PAGC victor at games

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First Nations athletes from across the province converged on Flying Dust First Nation from July 6 to 10 to take part in the 2003 Saskatchewan First Nation Summer Games, but in the end it was the team representing the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) that emerged victorious.

This year's competition not only saw the PAGC team successfully repeat its top place finish in the last summer games, held in La Ronge in 2001, but also saw the team widen the points gap between itself and the second place team from Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC), the host council for the games. The MLTC team had also placed second in the 2001 summer games, earning only half a point less than the top place finisher. Prior to those games, the MLTC team had laid claim to top spot in the three previous summer games, and has also had a lock on top spot in the winter games for years as well.

The final tally saw PAGC with 565 points, followed by MLTC at 556 points. Saskatoon Tribal Council came in third with 340.5 points, Battlefords Tribal Council finished in fourth with 315.5 points and Agency Chiefs Tribal Council placed fifth with 244.5 points. The team representing the File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council placed sixth with 228.5 points, Onion Lake First Nation came in seventh with 205 points, Touchwood Agency Tribal Council placed eighth with 172 points, Southeast Treaty #4 Tribal Council came in ninth with 110.5 and Yorkton Tribal Council placed tenth with 101.5 points.

"The Games went well as planned with a good response from the general public as well as athletes, participants and everyone that was involved," games manager Wes Durocher said.

However, the games did have to overcome some weather-related difficulties.

"We had a lot of rain during the first two days so we had to postpone competition and do rescheduling and that caused a bit of chaos," he said. "We got everything back on track within a day but it made for longer days, especially for soccer and softball."

The other sports at the games included track and field and the demonstration sports of golf and bicycling.

"We went from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Durocher said. "We caught up with all that, however, and got everything completed on time in the end."

Three Flying Dust organizers -Durocher, Jim Norman and Jeremy Norman-worked up to 20 hour days during the event, along with the 2002 Meadow Lake citizen of the year Elaine Yaychuk and Shirley Greyeyes-McDonald of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.

"Collectively, we have been to 30 games before this," Durocher said, referring to the group of three organizers from Flying Dust. "It is not as easy as it looks, believe me. I have to commend our staff and volunteers for coping through the often chaotic situation ,but we got it done," he said.

"The games were over just as we wanted to kick it up into high gear. As hosts, I was hoping to win it at home but unfortunately, we had to settle for second place," Wes Durocher said.

For her part, Elaine Yaychuk, who chaired the volunteer committee, said she enjoyed being involved in organizing the summer games.

"When you have 3,000 athletes coming, you have to build a community for a week," she said.

"I recruited over 400 volunteers for this, with most of them being from the Meadow Lake area. I have been involved with some other big volunteer things in the past but this was probably the biggest."

Lyle Daniels, director of sport, culture, recreation and youth for the FSIN also praised host Flying Dust First Nation.

"Flying Dust did very well with this," Daniels said. "After these games, I definitely know where that place gets its name from. Even when we had the rain, the ground just sucked the water up and the dust was flying in no time again."

Daniels said the next games will be the 2004 Saskatchewan First Nation Winter Games, to be held in Nipawin in April. The next summer games are to take place in 2005 at a sit yet to be determined.

"Before I came three years ago to this position, there was a winter and a summer games every year. The very first thing I did was change it so we have alternate years for each of the games and not the two of them every year," Daniels said.

"This makes it easier for everyone including our sponsors. We found the sponsors were able to increase their contributions to the games once we did this restructuring."

Daniels indicated it takes between $500,000 and $700,000 to host a summer games and between $300,000 and $500,000 to host the winter games.