Explanation: Terry was determined to run every single day until he made it all the way across Canada. He started in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and ran for 143 days and over 5,000 kilometres before stopping just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, when he got too sick to continue. Today, people in over thirty countries run, walk and wheel to raise money to fight cancer in honour of Terry’s legacy.

Further reading: We have two books about Terry Fox on our recommended reading list this year: Meet Terry Fox and Terry Fox and Me. Your local library may have a bunch more for you to check out as well. 

Explanation: Good guess! A gaag translates to a porcupine (bees and snakes aren’t rodents, by the way).

Further Reading: To learn more Ojibwe words, check out It’s a Mitig by Bridget George. The author wrote the book to help her son learn their language and culture and to give others the opportunity to learn as well. You can also check out Nibi is Water / Nibi Aawon Nbiish by Joanne Robertson to learn more Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) words. 

Explanation: The National Football League (NFL) didn't believe that Chuck Ealey could be a great quarterback because of the colour of his skin, so he moved to Canada to play in the CFL. In his first season, he won the Most Outstanding Rookie award and was named the Most Valuable Player in the Grey Cup.

Further Reading: To read more about Chuck’s story, check out The Stone Thrower by Jael Ealey Richardson, one of our recommended reads. Are you a football fan? If so, visit your local library online or in person for more great reads—sports books are filed under Dewey Decimal number 796.

Explanation: The muskox pull, leg wrestling, and the Alaskan high kick are all Inuit games. Inuit games test people's toughness and flexibility and also help strengthen the body and the mind. The games improve skills that hunters need to stay strong and help feed their communities.

Further Reading: Check out Inuit Games by Thomas Anguti Johnston or other books in the Nunavummi reading series, which was developed in Nunavut to increase reading skills and teach readers about the people, traditions and environment of the Canadian Arctic.

Explanation: "Tae" means "foot" or "to strike with the feet." "Kwon" means "hand" or "to strike with the hand." "Do" means discipline, art or way. So, Tae-Kwon-Do (foot-hand-way) means "the way of the feet and the hands" or "the art of kicking and punching."

Further reading: We have a few books about martial arts on our recommended reads list this year. For younger readers, check out Let's Go to Taekwondo! A Story about Persistence, Bravery, and Breaking Boards and Karate Kakapo. For older readers, check out the novel Eight Times Up, which follows a character named Riley who decides to learn aikido to help deal with his anxiety. 

Explanation: Eric and Meagan won a gold medal in the team skating event with Canada’s figure skating team and they won the bronze medal in pairs skating. Eric was the first openly gay athlete to win an Olympic gold medal.

Further Reading: Check out Proud to Play by Erin Silver to learn about other Canadian Olympic athletes from the LGBTQ+ community or go to your local library and look for books on Canadian Olympic athletes. They will be filed under Dewey Decimal number 796. 

Explanation: Since the 1960 Rome Olympics, Kenyan distance runners have enjoyed unparalleled dominance in running events, from 800 metres to the marathon.

In 2005, the first hockey ice rink in all of East Africa opened at the Panari Sky Centre Hotel in Kenya. It became the home to the Kenya Ice Lions—Kenya’s only ice hockey team.

Further Reading: Check out Hockey Night in Kenya by Danson Mutinda and Eric Walters. It is a made-up story but it is based on true events that you can read about in the book’s introduction. Are you a hockey fan? The next time you are able to visit your library, look for non-fiction books on hockey and other sports under Dewey Decimal number 796.