Team Alexander is setting course for kayak gold this week as it sets out for the first ever Alberta Indigenous Games.
About 11 boys from Alexander aged 11 to 18 will head to Leduc's Telford Lake next Monday to take part in the inaugural Alberta Indigenous Games. Many will stop at the Poundmaker's Lodge powwow along the way to take part in the games' opening ceremonies this Sunday.
The team has trained all winter and summer for this event, says team member Creedon Arcand, 15, despite the ridiculous number of mosquitoes at their training facility at Kirk Lake. "It's been crazy," he says of the bugs, and the only way to avoid them is to paddle faster.
This will be the team's biggest tournament yet, says team coach Cam Kootenay, and they will probably win several medals. They could even win a spot on the provincial team for the next North American Indigenous Games.
"The medals are a bonus," he notes, "but the participation is the big thing."
A new tournament rises
The Alberta Indigenous Games is partially the brainchild of Allan Ross, one of the founders of the Edmonton Native Basketball Association. He's had the idea for about eight years and says he decided to make it a reality after the sudden cancellation of the 2011 North American Indigenous Games in Milwaukee. "They were all dressed up with nowhere to go," he says of the athletes, and he and his team felt a new annual Alberta event could work as an alternative.
It's been a rough launch, admits Ross, the event's executive director. "We've had to cancel four of the nine sports," he says, and they've struggled to get the word out. "Our first press release was really three weeks ago." He blamed a late start for most of these problems.
The event should draw about 500 aboriginal athletes ages 12 to 18 to the Edmonton region from across Canada, Ross says, who will compete for six days in canoeing, kayaking, basketball, ball hockey, track and field, and golf. The volleyball, soccer, softball and archery events were cancelled due to a shortage of athletes. Indigenous artists, speakers and dancers will also perform throughout the week at Edmonton's Coronation Park.
Alexander goes for gold
The Alexander Canoe and Kayak Club will compete in several events at Telford Lake, Kootenay says, including the 100-metre, the two-kilometre and the four-man relay.
The team trained for six hours indoors each week all winter, Arcand says, and has held twice-weekly sessions on Kirk Lake ever since the thaw. "It's fun, a good workout, and something to do every day."
The club has trained with the St. Albert Canoe and Kayak Club for about three years now thanks to an initiative by CanoeKayak Canada, says club president Rick Hill. Many of its members are now seasoned paddlers.
The team's members have definitely become better racers over the years, he says, and they're also growing as individuals. "I think they'll probably dominate in the kayak race."
Organized sports like kayaking help keep kids away from drugs and alcohol, Kootenay says, and makes them better role models for others. "I want them to be able to respect themselves and to respect people."
All members of the Alexander club have to stay in school and off drugs if they want to stay on the team.
Arcand, who has been on the team for three years, says he doesn't really care if he wins or loses next week. "I'm just going to go out there, have fun and encourage my buddies."
The event's opening ceremonies are at the Poundmaker's Lodge powwow this Sunday at 4 p.m. Visit www.aig2011.ca for full details.
