Elite Aboriginal hockey project reaches crossroads

Page 9

An idea first reported in this newspaper in October of 1997 has come to the 'put up or shut up' point and the man behind the idea needs to know if people want him to continue.

Gregg Lindros' Breakaway Hockey Foundation is still hard at work pursuing funding support for an on-reserve alternative independent school that will offer educational and athletic opportunities for Aboriginal young people from all parts of the province and the country.

The foundation was established in memory of Lindros' son, Randy, who died at age 15 from an aneurysm a few days after he collapsed during a hockey practice. Lindros is working closely with the Little Shuswap Indian Band near Chase to build the facilities and create the school on band land.

"I was talking to Indian Affairs, this morning," he said on Feb. 9, "and they support the idea in principle but they need me to show them the interest is there."

That seems to be the reaction from a lot of groups that Lindros has approached for financial help during the last year-and-a-half. They're intrigued by the idea of a private school which will be a place for Aboriginal high school students to combine a rigorous hockey training program with a custom-designed academic component.

When Lindros noticed there aren't many Native players on teams competing at the elite level in minor hockey, he discovered the main reason was that the opportunities for First Nations kids are not equal to those given to city dwellers. It wasn't long before he came up with the idea to open a school that would combine athletics and academics under one roof and provide gifted Indigenous athletes with that opportunity to develop their skills and get access to top level competition. As a consultant who has worked with a number of bands in British Columbia's Interior for more than 15 years, Lindros had the contacts to follow through and the understanding of the challenges facing such an ambitious plan.

"What we've completed is basically a feasibility study," Lindros said. "We've done our homework, now it's time to launch it, to get it up and running."

Enough private and public funding agencies have expressed an interest in the project to convince the foundation that it's worth putting what will be a multi-million dollar operation into gear. Lindros said he hopes to have at least one team of Bantam age players (14 and 15 year olds) registered and in attendance at school for this September. If the demand is there, he'll add a Midget team (16 and 17 year olds). The proposed school building and arena won't be ready by then but Lindros feels the support will come if he proves there are enough student/athletes ready to make the commitment.

The program is open to Aboriginal students from all across the country. The foundation will subsidize a big part of the cost of housing, training and educating them, but a player who wants to live at the boarding school and play serious hockey while attending a private school that demands excellence, commitment and initiative in the classroom and in the dressing room, will still have to come up with about $3,000 per year.

Lindros believes a band council or other sponsor could be found in a community where there is a talented player who can't get what he needs to excel at home. He expects there'll be little trouble finding a sponsor who'd be willing to help raise the money for students whose parents can't afford the $3,000 because it's such an exceptional opportunity.

Aware that he's offering to create a "residential school" type of setting, Lindros has gone to extremes to make sure that this school is nothing but a positive experience. He and Chief Felix Arnouse have involved the Elders of the community in the planning process and the board which will oversee the curriculum and monitor the operation of the school will be 100 per cent Aboriginal. The curriculum will feature a sizable Native cultural component. Lindros and his foundation will run the hockey side of things but he insists tht the structure of the school will ensure that academics come before athletics.

"The measuring stick for us at the end of the day will be the number of graduates and the grades they get," he said. "On the academic side, it's not going to be tilted towards university, although we want to make sure that's there for those students who want that. We plan on being heavy-duty into creating job skills and assisting in career planning."

Lindros says the relatively small size of the school will allow each student to receive a customized education. Those who wish to continue on to university will get the preparation they need; those who wish to acquire a clearly-defined set of job skills that will serve them when they return home, will receive instruction in the classroom that meets their needs.

As the school grows, other sports - for boys and girls - will be added.

"There's all sorts of programs out there for kids at risk. Programs that deal with things after the fact," he said. "What about special, talented kids? Why can't we do something like this for them? We're focusing on hockey to get it started but there's no reason we can't add other sports - girls' hockey, figure skating, basketball, who knows?"

The excitement around the Little Shuswap area is building as the plan gets closer to reality and Lindros himself is very excited about finishing off this unlikely venture.

"This is very tough project. We know it doesn't fall into any of the federal government's conventional funding pots but there's so many reasons why it should happen that we just keep pushing it," he said.

If you're interested in applying or just in getting more information, the Breakaway Hockey Foundation can be reached by phone at 1-250- 374-5383 or by fax at 1-250-374-4380.