Indigenous People in Sport

People inSport INDIGENOUS

Featuring local members of the Indigenous community for their contributions to sport and recreation as either a participant, coach, builder, volunteer, or official.

We have been blessed to to share these stories in the Recreation & Culture Guides from the City of Lethbridge.

PeopleinSport

JOY

Joy is an Indigenous Black Canadian writer, advocate, and athlete She is a proud member of the Kainai Blood Tribe and grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. Joy has a Bachelor’s degree in History and First Nations Studies and a Master’s degree in Political Science specializing in Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction from Western University Joy is now pursuing her writing professionally as a journalist, recently having a featured opinion piece published in the Globe and Mail on Black and Indigenous solidarity in Canada. She is currently a student in the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University

Joy is a retired 100m hurdler in athletics, being a three-time Canadian National Championship finalist and having represented Team Canada internationally twice. As a member of Team Canada, she is a 2014 North American Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 silver medalist and finished 5th at the 2019 FISU World Universiade. She is a previous member of the Board of Directors for AthletesCAN, and is sitting as a member of the AthletesCAN. Joy has achieved several accolades, both as a varsity athlete with the Western Mustangs Track and Field Team, and previously with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, and as a member of Team Canada. Most notably, she was the winner of the 2017 Tom Longboat Award

PeopleinSport

JESSY MCARTHUR

Jessy was born in Yorkton Saskatchewan and raised almost entirely in Lethbridge. His family is from White Bear First Nations, located in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan. Growing up he spent most of his time playing basically any sport you could keep score of or that he had a chance to win During his school years he was mostly occupied with volleyball/basketball and when the weather was nice enough Jessy would spend his days at the skatepark on a BMX, skateboard, or scooter; anything with wheels that could get going

PeopleinSport

POLLO HESS

Apollo Fox Hess (Mootooyaohkii) is a Blackfoot athlete from the Blood reserve just outside of Lethbridge. Growing up, Hess participated in a plethora of sports including track and field, hockey, and soccer. As Apollo got older, the sport of swimming is what he excelled in. His competitive fire and urge to succeed combined to create a force in the pool His steady progress has brought him quite a long way In 2016, he failed to even qualify for the national championships as a 14year-old. At only 18 years of age, Hess finished 4th at the 2020 Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials. Apollo was named the Canada West Rookie of The Year, as well as the Canada West Swimmer of the year in his first official season as a varsity athlete. His development and maturation in sport is in large part due to his long-time coach, Peter Schori Apollo grew up in Lethbridge but was raised as a proud Blackfoot person He has a very strong sense of heritage and culture. His Blackfoot name is Mootooyaohkii (Ocean). It was given to him by his late grandfather, Norbert Fox, who was also a star athlete in his youth. It’s safe to say the future is bright for the young athlete, as he’s proven time and time again that he’s ready for the big stage

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CHARLTON

(Athlete – Basketball)An all-around athlete at Kainai High School on the Blood Reserve, asel Head shone on the gridiron for the riors football team But he was even better h a basketball, leading the Warriors to cess with his scoring, passing and defense starred with the Alberta Juvenile squad in He was an Alberta Colleges Athletic ference All-star each of his three seasons h the Kodiaks, including a first-team all-star in ast two seasons. He was named to the ege All-Canadian squad in 1997-98 while in being honoured as the Kodiaks’ MVP. m there, Weasel Head moved on to the next l, joining the Brandon University Bobcats He chosen as a second-team all-star in the at Plains Athletic Conference in 2001 and a first-team tournament all-star at the 2001 onals The same year, Weasel Head was rded the Tom Longboat Award for aboriginal rting excellence, and received the Doug ndle Student Athlete Award for 2000-01.After ning his general studies degree at Brandon, asel Head returned to Southern Alberta to ain his Education Degree from the University ethbridge Currently Charlton is the ociate principal at Kainai High School and athletic director He continues to serve as a model for youth and enjoys watching his Talon play high school basketball with holic Central High School.

