Ontario gearing up for Aboriginal summer games

Page 7

Aboriginal athletes from across Ontario will be gathering in Sudbury for four days in July to compete in the second annual Ontario Aboriginal Summer Games.

While last year's games focused only on track and field competition, two new sports-basketball and TaeKwonDo- have been added to the roster for this year's event, taking place July 14 to 17.

The Ontario games are the brainchild of Ontario Aboriginal Sport Circle (OASC) executive director Shelly Burnham-Shognosh. The OASC is the provincial voice for Aboriginal sports.

"It was her dream to have this thing come to fruition," said Rick Robbins, in charge of networking and marketing for the games.

The push for the games came, in part, through a desire to promote recreation and sports with the province's Aboriginal community.

"We recognized the need for youth to become more active, for the grassroots community members to become more involved. We saw the summer games as that possibility," explained Robbins.

Last year's event attracted more than 120 athletes age 14 years and older. The desire to see more athletes get involved prompted organizers to add basketball, which has increased in popularity in Aboriginal communities, to this year's event. TaeKwonDo was added as a first for Ontario's Aboriginal athletes-there's no other TaeKwonDo tournament held in the province, said Robbins.

In addition to encouraging more Aboriginal people to get involved in sports, the summer games serve as a proving ground for athletes wanting to represent the province in the next North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) scheduled to be held in Denver, Colorado in 2006.

Ontario athletes who wish to participate in track and field events during the 2006 NAIG competition will have to qualify through the Ontario Aboriginal Summer Games.

The winning teams from both male and female divisions in the senior basketball event will also qualify to represent the province in Denver. The other teams will be scouted for placement at the games, as will individuals in the TaeKwonDo matches.

Returning to co-ordinate the track and field events this year will be Janice Forsythe and Guy Shultz, who were Team Ontario medal winners at the 2002 NAIG held in Winnipeg.

Co-ordinating the TaeKwonDo competition will be George Lepine, who participated on Team Canada in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Sudbury has proven to be the ideal location for the games, Robbins said.

"It's a central spot and the city has been absolutely fabulous."

While the deadline for registration to take part in the summer games isn't until July 1, Robbins said large contingents of athletes are expected to make return appearances from Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation, Six Nations, Beausoliel First Nation, and Curve Lake.

"There's been a definite increase in interest and I've been fielding a lot of phone calls," he said.

Track and field events will take place at Laurentian University, while TaeKwonDo and basketball will be hosted at high schools throughout the city. Athletes will be housed at Laurentian University and, although more sponsors are needed, costs for housing sits at $10 per night per athlete.

The games also include a cultural component, which will be seen at the opening ceremonies, on July 15, and will include a drum group from Quebec, a prayer by Elders and a round dance.

Athletes wishing to register can do so by contacting games manager Darrel McKay at 1-866-247-0083 or by e-mailing him at dmckay@oasc.net.