The 2018 Premier’s Awards for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport were presented at the Dze L K’ant Friendship Centre Hall in Smithers to nine outstanding Indigenous youth athletes from the Northwest.
The Northwest is the second of the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council’s (I·SPARC) six regions to honour Indigenous athletes through this unique province-wide awards program.
I·SPARC, in collaboration with the Province of B.C., launched the regional nomination process in August 2018, receiving nominations from across the province for Indigenous athletes under 25 years of age who are competing in performance sport and committed to living healthy, active lifestyles.
A total of 47 recipients were chosen within I·SPARC’s six regions – Northeast, Northwest, Interior, Fraser, Vancouver Coastal, and Vancouver Island.
The 2018 Premier’s Awards for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport – Northwest Regional Recipients:
• Blaise Sakac, 15, Sailing, Hagwilget Village Council
• Elie Morgan, 16, Soccer, Gitsegukla
• Dakota Price, 14, Basketball, Volleyball, Nisga’a & Haida Nations
• Tyrell Harris, 15, Basketball, Gitanmaax
• Pasha Ormerod, 18, Volleyball Métis Nation, SK
• Honrei Morgan, 14, Soccer, Basketball, Gitsegukla
• Jaimie Denny, 16, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, Gitanmaax
• Fraser Dodd, 19, Soccer, Hockey, Lax-Kw’alaams
• Mackenzie Gladstone-Howard, age 17, Basketball, Gitxsan, Gitsegukla
“I’m very proud to support these awards, which provide much-deserved recognition for our top young Indigenous athletes,” said Premier John Horgan. “It’s great to see these young champions achieving top results in such a wide variety of sports.”
“These talented young athletes are rising stars in their sports and role models in their communities,” said Minister Lisa Beare. “I hope these awards will encourage them to keep pursuing their dreams on and off the field of play.”
“I have been with I·SPARC for two years, in that time I have witnessed athletes in action in several sports throughout our region,” said DeWayne Robinson, Northwest regional lead for I·SPARC. “The recipients from our region have shown they deserve this prestigious award for their hard work, not only in their sport, but within their culture, communities and the education standards they hold for themselves. Their goals in life are set and achievable in becoming great leaders in the future.”
These Regional recipients automatically serve as nominees for the Provincial Awards. A total of 12 Provincial Awards (six male and six female) will be selected in January 2019. Provincial recipients will be presented with their award at Gathering our Voices: Indigenous Youth Leadership Forum in Port Alberni March 19-22, 2019.
Throughout November, the four remaining regions will host formal celebrations to honour their 2018 Regional Premier’s Awards recipients.
I·SPARC is a consortium of the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, the First Nations Health Authority, and Métis Nation BC. As the stewards of BC’s Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Strategy, I·SPARC works with First Nations, Métis Chartered Communities, Friendship Centres, schools and other sport and physical activity stakeholders to deliver community-based programs designed to promote active lifestyles and support the desire for transformative change in the health and well-being of Indigenous communities, families and individuals across B.C.
–Submitted by I-SPARC.