Gary Bailie has been inducted into the Yukon Sports Hall of Fame. 

Bailie was inducted on the afternoon of June 12 at the Kwanlin Koyotes Ski Cabin on the Kwanlin Dün First Nation.

Bailie, a former nationally ranked cross-country skier, has run the Kwanlin Koyotes cross country ski program for many years. 

The Kwanlin Koyotes is a unique skiing program in the Yukon, as it doesn’t emphasize competition and winning but insists upon the personal growth of the individual through sport as its only priority.

A worthy Hall of Famer

“Gary is the embodiment of everything we celebrate through the Yukon Sports Hall of Fame. His love and enthusiasm for sport and physical activity found a home in his commitment and dedication to youth in his community,” said Paul Butra, the Sport Yukon Chair of the Hall of Fame Committee.

“Gary is a leader, a builder, and a cornerstone not only of the cross-country ski community but of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, of Whitehorse, and of the Yukon Territory. No one is a more fitting inductee or more worthy of recognition and celebration than Gary.

“A born-and-raised Yukoner, Bailie has been passionately resolute in his belief that skiing enriches both the individual and the community by connecting them with the land, providing motivation, and developing physical well-being.”

The Yukon Star spoke to Bailie last week while he was on his beloved trails about what it means to win the award. 

“It was a big surprise to me because I don’t think about these kinds of things at all. But it’s a big honour to be recognized in my community, and in the Yukon for the sport that I love.”  

Bailie said winning the award has caused him to reflect back on his ski career. 

“It’s just a sport that I got into for recreation as a kid, and I turned very competitive, and I had a really successful run.

“I love skiing, I love connecting with the land, I love everything about it. It became a way of life for me.” 

Bailie started skiing as a youth when he was recruited by the late Father Jean-Marie Mouchet to

be part of the Territorial Experimental Ski Training (TEST) program.

“He taught us about trail building … and I came to love it.” 

The Kwanlin Koyotes use a trail system in the McIntyre subdivision in Whitehorse that Bailie built over the years. 

Bailie said the Koyotes ski club has occupied about the last 25 years of his life and continues to evolve.

“I’m still out here doing it and passing it on,” he related. “I bought the gas. I do the work.

“I like to give something back to the community because this is where I was born, I’m a homeboy, right?” 

A life-changing experience

Bailie’s life hasn’t all been about skiing, though. 

“One of the most miraculous things I experienced in my life was the birth of my daughter, Stacity.  

“I was there; she came into the world and she changed my life. She anchored me. When I was teaching her to ski, when she was a little girl, she asked me if she could bring her friends. And I said, ‘Of course you can,’ and that’s how it started. Next thing, I had 20 spirited kids.” 

Bailie found equipment and eventually built a little ski cabin. Along the way, the Project Yukon society was formed. 

Bailie said Lotteries Yukon was a “huge supporter” that allowed the society to buy ski equipment. 

Bailie has equipment for young and older folks. 

“I always try to encourage older people to ski, or parents, because if the parents are healthy, then the kids got a better life and they can do it together.

“This is a great sport for our long winters and getting out on the land. If you love it, you’ve got to share it.” 

A profound tragedy with a silver lining

For Bailie, life has had its ups and downs. 

He tragically lost Stacity to a drug overdose in 2021. She was only 27. 

“We lost her and it was really a big blow to me,” recalled Bailie. 

For Bailie, though, the glass is half-full. 

His daughter had Bailie’s granddaughter, Essence. He is raising her as his own. 

Bailie said he’s been able to get out on the ski trails “to process my grief and to process everything.

“Being out here (on the trails) is like medicine.” 

Bailie said the Kwanlin Koyotes are Stacity’s legacy. 

“All the kids matter to me.” 

Of Stacity, Bailie said, “If she wasn’t in my life, I probably wouldn’t even be here. I had a lot of other things on the go. I could have gone anywhere in the world. But she anchored me and I just stuck to it.” 

For Bailie, the circle of life continues. 

“My granddaughter is skiing now and she’s saying, ‘Papa, can I bring my friends?’ Here we go again, right?

“It’s the continuity of life. People come and people go. I’ve got some acceptance of it all, and rather than lament over what could have been, I’m just celebrating what was.”

Of Stacity, Bailie said, “She was the biggest inspiration in my life.” 

Back to his roots 

Back in the day, Bailie was a member of the national B ski team. 

“All through those years, most of the national ski team in Canada was First Nations. It was a significant era in Canadian sports history. Those guys were my heroes. They inspired me along the way.” 

Bailie said his personal hero growing up was Fred “The Express” Kelly. Kelly was a Canadian Junior ski champion in 1968 and a member of the 1972 Sapporo Olympic ski team. 

“He really took me under his wing when I was around 12. He taught me a lot and encouraged me and that’s where I started getting really good.”

Bailie was in a program called Les Espoirs (The Hopefuls).

“I trained with them, I went to camps in the summer and we skied in the glaciers and I was trained every day. It was a great time in my life.” 

Paying it back 

Speaking of role models, Bailie was asked if his award might inspire Indigenous youth. 

He said his hope is that youth will look at him and say, “Here’s a guy who is doing what he loves to do. And he’s not giving up; he’s not quitting.” 

Bailie said his advice to youth is to find something you love doing and “go do it. And don’t quit.” 

Bailie was then asked if he sees himself as a role model for Indigenous youth. 

“I think that’s probably the case,” he replied. “I don’t really think about it that much. I just keep being positive and doing what I do. 

“I’m honoured if somebody looks up to me.” 

                                                 – With files from Sport Yukon

Correction: the Friday, June 21 print edition of The Yukon Star incorrectly lists Gary Bailie’s granddaughter, Essence, as Lauren. Lauren, in fact, is Bailie’s late daughter’s middle name.