ASC working to get people active and involved

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For more than a decade, the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC) has been working to support and recognize Aboriginal athletes and to encourage all Aboriginal people to get involved in sport and recreational activities.

The ASC is Canada's national Aboriginal sports body, bringing together the country's 13 provincial and territorial Aboriginal sports organizations. The ASC gets its mandate from its political partners-the Assembly of First Nations, the Metis National Council and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

Ron Jacobs is manager of Aboriginal sport development with the ASC. He said creation of Aboriginal sporting events such as the North American Indigenous Games have greatly benefited Canada's Aboriginal people.

"That was very important for our people, to have a venue where we could celebrate our accomplishments together as Indigenous people," Jacobs said.

Wanting to establish other such venues, the ASC started its National Aboriginal Hockey Program, which features an annual National Aboriginal Hockey Championship and a high performance hockey camp where young players try out for a chance to be a member of a national Aboriginal hockey team.

Based on the success of its hockey program, the ASC is in discussions with Softball Canada, Canada Basketball and the Canadian Lacrosse Association about the possibility of also holding national Aboriginal championships in each of these sports.

With the North American Indigenous Games coming to B.C. in 2008, followed by the Winter Olympics in 2010, Jacobs is anticipating even more growth in Aboriginal sports in Canada and many more Aboriginal athletes being successful, and not just in Aboriginal-specific competition.

"Those specific Aboriginal events have catapulted the self-esteem and have encouraged many more Aboriginal people to participate within mainstream sport, which we're seeing many successes, right from coast to coast," Jacobs said.

"Richard Peter, who's involved in wheelchair basketball and has won a number of gold medals at the Olympics, to (volleyball player) Dallas Soonias in Alberta who has won the national championship with the University of Alberta, to people like Marisha Roman who is an international dragon boat racer, to Jonathan Cheechoo from Moose Factory, who is the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard winner in the NHL. These types of athletes have given Aboriginal people something to shoot for."

As it does each year, the ASC will be recognizing two outstanding Aboriginal athletes and two exceptional Aboriginal coaches when it hands out its Tom Longboat Awards and National Coaching Awards this spring. The latest award recipients, one male and one female in each award category, will be announced during the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships taking place in Prince Albert, Sask. from April 29 to May 5.

The deadline for nominations for the awards is Feb.16.