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Inspired by his son Zane who quickly switched interest from hockey to lacrosse once introduced to it, Chad set out to make a difference in his community. “I took notice in the skill, stick handling, physical play and of

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JILLIAN WEIR

Jillian Weir is a Team Canada hammer thrower who resides in Lethbridge and trains at the University of Lethbridge. Jillian has maternal Indigenous lineage and is a member of the Mohawks Bay of the Quinte. She was the only known Indigenous athlete on Team Canada in her Olympic debut last year competing in Tokyo, Japan where she finished 19th overall

In July 2021 Weir spoke to The National Post about what it means to her to inspire Indigenous youth and she said, “If I can inspire any Indigenous youth, it’s hard to put into words what that would mean. Because I never saw Indigenous athletes in track and field competing at the Olympics when I was a kid. If I can be a model for anybody out there, that would be a big honour A lot of young Indigenous people might not even know what the hammer throw is and aren’t familiar with all the different sports and events at the Olympics. The exposure to more sports will get more kids involved and lead to opportunity.”

Jillian played many different sports growing up and started track and field in grade 6 when she competed in running, jumping, and throwing events before focusing on shot put and discus in high school then added the hammer throw in university Jillian is now training for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France where she will look to improve on her top 20 performance from her Olympic debut.

PeopleinSport

LOLA DIGOUT-FORD

Lola Digout-Ford is an 18-year-old Indigenous rugby player and a member of the Lytton First Nation band (Lytton, B C )

She has played competitive rugby (7's and 15's) for the last three years, playing with the Westisle Composite High School team, Lethbridge Collegiate Institute's (LCI) senior varsity team, Lethbridge Rugby Club, and the Alberta Rugby Club's - South Team.

This past season, she was awarded the AllStar Award for her position as Scrumhalf, presented by the Southern Alberta High School Rugby League (SAHSRL) In addition to that honour, she also received the Most Valuable Player Award presented by the LCI SV Girls Rugby Team.

Lola desires to continue working hard and improve her rugby skills, such as attending the University of Lethbridge's Pronghorn's ID Camps and their High School Prep camp. Her goal is to play rugby at the university level.

Although rugby is her passion, Lola enjoys playing soccer, swimming and anything outdoors. She also volunteers with her local community, such as the Angel Tree Christmas campaign and the Children of St. Martha's School.

PeopleinSport HUNTER STEWARDSON

Hunter Grace Stewardson is a proud Indigenous athlete from Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation, which is located on Lake Nipigon, Ontario.

Hunter has been swimming since she was 7 years old, and she just finished her first year of varsity swimming at the University of Lethbridge where she was awarded MVP for the woman’s swim team. Before swimming, Hunter enjoyed gymnastics, dance, and horseback riding.

In 2017, Hunter competed in the North American Indigenous Games held in Toronto, where she placed top three in all 9 events she swam. The NAIG sees over 5,000 participants from 13 nations competing in 14 core sports.

After her success at NAIG she decided to take the sport more seriously and she continued training for the national championships Hunter has always had a passion for swimming; her dedication to the sport and competitive mindset is what made her the athlete she is today.

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RAE MARIE FIRST CHARGER

Rae Marie First Charger is 10 years old She is half Blackfoot and enjoys staying busy by being in lots of sports Rae Marie started figure skating at the age of 3 and was introduced to skateboarding at a very young age A few years later she started snowboarding, boxing, and mixed martial arts Last year Rae Marie started embracing her culture and learned traditional fancy shawl dance

When she was 5 years old Rae Marie was awarded the Regional and Provincial CanSkate athlete of the year award and was recognized at the National awards banquet She was asked by local skateboard companies to design different skateboard decks with her artwork on them Two of the skateboard designs she created were Indigenous-inspired One of the local skate shops, Boarderline, has sold her decks Rae Marie wanted to support Indigenous groups that help others so proceeds from the sale of each skateboard she designed went to the Sage Clan.

