Sports the number one priority for athlete

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Eat well, get lots of exercise and determine to make the best of your situation. That's the winning combination for Destiny Whitney, 20, a member of the Tsuu T'ina Nation in Alberta and the volleyball team that took the gold at the North American Indigenous Games held in Winnipeg July 28 to Aug. 4. It also helps if you have the love and support of a terrific family, she said.

"Sports have always been a part of my life. I always make it my number 1 priority in my life. My goal is to do well in sports and so far I have. In Winnipeg we got a gold medal for the junior division. Our team was undefeated. I guess it's been five years since Alberta has won the gold in volleyball."

She said the games left her with an amazing feeling. It was wonderful to have the gold medal and be recognized across North America.

"When I was in Grade 8, I thought that I'd try volleyball. The coach said 'I think that you should come out and play' and I did. He taught me the basics of volleyball. He said that I had the ability to be really good. In Grade 9 we won the city championship in Calgary. Throughout high school I played volleyball and I always attend volleyball camps," she said.

When Whitney asked her coach what her chances of playing at the university level were, she was told to try and play college volleyball first and that is what she did.

"He told me that it would be better if I played college volleyball first to get the experience and then I would know what playing volleyball would be all about. So he talked to the Red Deer College coach and he was all ears to have another college player come to play at the college there. I tried out and I made the team. I've been on the team for two years. Then last year we got third in nationals. We are now in the top three college teams in Canada. Ever since then I just love the sport," she said.

This fall Whitney will leave her community to attend Camosun College in Victoria, B.C. where she will be enrolled in the professional golfers course. A three-year course will give here a business degree in the golf industry.

"I grew up with sports. Ever since I was little I played softball. I tried basketball and swimming. I also played basketball for seven years. Volleyball and golf are my thing to do. I was actually supposed to go to the games and play golf, but I got put onto two rosters. I've been working in the golf industry for five years in one of the golf courses that we own on the reserve, called Red Meadows. It is a very good course. Every time I'd come home from school in the summer I'd work there," she said.

"While I'm attending school in Victoria, I will be playing volleyball there at the college. I will have my business degree and then I can work in any field of the golf industry. If I dedicate myself I will be a professional golf player in maybe three years."

Whitney said she really has to watch what she eats.

"I eat a lot of healthy meals and stuff. In the morning it would be a yogurt, a banana and a granola. Than I'd bring water to school. At lunchtime I'd eat a sandwich and an apple, maybe even a salad. My team was pretty good in college. For supper we'd make a stir-fry or something like that, like chicken and rice and a lot of vegetables. On other nights it would be pasta.

"Maybe once every three months I have burger and fries. It would not be very often."

The death of her grandmother in June broke Whitney's heart. She was thankful for the games helping her get back on track.

"My grandmother was the one who made me do well in sports. She paid for everything and she wanted to see me succeed. After she passed away I did not think that I could still play. So these games really helped me get back on track to see that there is more out there. That there is something for me out there. My mother supports me a lot. It was hard on her because she had to raise my baby brother, so it was harder for her to really be involved in my sport activities so it was mostly my grandmawho would come and watch me play. No matter if it was in Red Deer, Edmonton or down in Lethbridge, she was there. She would know that was what I needed. At the Indigenous games it was hard because she was not there in person, but I kept her picture with me the whole time I was there," she said.

Whitney is also picking up an interest in her culture through observing and taking part in cultural ceremonies.

Whitneyis the eldest in her family. She believes that she is not only a role model for her two brothers, ages 17 and three, but that she is also a role model to her cousins.

"My little cousin Tanisha always wants to be like me. She always wants to play sports because we always brought her to my games. We always made her see that this is the thing to do. She would get involved and she is doing really well in sports right now."

Whitney said she met a lot of people at the games.

"It was a good experience. There were so many friendly people there. They were so interested in meeting new people rather than being ignorant. It was such a great experience seeing the level of sport talent that Aboriginal people have. I would not change anything. When I came back to my community, people were congratulating me. They were like, I saw you on APTN. It was great to hear. I want to thank my sponsors for getting me there," she said.