Sport Successes

Joy SpearChief-Morris, 2017, Track and Field. Joy is a member of the Kainai (Blood) Nation in Alberta. She is a multiple Ontario University Athletics and U Sports track champion and has competed for the Canadian Under 23 National Team. She is currently in training to qualify for the Canadian team for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

^{Joy SpearChief-Morris has competed as a hurdler in international university competitions. Pictured here at the Women’s 110m hurdles semi-final at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Montreal, 2019.
CP2895966, THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz}

James Lavallée, 2017, Canoe-Kayak Sprint. When canoe-kayak sprint athlete James Lavallée won three medals at the Canada Summer Games, he proudly wore his Métis sash on the podium. In 2016, he was named to Canada’s national canoe-kayak sprint team.

^{James Lavallée has competed in canoe-kayak sprint on the international stage and works to inspire Indigenous youth to participate in sport and connect to the land through the power of recreation. Photo of James’ Canada jersey.
Courtesy of James Lavallée/Candice Ward. Courtesy of James Lavallée}

Jocelyne Larocque, 2018, Ice Hockey. Jocelyne, a proud Métis, has been a member of Canada’s national women’s ice hockey team for over 10 years. She was the first Indigenous athlete to participate in the women’s ice hockey tournament at the Olympic Winter Games, helping Team Canada win the Olympic Gold medal in 2014 and Silver in 2018.

^{Jocelyne Larocque, the first Indigenous athlete to play on Canada’s national women’s hockey team, won Olympic Gold in 2014 and Silver in 2018.
Courtesy of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Courtesy of Jocelyne Larocque}

Michael Linklater, 2018, 3×3 Basketball. Michael is Nehiyaw (Cree), descending from Thunderchild First Nation, located in Treaty 6 Territory in Saskatchewan. Michael, an internationally ranked 3×3 basketball player, recently retired ranked as the number-one player in Canada and 38th in the world.

^{Michael Linklater is ranked as one of Canada’s top 3-on-3 basketball players. The sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Pictured here is Michael’s 2010 Circle of Honour Award, awarded by the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), for Sports, Culture, Youth & Recreation.
CP13262359, THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards
Courtesy of Michael Linklater}

Lyric Atchison, 2019, Rugby. Lyric is a member of the Squamish Nation and hails from North Vancouver. A multi-sport athlete, she began to focus on rugby at age 13 and went on to become a member of the UBC Thunderbirds team at the University of British Columbia. She was selected to the 2018-2019 Canadian Women’s U20 team.

^{Lyric Atchison (right) with Emily Gayleard (left) and the Tom Longboat Award in 2019. Lyric Atchison’s jersey, worn at a Rugby Canada U20 training camp in May 2019.
Courtesy of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Courtesy of Lyric Atchison}

Cameron Gayleard, 2019, Volleyball. Cameron, a Métis from St. Andrews, Manitoba, is a varsity athlete competing for Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. He was previously the captain of the Selkirk Royals AAAA Varsity Boys Volleyball team and also won a Bronze medal at the Manitoba Beach Provincial Championships in 2019.

^{Cameron Gayleard with the Men’s Volleyball Champions trophy awarded by the Manitoba Collegiate Athletic Conference. Pictured here is his beautiful Métis beaded medallion presented to him by Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council in recognition of him winning the Tom Longboat Award in 2019.
Courtesy of Cameron Gayleard}

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