ATHLETICS EARNS THEIR FIRST MEDALS OF THE WEEK!
“Today on the athletics field, Team BC had some very impressive performances in all areas. Despite the intense heat and humidity, athletes raced hard, threw far and jumped past their limits to secure new PBs as well as some medals,” said Coach Siri Svensson. Shoutout performances include Danny Legault (Nuxalk Nation) from Bella Coola coming in silver for discus and James Reed (Red Pheasant Nation) from Vanderhoof coming in bronze for the 800m!
WRESTLING OFF TO A GREAT START
Kicking off their competition with high energy and strong team spirit, wrestling athletes Fayth Pontious (Métis Nation British Columbia) from Campbell River. and Jacob Littler (Lytton First Nation) from Prince George demonstrated their grit on the mat. First time on the mat and only 2 months into the sport, athlete Maddex McGrath (Canim Lake) from Kamloops shone brightly as he won his first matches!
CANOE KAYAK BRINGING IN MORE MEDALS!
Today’s weather was great for the races today, sunny with some light winds. We had one race, where the 19U Males had a clean sweep, with Al Wyse (Snuneymuxw First Nation) from Nanaimo coming in 1st place, Noah Gray (Cowichan Tribes) from Lake Errock in 2nd place, and Cyrus George (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) from Agassiz in 3rd place. What a big day for Team BC Canoe Kayak coming home with 5 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze! Assistant Coach Darcy Paul was very happy with today’s results and said that “traveling across Canada with Team BC” has helped them build memories that will last a lifetime.” Way to go, team!
FIRST DAY OF COMPETITION FOR BADMINTON
Our Badminton team had an exciting start to the competition. Two of our athletes won their matches with impressive skill and determination. Although our other two athletes fought hard, they narrowly missed victory. Keiran May (Inuit) from Victoria and Kate Edgar (Ditidaht First Nation) from Port Alberni performed exceptionally well, earning spots in the Thursday quarterfinals.
RIFLE SHOOTING ON TARGET
Rifle had a successful, fun-filled and “on target” day. According to rifle athlete KC Hale (Ahousaht) from Tofino, their highlight of the games has been “being on the other side of the country and socializing with different people”.
HARD FOUGHT MATCHES WITH TEAM BC VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball 16U female team started off strong, winning their match against Team Alberta in the third set. The 19U male team had a tough loss against Team Manitoba, losing by the smallest margin in each set. While the 19U female also lost in their game against Team Alberta, they fought hard and had a wicked comeback of 8 straight points!
3D ARCHERY BEGINS!
3D Archery started today in Millbrook First Nation and went amazing! As one of the three traditional sports, the day began with the opening ceremony. The athletes performed great and Team BC is “breaking 200 points each and so they are on a big trajectory up” said Assistant Coach Bernice Gordon. David Sandquist, Head Coach, said “our archers seemed to have fun, they all shot pretty well, but there were lots of snags along the way today.” Good luck tomorrow team!
GREAT FIRST DAY ON THE GOLF COURSE!
Team BC’s golf crew commenced round 1 today at the Links at Brunello course. 16U player Brody Brook (Okanagan Indian Band) from Prince George came out with a strong start today playing scratch golf with even par finish after the first round. The group will for round 2 of 3 tomorrow.
Coach Chief Frank Antoine stated that “today was a day of playing well and enjoying the competition. Whatever the results, we will be playing tomorrow to set up for the final round on Thursday’s medal round! Good luck boys….”.
TEAM BC’S FIRST BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM EVER!
Team BC played its inaugural game of beach volleyball, with the 16U females kicking it off by winning their first set against Team Yukon! Although they ended up losing in a close match, they were able to come away with the win against Team Nova Scotia later in the day. The 19U female team worked hard in the heat and finished strong despite losing to Team NFLD/Labrador and Team Sask.
SOCCER EXCELLED ON THE FIELD
“The game changers” is what we refer to when we talk about the soccer teams. They dominated all their games today with 3 wins: 16U female winning 8-0, 16U male winning 7-0 and lastly, the 19U female winning 4-2. The teams exceeded all expectations and showed their exceptional skills on the field.
BUSY DAY OF SOFTBALL FOR OUR TEAMS
Team BC had a long day of softball on their second day of the competitions with the 16U Female,19U Female, and 19U Male teams all came out winning one and losing one in the day. In the 19U Male game against Manitoba, a Father on the team said “we had a slow go in the first few innings as both teams were pretty even… but came back in the 5th with 5 runs.” The 16U male unfortunately lost a really hard fought game, but showed great spirit and Team BC pride throughout. Another big day tomorrow for the teams!
BASKETBALL WINS TODAY’S GAMES
What a day for Team BC basketball! Cheered on by an amazing crowd, the 16U basketball male team came out with the win 72-67 with Maddox Craske (Tl’Azt’En First Nation) from Merritt shooting the clutch free throw to win the game! Both 19U male and female teams won their games. The 14U basketball teams excelled with big wins against Team Minnesota! Head Coach Mark Neufeld from the 14U boys team commented on the game saying “our number one job today was to learn how to play with each other and we did that. I was very proud of how we’ve come together. But it was our defence that won us that game” Good job teams!
LACROSSE ON A ROLL!
Team BC had another strong showing at lacrosse today! Starting off with the 16U boys who won 25-0 against Team Wisconsin, followed by 19U boys who won 19-5 against Team Manitoba and again 14-6 against Team Saskatchewan. The U19 female team also played well, winning 15-2 against Team Manitoba.
Team BC Background
The Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council (I·SPARC) is responsible for managing the Team BC Program for the North American Indigenous Games. Through the support and oversight of its Provincial Sport Committees, Team BC Mission Staff and I·SPARC’s leadership, I·SPARC has established a Team BC program and comprehensive provincial process to select athletes and coaches that will compete on behalf of British Columbia in the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG). For the 2023 NAIG, over 500 Indigenous athletes and coaches have been selected to represent British Columbia in the following 14 sports: 3D Archery, Athletics (Track & Field, Cross-Country), Badminton, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Canoe/Kayak, Golf, Lacrosse (Box), Rifle Shooting, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Volleyball, Wrestling.
About the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council
I·SPARC, the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council is a provincial organization established with the purpose of improving the health outcomes of Indigenous peoples by supporting and encouraging physically active individuals, families, and communities. The programs and services delivered by I·SPARC are designed to build capacity and increase access to sport, recreation, and physical activity in First Nations communities, Métis Chartered Communities, Aboriginal Friendship Centres, schools, and other delivery agencies throughout the province.
Media contact:
Kylie Antrobus
Team BC Communications Manager
kantrobus@isparc.ca
www.isparc.ca
