This week 11 members of the Tsq’escen’ First Nation are competing in the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
The athletes, all between the ages of 12 and 17, are competing in a variety of track and field and general sports, including canoe/kayak, archery, and wrestling. Tish Diamond, the band’s recreation manager of 21 years, said she’s excited to watch them compete on a national scale.
“They’ve been training for months. We have taken kids to training camps to find out which sports they love and excel in for quite a few years now,” Diamond said. “We have some in canoe/kayaking, some in archery, some in wrestling and some in track and field and they’ve all worked really hard getting ready for the games.”
Representing the South Cariboo are Lexus Amut, Alexis Archie, Reilly Archie, Wyatt Archie, Lauryn Boyce, Jordyn Boyce-Archie, Darius Christopher, Maddex McGrath, Eric Paul, Delanie Salter and Alexander Smith.
This year marks the first time the games have been held since the COVID-19 pandemic. Diamond said NAIG takes place every three years, and this year 5,000 coaches and athletes from 750 Indigenous nations are expected to attend.
“It’s going to be pretty exciting to get everyone back together, so I think this one is going to be special,” Diamond said.
Prior to flying out on July 14 to the games, the community held a pep rally and smudging ceremony for the athletes on July 12. In addition to a traditional blessing, the Elders encouraged the young competitors to have fun and bring home some medals.
Smith was confident he would be able to win a medal in the kayak/canoe competition. He added that it’s a tradition for his family to compete at NAIG, with his mother, sister and brother having competed in the past.
“It’s very exciting and thrilling. I’ve seen my sister do it and I’ve seen the photos of the medals so I’m hoping to get a couple this time,” Smith, 15, said.
Alexis was also inspired to compete by the example of her family, after her brother competed in the 2007 NAIG in Toronto. She has spent the last several months honing her shot put-, discus- and javelin-throwing arm.
“We have put a lot of work into it. We’ve helped get the group together to practise and I’m just thankful for our parents and our coaches who put in all the time to make this happen, because it wouldn’t happen without them,” Alexis said.
Diamond also noted that the athletes received tons of support from the community, including from coaches like Glen Boyce, Pat Sima-Ledding, Skylar Brown, Lori and Shawn Melville and Lisa Haerttich. Haerttich, who served as the overall assistant coach, said the athletes have already done amazing work building up their skills and self-esteem.
“It’s just excellent working with the youth. It’s encouraging and uplifting for myself as well,” Haerttich said. “It’s been so good for the kids being involved in sports and coming to their practices. They have been practising five to six nights a week.”
Haerttich remarked that the parents of athletes also deserve praise, noting they raised $20,000 to support their children. One of them is Dean Archie, whose daughters Lauryn and Jordyn are making the trip to Nova Scotia to compete in shot put, discus and javelin.
“They’ve been training quite a bit there and we’ve been trying to get them ready for the games,” Dean said. “It’s pretty exciting because I did the same thing when I was 16. I was an alternate in the 100-metre dash and it’s pretty exciting stuff.”
Dean remarked he was looking forward to his children meeting different cultures from across Canada and America. He thinks it’s important for them to compete and have fun.
Smith plans to stay focused on his training when competing but also have a little fun. Alexis, meanwhile, just wants to have fun, noting that when she focuses too much on the competition she gets nervous.
“I’d love to get a medal but even if I don’t I’m grateful for the experience and to be able to go,” Alexis said.
Diamond said that since she started working for the band there has been a strong focus on providing programs that give people a chance to get active and compete. Due to the community’s location, she said it can be difficult to access similar programs in 100 Mile House. Providing these opportunities for people, especially youth, is good for their physical and mental health, she added.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what the kids do. I tell the kids when they go there to put together everything they’ve learned and look for their personal best,” Diamond said. “Obviously we want a medal but more so we want to just improve, do our best and enjoy the experience.”
The 2023 North American Indigenous Games began on Sunday, July 16 and wrap up on Friday, July 21. The events are live-streamed online for those looking to follow along from home.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
