Indigenous kids having a ball

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/07/2023 (1017 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The echoes of scraping hockey sticks, balls thudding off goalie pads and cheerful screams have become all too familiar sounds outside Norberry-Glenlee Community Centre on the first weekend of July.

It was the case once again Saturday around the paved rinks on Worthington Avenue, as the ball dropped on the fourth annual Manitoba Indigenous youth ball hockey tournament.

More than 160 Indigenous youth — representing 21 teams — cheered on by another hundred parents, gathered for round-robin action on Day 1. The tournament will conclude on Sunday.

Kids ranging from seven to 17 years old made the trek from First Nations communities and reserves across the province, some as far as Pukatawagan, 14 hours north of the Manitoba capital.

Matt Nobess, founder of Indigenous Vitality, an Indigenous-led non-profit and host of the tournament, said the event has offered the young athletes a crucial opportunity to work toward something.

“Obesity and depression and suicide rates among youth are at levels that we’ve never seen before,” said Nobess, 37. “Now you take a kid living on a First Nation community or reserve and it’s exponentially higher. If anyone’s ever been to a remote community, it’s like nothing we’re used to — there’s nothing there, nothing for the kid to look forward to. At least this tournament, it gives them hope and it gives them something they can be proud of.

“It’s something I feel like they can train for and be like the star.”

Nobess, who has hosted sports camps in remote Indigenous communities across the province with his brother since 2017, explained the idea for a ball hockey tournament came to him as he was hosting a career development course for Indigenous youth.

“Talking with kids and the coordinators, I realized these guys don’t have a tournament to look forward to or play in. And it’s hard enough in the city with travel and expenses. These guys, they got to travel like an hour minimum just to go for practice. So it’s hard for them to get anything going.

“While we look forward to the States or Mexico or Europe, a lot of these communities look forward to coming to Winnipeg, splashing in the pools and the hot tubs at the hotels and playing ball hockey.”

After seeing a significant jump in participation in the tournament’s second year, Nobess said he had to revitalize the event following a two-year hiatus owing to the pandemic. To his amazement, the excitement around the tournament persisted, and this year’s event was sold out by the end of May.

Lucas Cochrane, playing in the tournament for the first time, lives in Winnipeg but is backstopping the squad out of Pinaymootang First Nation in the U17 division.

“It’s going really good,” said Cochrane, who is Métis.

“It’s really nice. Everyone’s really kind and really good people.”

The 15-year-old has played ball hockey for eight years and has made a name for himself around these parts. In fact, last week he returned from Czechia, where he backstopped Canada’s U16 squad to a silver medal in the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation world junior championships. Cochrane will also travel to St. John’s, N.L. for the Canada Ball Hockey junior national championships from July 26-29.

Despite his recent success, the chance for the Winnipeg teen to compete with a group of Indigenous youth wasn’t lost on him.

“I think it’s really nice that we can all come together to play a tournament and just have a lot of fun,” he said.

Nobess said he’s thought about one day expanding the tournament to multiple times per year or travelling to Saskatchewan to put on the same event, but admitted he likes how quaint his tournament is right now.

“I’m not at a point yet to do that, but I think the pipe dream would be to eventually have an Indigenous NHL player that played in this tournament and enjoyed it.”

jfreysam@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jfreysam