Windspeaker Sports Briefs - August 2013

Inductees announced

Three Aboriginals are among those who will be inducted into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame later this year. Two of these individuals, Randall Jacobs and Travis Solomon, both of Akwesasne, will be inducted posthumously.

Jacobs will be inducted via the builders’ category while Solomon will enter the hall in the player category. Barry Alfred of Kahnawake is also being inducted through the player category. The Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame is located in St. Catharines. The induction dinner though will be held in nearby Niagara Falls on Nov. 2.

Jacobs, who was nicknamed Man, became a trainer at the age of 21. During the next 38 years he served as a trainer for countless lacrosse and hockey teams. During his career, Jacobs worked with numerous senior, junior and youth clubs in Akwesasne.
As for Solomon, he was a former goalie who excelled in both field lacrosse and box lacrosse. His career in the game spanned three decades, from 1976 to 2006.

One of his career highlights was helping Syracuse University win the NCAA championship in 1983. Solomon was twice named an all-American, in 1982 and ’83, during his university days.

Solomon also represented the Iroquois Nationals in 1984 during a tournament, which was recognized as a special event held in conjunction with the Los Angeles Olympics. The netminder also won a Presidents Cup, a national Senior B title, with the Akwesasne Thunder in 1997. While Solomon was known for his save-making abilities, Alfred was the opposite—an offensive machine.

During his career he earned several MVP awards and all-star selections. After scoring 150 points during the 1977-78 season he was chosen as the top player in Quebec.

After his playing days were over, Alfred coached the Kahnawake Mohawks, a Senior B team, from 1996 through 2009. He led the team to seven appearances in the national Presidents Cup tournament, winning one silver and four bronze medals at those events.

Alfred returned to coach the Mohawks this year. Kahnawake will host this year’s national tournament, which begins Aug. 26.

Jets help Aboriginal youth

The National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets are part of a new partnership that will promote a healthy, active lifestyle for Aboriginal youth in Manitoba. The partnership is between the provincial government, the Winnipeg Jets True North Foundation and the Right To Play program.

The program will receive a total of $250,000 (half of that from the Jets’ foundation and the other half from the province) to support Right To Play programs on the Fisher River Cree Nation and the Pine Creek First Nation. This new partnership was announced in early July.

The Fisher River Cree Nation, which has about 1,700 residents, is located 220 kilometres north of Winnipeg. The Pine Creek First Nation, located 110 kilometres north of Dauphin, has about 1,200 residents.

Chiefs from both First Nations praised the new partnership. “It is wonderful to see youth in our community engaging in meaningful activities,” said Fisher River Cree Nation Chief David Crate.
“Leadership development, summer camp and sport workshops have added a new dimension to our existing programming.”

Pine Creek First Nation Chief Charlie Boucher also sees great value in the program.

“Our youth are excited each day for the new things the program has to offer and they are learning skills that will help them to take charge as leaders,” he said.

Soccer MVP

Canadian soccer fans have a couple of opportunities remaining this season to catch the reigning MVP of Major League Soccer (MLS) playing north of the border.

Chris Wondolowski is a 30-year-old Native American starring with the San Jose Earthquakes. Wondolowski, a member of the Kiowa tribe, was selected as the league’s MVP in 2012, after scoring 27 goals in 32 matches. Though it marked the first time he was chosen as the MLS’s MVP, Wondolowski had led the league in scoring in each of the previous three years.

As for this season, Wondolowski had netted five goals in his first 17 contests with the Earthquakes.

The MLS is the top pro soccer league in Canada and the United States. The league features 19 entrants, including three Canadian franchises; Vancouver Whitecaps, Montreal Impact and Toronto FC.

The Earthquakes’ only two regular season appearances in Canada this season are both upcoming. San Jose will travel to Montreal for a game on Aug. 7. And then the Whitecaps will host the Earthquakes on Aug. 10.

Wondolowski has played in the MLS since 2005. He only played two games with the Earthquakes that season. He played the next three-and-a-half seasons with the Houston Dynamo before being traded back to San Jose midway through the 2009 campaign.