Alberta’s Chef de Mission well-versed in NAIG

Ron Buffalo will be continuing his extensive and varying responsibilities with Alberta entries at the North American Indigenous Games.

Over the years Buffalo has competed in the games himself, coached various teams and also handled numerous behind-the-scene activities.

Buffalo, a 62-year-old member of the Samson Cree Nation who lives in Hobbema, can now add another title to his NAIG resume. He has been appointed as the chef de mission for the Alberta contingent that will compete at the 2014 NAIG in Regina, Sask.
Buffalo’s latest appointment is well-deserved and a position he is more than capable of handling.

“I’ve been involved in sports all my life,” he said. “I’ve had my finger in just about everything.”

Buffalo, who is an electrician by trade, had served as the chair of the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta since 2008. He was forced to give up that post this past December when he applied to become Alberta’s Chef de Mission for the 2014 NAIG.

Buffalo, however, continued to serve on ISCA’s Board of Directors after submitting his application. But he also had to resign as a director when he learned in early April that he had been appointed as the Team Alberta leader.

Holly Johnson-Rattlesnake, another ISCA board member, was appointed as the association’s chair when Buffalo had to give up his post this past December.

One of Buffalo’s immediate tasks is overseeing the selection of communities across the province that will host the Alberta playdowns for the various sports that will be contested at NAIG.
Communities interested in hosting one of the playdowns have until May 15 to submit an application. But Buffalo said that deadline might be extended to May 30. The various qualifiers are then expected to be held between June and August.

“It’s always challenging (to find communities to host the playdowns),” he said.

As a result, some communities might end up hosting NAIG qualifiers in more than one sport.

Athletes will participate in 15 sports at the 2014 NAIG. They are archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, canoeing, golf, lacrosse, rifle shooting, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball and wrestling.

Also, kayaking will be a demonstration sport at the games.

About 6,000 athletes, coaches and support staff are expected to take part in the 2014 NAIG, which will be held in July.

The NAIG were first held in 1990 in Edmonton. The games have been held six other times since that inaugural event, twice in the United States and on four other occasions in Canada.

The last games took place in 2008 in Cowichan Valley, B.C.
Milwaukee had been awarded the 2011 games but the host society then withdrew its offer to stage those games. When an alternate site could not be located in time, NAIG Council officials opted to look ahead and opened up the bidding for the 2014 games.

Regina was awarded these games in May of 2011.

Buffalo had competed in the senior men’s golf category at the 2002 NAIG in Winnipeg. He also coached his daughters’ softball team at the 1995 NAIG in Blaine, Minnesota. He’s also driven Alberta athletes in a motor coach to various NAIG events, including the 2008 games.