Team B.C. spikes Saskatchewan’s top squad legacy

A week-long battle for the over-all team award at this year’s North American Indigenous Games went right down to the wire.
And in the end, British Columbia edged the host Saskatchewan entry by picking up one medal more.

B.C. athletes captured a total of 160 medals (63 gold, 49 silver, 48 bronze) at the Games, which concluded on July 27 in Regina. Saskatchewan competitors finished off with 159 medals, though they did have more gold medals (72) than B.C.

Ontario placed third in the team standings, accumulating 149 medals.

About 3,600 athletes from across Canada and the United States competed in this year’s NAIG. They were representing 20 teams (provinces, territories or states).

This marked the eighth time the games have been held since they were first staged in 1990.

Saskatchewan has traditionally been a power at the NAIG, having won six of the previous seven team titles. Manitoba was the only other squad that had won the team award before, at the 2002 NAIG staged in Winnipeg.

Lara Mussell, B.C.’s chef de mission, said she knew her squad would be in the running for the over-all team award.

Teams are allowed to bring a maximum of 500 athletes and coaches/support staff to the NAIG. B.C. was represented by about 375 athletes and it also had about 100 coaches or staff members.

“We knew B.C. is one of the Big 5 teams,” Mussell said, adding Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba also traditionally comprise the largest contingents. “Generally you expect those teams that have the most athletes will also get the most medals.”
The sports contested were archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, baseball, basketball, canoeing/kayaking, golf, lacrosse, rifle shooting, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball and wrestling.
“I believe we medalled in every sport with the exception of lacrosse,” Mussell said.

The B.C. boys’ under-16 lacrosse squad just missed out on a medal, placing fourth in its category. And the male under-19 squad from B.C. finished fifth in its division.

Mussell believes one of the main reasons for the B.C. successes at NAIG was because of the various championships and camps that have been organized the past three years by the provincial Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council.

The championships and camps focused on the sports that are contested at the NAIG.

“Boy, did it pay off,” Mussell said.

Besides winning the most medals, Team B.C. was also the recipient of the John Fletcher Spirit Award. This accolade is presented to the contingent that demonstrates the spirit of teamwork, fair play, respect and integrity through the NAIG.
“We thought that was more meaningful than the over-all medal count,” Mussell said. “We were promoting that award to our coaches and athletes all week.”

This marked the first time in the Games’ history that the same club that won the over-all team award also was presented with the spirit award.

“I feel we’re a part of history times a million,” said Samantha Horth, a Metis who was a member of the gold-medal winning girls’ under-19 volleyball squad.

Horth, who is gearing up for her first year at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., added her volleyball squad felt it played a significant role in the medal standings. That’s because its gold-medal match was the last event staged during the week-long NAIG.

“It pushed us over from being in a tie (with Saskatchewan),” said Horth, who lives in Cloverdale and is a member of the Coquitlam Ducks Volleyball Club.

The girls’ under-19 volleyball tournament featured 16 teams. B.C. went undefeated, winning all nine of its matches in the event.
B.C. defeated the Quebec-based team Eastern Door and the North 3-1 (26-24, 25-16, 25-27, 25-10) in the gold-medal contest.

“Of course, that was our goal, to get into the final game,” Horth said.

All 10 Canadian provinces and three territories had representatives at the NAIG. The American contingents were from Wisconsin, Washington, New York, Connecticut, California, Florida and Colorado.

The NAIG have been held sporadically since they were first staged in 1990 in Edmonton. At times there have been just two or three years between the Games.

But six years had elapsed since the last event was held in Cowichan Valley, B.C. in 2008.

The Games were also supposed to be staged in Milwaukee in 2011. But organizers cancelled that event a year beforehand.
Since no other city was willing to step up and stage the multi-sport competition on short notice, it was decided to simply move on and plan for the 2014 edition of the Games.