From Athlete to Coach: Kathie Harrop Marks 17th Arctic Winter Games

At age 16, Kathie Harrop (Cassleman) participated in her first Arctic Winter Games here in Whitehorse as a badminton player with Team Yukon. It was 1980 and Kathie was in grade 10 at F.H. Collins Secondary School. Now, forty-six years later, Kathie participated in her 17th AWG, this time as a badminton coach for Team Alberta North.

Kathie has always been an energetic and vibrant person. I was one year ahead of her at F.H. Collins and I fondly remember her positivity and exuberance, as well as her contagious laughter! Some forty-five years later, I heard this same voice during our phone interview.

Kathie recalled her first AWG experience in 1980, “I was a scared little girl.” She was so excited to be participating until someone stole her jacket with all of her pins attached, and how devastating that felt. Her awesome results might have helped to make up for that disappointment though. “I believe I got one gold and two silver ulus.”

In 1982, she was in grade 12 and still living in Whitehorse. Again she was selected to be on Team Yukon’s badminton team, this time in Fairbanks, Alaska. “I got the triple crown, which is three gold ulus! I practiced hard for two years and chose badminton over volleyball.”

Kathie took a break from the AWG from 1983-89 to attend Red Deer College and the University of Alberta, where she obtained her degree in Physical Education. Upon finishing her degree, she moved to Peace River, Alberta and became a high school badminton coach.

During this period, when Kathie wasn’t involved in the AWG, Northern Alberta had been invited to join the AWG family, recognizing the need for more competition and engagement.

Living in Peace River, Kathie expanded out of her beloved world of badminton and into what would become a twenty-seven year stint refereeing high school volleyball and basketball. “I saw the need for qualified refs in my little town, so I developed as a referee.”

Aside from her many athletic pursuits, Kathie found the time to work at a pulp mill, followed by a twenty-one year career with ATCO Electric as an Expeditor, doing customer service and designing distribution power lines.

In 1994 and 1996, as a member of Team Alberta North, Kathie returned to coach/compete. In those days, coaches could play in the ‘open category.’ She explained that the youth would play during the daytime and the coaches (open category) would play in the evening. She participated in this way again in for the next two AWG, but the open category was eliminated in 2002. “The coaches were not happy, but understood the reasons for it. I mostly acquired gold ulus in the open category.”

In 2015, Kathie was honoured to be involved with Team Yukon once again. She was their badminton coach for the Western Canada Summer Games in Wood Buffalo.

Although Kathie’s shoulder is no longer mobile enough to play badminton herself, she continues coaching badminton to youth, including as a coach for the AWG. And, even though her body can no longer demonstrate the moves, she is a keen observer and coaches her athletes by watching their movements and giving them advice on ways to improve.

Kathie openly expresses her love for coaching badminton, “I love the badminton kids. They’re smart, nice, polite and kind. It’s also a small team and easy to manage.”

The 2020 AWG, which were scheduled to be hosted in Whitehorse, were disappointing for many, including Kathie. “We were all very excited for the Games, and one week before, they got cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The first thing I thought was what a waste of money on everyone’s gear. But then I thought about the athletes who had trained so hard. I still have the tags on my coat and ski pants. I’ll be donating them. It was unusual coming back for Games scheduled 2 years in a row, to make up for the missed 2020 and 2022 Games. So the AWG were held 2018, 2023, 2024 and 2026. And now it’s been decided to host the Games every 3rd year. I don’t know where they will be in 2029.”

Now an AWG veteran, Kathy said that every Games is different. “I don’t remember my results, but the thing I find the craziest is the frenzy of pin trading during the night before departure and at the closing ceremonies.” 

Returning to Whitehorse for the 2026 AWG, I hope Kathie felt at home in the city where she attended high school—and where she started making her mark in the athletic world.
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Abby Bilyk, a 17 year old badminton player with Team Alberta North, had this to say about her coach. “For me, having Kathie as a coach for two Games in a row now has been such a huge privilege. Kathie has always shown how extremely knowledgeable she is and how intense she can be on the sidelines, but is truly the most fun and supportive person anyone could ask for as a coach. Kathie has never failed me during a game, and even if I had failed, she helps me to fix my mistakes without ever making me feel like I had let her down. In short, Kathie is truly such an amazing person to be around and it has been an honour to get to go to TWO games with her.”

Darren Yee, co-coach for Team Alberta North’s 2026 badminton team shared the following, “I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Kathie since 2010 across eight Arctic Winter Games. She competed in the Games herself and now brings that experience forward to mentor the next several generations of athletes. Our players benefit not only from her deep knowledge of badminton, but also from her genuine care for their growth and confidence. Her passion for developing young players and her dedication to the Games have had a lasting impact on many athletes.”

Now retired from her day job, Kathie is still working as a personal trainer. “I’ve been a personal trainer for, oh my, 40 years! I love to help my clients and keep them motivated. Life is hard and a trainer should be what their client needs.”

When asked to tally up her years of involvement with the AWG, beginning at age 16, Kathie paused. She has participated twice as an athlete, four times as a coach/athlete and eleven times as a coach. That adds up to seventeen years of active participation in the AWG!

When asked to tally up her AWG ulus, that was another matter. Apparently AWG coaches receive a platinum ulu, as a thank you for their time. After doing the math, Kathie said, “I have received 18 athlete ulus and 15 platinum (coach) ulus. I was an athlete in two games, then I was an athlete/coach, and then I was strictly a coach.” That’s a grand total of 33 ulus!!! A huge accomplishment and a lot for Kathie (and us) to celebrate!

Why has Kathie stayed involved in the AWG for almost five decades? “In the early years I lived for badminton!” And now? “It’s a different experience at every Games, but my team has always been amazing. I love those kids!”

Kathie, thank you for your years of dedication to the AWG. You are an inspiration to us all—and your enthusiasm is still contagious! 

By Grace Snider