Paving the way with gold

Page 7

Standing six-foot-three and weighing 230 pounds, Albert Doxtator, 23, is the super heavyweight world gold medal champion in pankration, the original gladiator sport of the Olympics.

Doxtator, a member of the turtle clan of the Oneida Nation and from the Chippewas of Thames reserve near London, Ont., gets a lot of strength from his traditional beliefs.

"The turtle represents the earth, the root of all life. The turtle is old, wise and well respected, and teaches patience, confidence, solidarity and, most of all, strength. They call me Albert 'the Fighting Spirit' Doxtator. They call me 'the Fighting Spirit' because I am emotionally filled with spirituality that was given to me by my upbringing in life. I fight using the attributes and gifts the Creator gave me to pave a positive path for the next generation, but I'm paving this path in gold. Literally with gold medals and gold awards given to me from people around the world in places that I go to fight," Doxtator said.

He believes competition turns him from a ordinary individual into a gifted fighter.

"My spirituality comes out. It's the fighting spirit that I truly possess and that possesses me at times when I fight. I pray every day to the Creator and when I go to fight he takes care of me. I believe in my spirituality and he's not going to let any thing happen to me. If anything, he's the one who made me what I am, gave me my gift."

Doxtator began boxing and karate training at the age of four and wrestled competitively in high school.

"I won the gold medal at the 1997 North American Indigenous Games in Victoria, and now I've won the world gold medal in my sport, pankration."

Pankration dates back to the first days of the Olympics in Greece although the sport has not been seen at the Olympic Games since 640AD. Pankration, it's said, was invented by Theseus, the mythical Greek king and hero of Athens, who, after combining boxing and wrestling, defeated the Minotaur. Ancient pankration involved boxing, wrestling, punching and head butting until one opponent submitted, became unconscious or died.

Modern day pankration is a combination of wrestling, jiu jitsu, muay thai, kickboxing and boxing. Athletes in ancient Greece fought barehanded. Today's pankrathletes must wear hand pads, mouthpieces and groin protection and compete in a gi (karate or judo uniform). The contest area, called a palestra, is circular, measuring 28 to 33 feet in diameter. Adult matches are five minutes in length and can be won by the fighter that achieves the greatest number of points, by achieving 25 more points than one's opponent, by disqualification, by forfeit or by submitting.

"I look forward to being a positive role model for those children although I'm competing in a violent sport, but it's controlled. We're not there to kill each other. We shake hands after we're done competing against each other and walk away as gentlemen rather than enemies. The training for my sport prepares you to have physical and mental control at all times. Prepares you for the real world and what it has to offer," said Doxtator.

Although pankration is gaining in popularity, it's not a big enough sport yet to be officially recognized by Sport Canada, the governing body of amateur athletes in Canada. Doxtator does not qualify for the financial support available to most amateur athletes from the federal government. That may change in the future as the Greek ministry of sport is lobbying the international Olympic committee to have the pankration added to the list of medal events for the 2004 summer games in Athens.

On Aug. 26, 2000, Doxtator, then the Canadian heavyweight pankration champion, became the U.S. heavyweight champion after winning all three of his bouts at the U.S.A. Federation Pankration Athlima Grand Nationals championships in Kansas City, Mo.

In November 2000, Doxtator went to Greece as the North American heavyweight pankration champion. On Nov. 11 and 12, he won the gold medal at the pankraton championship in Lamia, Greece, defeating an Israeli competitor in the final round of competition to win the 115-kilogram (heavyweight) world title. He helped lead the Canadian contingent to the overall team title.

He trains as many as 45 hours a week. At times he finds work as an iron worker in Windsor, but for the most part he is unemployed. He also does not have a full-time coach or a sponsor or expensive equipment.

"I captured world gold for Team Canada, and for all Native people around the world. The biggest thing for me as an Aboriginal person right now is holding the world title. We're known for our warriors. We're known for standing firm and holding our ground for our people. Well, this is one more thing that we are using that strength for, our warrior and our fighting spirit. It's for me to conquer these athletes in a sport that is now ours. Playing rough is nothing new to me. Our people have gone through tougher obstacles of war and combat that have helped make us the people that we are today, which is true individuals. And I am a true individual, staying true to sobriety and pushing that to the next generation. There are thousands of little brown kids that encourage me, and not only the young generation, but also the old generation, the grandmothers and the grandfathers that fill me with good spirituality and good spirit thoughts and prayer to go and get 'em. And I do."

Having overcome a violent upbringing, drug and alcohol abuse, and a weight problem that saw him balloon to more than 300 pounds during his high school days, Doxtator knows what he's talking about when he advises youth.

"Train hard, stay straight. An obstacle is just something in front of you. It can be pushed aside and you can continue on your journey. Overcome those obstacles, leap them, beat them, do what you have to but overcome them.

"It doesn't matter what happened to you in your life, what matters is what you make of yourself. Whether it's physical or mental attributes thatyou were given, use what you have and go with them. If you are artistic, if you are athletic, if you are very smart and talented, use those to the best of your knowledge and see what the world has to offer you. The world is more than just dirt roads, partying and drinking every night. There's more to life than the weed and the booze. There's more to life than babies having babies and one night stands. You have to dedicate yourself to what you want. Dream big man. They come true. I'm a product of that. I'm a big dreamer and I'm making my dreams come true.

"I'm paving the way for other young Aboriginal people. I'm really glad that I have the attributes that I have and I'm really glad that I did what I set out to do and that was succeed and capture my dream. I'm a dreamer and dreams do come true. All I can do is implore our youth to strive, strive for what you want-the best. We are the best. We are the original people, and nothing is better, more Canadian or more original than we are. Believe it, believe it."