In the community, she enjoys running in races like the police run or the moonlight run. She also likes dancing at local pow wows, Indigenous events and at school events. Rae has helped her dad teach little kids to skateboard. She has travelled to different communities to pow wow dance and skateboard. Most recently she was asked to go to Fort McMurray to dance and skateboard at a cultural festival. Rae Marie wants to continue to show everyone her Blackfoot culture and traditional dancing and help get young kids involved in skateboarding.

PeopleinSport DENNIS CHIEF MOON

Dennis Chief Moon picked up boxing at the age of 13. As a young boxer with the Blood Reserve Boxing Club, Chief Moon won many regional and provincial Golden Glove awards. He climbed the amateur ranks to become one of Canada’s top boxers The highlight of his career was the 1971 Canadian National Boxing Championships, where he won the 57kg weight class. That earned Chief Moon a spot on the Canadian team for the 1971 Pan Am Games in Cali, Colombia

Throughout his career, Chief Moon continued his winning ways across Alberta and Montana, earning Alberta provincial championships, Montana State Golden Glove championships, Western Canada and Dominion titles, and a Canada Winter Games championship Chief Moon retired as a champion, having never lost his titles, and earned a certificate of achievement from then-Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed. Chief Moon continued to give back to his community, training young boxers, helping build the Blood Reserve’s reputation in boxing.

2022 Lethbridge Sports Hall of Fame Inductee - Athlete

PeopleinSport

TYSUN TALLMAN

Oki Niksaowaiiksi, nitaaniko Itopamsapstsima Nisto Kainai. Hello my name is Tysun Tallman and my Blackfoot name is Offers Pipe Across the Water.

Tysun Tallman received his name from his uncle Mike Bruised Head PhD, who was part of an historic 1980 trip to England, where across the Atlantic Ocean he was the first to offer the pipe to the elders

Tysun started his sports career while in elementary school where he had a hard time relating and fitting in with others. He played sports initially to fit in with his peers and realized he still stood out, but on his terms! He began playing every competitive sport he could afford to continue defining himself through fitness and eventually coaching, where he could apply his knowledge in a way that could help others

Tysun finds magic in movement and challenging himself physically but also in learning more about how movement and exercise can save people. He developed a deep passion for training and competition where he chose to broaden his approach provincially on cultural and wellness programs and through his university experience: Public Health Policy, Health Sciences, Kinesiology and Physical Education

As Tysun continues to learn and share his passion for sport and community wellness he is honoured to help others on their wellness path.

PeopleinSport

DDr. Willie Littlechild as he is now known, is a Cree Indian from the Ermineskin Tribe of the Maskwacis Cree Nation. The sports listed by his name were what he won more than seventy titles at the provincial, regional, national, and international championships. He also competed in rodeo (bull riding) and golf. Willie had a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and was the first Treaty Indian from Alberta to graduate from law school. Willie didn’t take part in athletics only as an athlete, he was a coach, volunteer and sports consultant. He also organized the first Native Summer Games for Alberta in 1971. Willie also is responsible for organizing the Native Golf Association and the Native Hockey Council He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2020. Willie has also been inducted into seven other Sports Hall of Fames.

PeopleinSport

PeopleinSport

TOM LONGBOAT

Thomas Charles Longboat, distance runner (born 4 July 1886 in Ohsweken, Six Nations Grand River reserve; died 9 January 1949) Tom was an Onondaga distance runner from the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation reserve. Largely because of his ability to dominate any race and his spectacular finishing sprints, he was one of the most celebrated athletes before the First World War Longboat's desire to train himself led to several well-publicized conflicts with managers. Despite constant and sometimes racist criticism, he stuck to his own methods. He bought up his contract in 1911 and ran better than ever In 1912, he set a professional record of 1:18:10 for 15 miles, 7 minutes faster than his amateur record. Longboat was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1955 and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. In 1951, the Tom Longboat Award was established in his honour Every year, the Aboriginal Sports Circle presents this award to Indigenous athletes who demonstrate excellence in sport.

In 2008, Bill 120 proclaimed June 4 of every year Tom Longboat Day in Ontario