

The first ulus of the Games were awarded yesterday in the traditional Dene Game of snow snake, where athletes compete to throw a "snake" (actually a stick) along a track of snow.

Joelle Holly Archie of Team Northwest Territories took home the gold ulu in the junior female category, setting a new Arctic Winter Games record with a 296-foot, 11-inch throw. 

The previous record, set in 2010, was 214 feet, seven inches.

The Dene Game being contested Wednesday is the stick pull, a test of extreme focus and concentration.

N.W.T. men's basketball loses to Alaska

After a win yesterday against Nunavut, Team Northwest Territories' push for a second-consecutive gold ulu in men's basketball hit a snag Tuesday morning. The team dropped an 80-62 decision to team Alaska, evening their record at 1-1.

Team N.W.T.'s next game will be Wednesday at 10, where they match up against Yukon. Yukon defeated Alaska on Monday 70-67 and plays Nunavut Tuesday afternoon.

Badminton birthday surprise

After yesterday's competition, the semifinals are now set in badminton singles events. Team Nunavut emerged as the most successful territory behind traditional powerhouses Greenland and Alberta North, boasting four semifinalists combined in the four categories.

However, the surprise of the day came to Yukon coach Abby Rotunda, whose team didn't forget about her birthday, surprising her at the venue with a cake. 

All sports are now underway at the Games, which continue throughout the week in Nuuk.