Windspeaker Sports Briefs - December

By Sam Laskaris

Participants Sought
Organizers are expecting more than 60 teams to compete in a long-running tournament in Val-d’Or, Que. The 31st annual CREE Senior Hockey and Broomball Tournament is scheduled for Dec. 8 to 11. Matches will be staged at the Centre Air Creebec, which is also home to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Val-d’Or Foreurs.

The tournament is organized by the Cree Regional Events & Entertainment (CREE) and the Cree Nation Recreation Directors. The event is expected to feature more than $75,000 in prize money. Teams will be competing in seven categories.

For the men, there’s four hockey groupings, including an Oldtimers division for players aged 40 and up. There’s also a women’s hockey category. There’s also two broomball divisions for women, including a recreational category for those 30 and over.

More information is available by contacting tournament director Freddy Schoeneich at schfred@cablevision.qc.ca or by phone at (819) 354-0205.

New sports program
Thunder Bay’s Lakehead University and Wasaya Airways, a First Nations owned company, have teamed up for a new sports and leadership program titled Reach Up! It is aimed at youth in First Nations communities in northern Ontario that are serviced by Wasaya Airways.

This program will see Lakehead coaches and athletes visit various communities. Coaches will discuss how to grow and maintain interest in various sports. And they will also provide tips on how to train for specific sports.

Lakehead athletes that travel to the various communities will meet with First Nations youth to share their personal experiences and also discuss things such as peer leadership and life goals. One of the goals of the program is to encourage Aboriginal youth to receive a post-secondary education, which will not only benefit themselves but their communities as well.

Lakehead University already has more than 1,000 Aboriginal students enrolled in its various programs. Wasaya Airways currently flies to more than 25 locations across northwestern Ontario.

Peter wins award
Richard Peter, a veteran of the Canadian men’s wheelchair basketball team, is one of this year’s recipients of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
Peter, a member of Cowichan Tribes of British Columbia, is one of 15 individuals who were announced as this year’s winners during an event in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Nov. 22. Recipients will be honoured at a gala event on Feb. 24 at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Peter, 39, has been playing wheelchair basketball since he was 15. He’s been using a wheelchair since he was injured in a bus accident at the age of four.

Peter has been a member of the national squad since 1994. And he’s had his share of career highlights. He was a member of the Canadian squad that captured the gold medal at the 2000 Paralympic Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. Peter then helped the Canadians defend their crown at the ’04 Paralympics in Athens, Greece. He was also a member of the Canadian squad that captured the silver medal at the ’08 Paralympics in Beijing, China.

As for this year, Peter helped Canada capture the gold medal at the Paralympic World Cup, which was held in Manchester, England. Peter was also inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame last year.

Ex-pro gives support
Former National Hockey League star Scott Niedermayer is supporting British Columbia’s Ktunaxa Nation.

Niedermayer and the First Nation have expressed their opposition of a resort in Jumbo Valley, located in southeastern B.C.

The Ktunaxa Nation has opposed the proposed Jumbo Glacier resort as it impacts its people’s rights and interests.

Niedermayer and Ktunaxa Nation officials commented on their displeasure with the proposed resort in the B.C. Legislature in mid-November.

Niedermayer is not Aboriginal himself, but he still has a keen interest in this area.

“I grew up in the Kootenays and value the stunning and rugged beauty that the region has to offer,” said Niedermayer, who won four Stanley Cups during his pro career before retiring last year. “I have always been a vocal opponent of development happening in the Jumbo Valley. There are very few areas like this left in the world, and we should preserve it for future generations. I want my children and all British Columbians to be able to enjoy this area, just as I am able to.”

Niedermayer’s support is a huge advantage for the Ktunaxa Nation. Besides his four NHL championships, Niedermayer also won a pair of Olympic gold medals during his career. He was the captain of the Canadian squad that won the gold medal at last year’s Vancouver Winter Olympics.