Northern exposure Visiting remote communities a bonding and eye-opening experience for Blue Bombers and community members By: Jeff Hamilton Posted: 6:45 PM CST Friday, Mar. 1, 2024

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This article was published 01/03/2024 (960 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Growing up in Florida’s blistering heat as a young football player, Brandon Alexander never imagined his career would one day lead him to travelling on an ice road to one of the most remote communities in Canada.

For the Winnipeg Blue Bombers safety, it ranks as one of his coolest and, at times, most nerve-racking moments since joining the CFL in 2017.

As incredible an opportunity as it was to drive across a manicured frozen passage on Lake Winnipeg, it paled in comparison to what Alexander would encounter at the other end. It’s what happened — first at Garden Hill First Nation, followed by a short plane ride to Red Sucker Lake First Nation – that’s left an indelible mark.

“I’m feeling a different level of appreciation right now,” a reflective Alexander said on the flight back to Winnipeg late Wednesday. “I don’t think we fully understand how blessed we are and how fortunate we are to play the game that we love and do the things that we love. Hopefully, with us being there, it really touched one of those kids to strive for whatever they want to be.”

He added: “You just never know, until you step foot in somebody else’s territory, to actually understand what they’re going through, how they’re living and how they’re going about things. I’m very fortunate to have been a part of this trip.”

The one-day voyage to the two First Nations communities located more than 600 km northeast of Winnipeg marked the start of the Winnipeg Football Club’s Northern Winter Tour.

Over the next two months, select players, along with general manager Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea, will travel to 10 Indigenous communities in Northern Manitoba. The goal is to meet with community leaders, teach flag football skills and connect with the youth.

“Our expanded Northern Tour is part of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation,” said Wade Miller, President and CEO of the WFC. “We appreciate the generous support of the Northwest Company, Wellington-Altus that have helped make this possible, as well as the tremendous commitment from EIC and Perimeter Aviation with whom we have worked closely to create the tradition of the annual Orange Shirt game in September along with facilitating our Northern Winter Tour.”

The Bombers have been flying in students from various Indigenous communities to attend a game since 2015. What began with 25-30 students from one Manitoba community has since ballooned to more than 1,200 students from northern Manitoba, northern Ontario and Nunavut attending last year’s annual Orange Shirt Game.

To have the Bombers travel to the same Indigenous communities that visit them allows for many more youth to be positively impacted and form lifelong memories. It also provides a good opportunity to let those diehard fans up north know that they’re appreciated and an important part over the overall support across the province.

“Growing up in this community, it’s very hard. So we need programs like this to come up here,” Garden Hill Chief Charles Knott said. “To give them hope that they can be somebody. To go further in life. To stay positive. That’s what I hoped for and that’s what I saw.”

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Winnona Chavis and Haylee Harper are giggling in the corner of the gymnasium at Red Sucker Lake Aninisinew School. They can’t believe what just happened.

Chavis, who is in grade 10, is holding her Tim Horton’s cup closely, her new prized possession after getting it autographed. As for Harper, a ninth grader, she’s been a fan of Boomer — one half of the Buzz and Boomer mascot duo — since she was five years old, and getting the chance to deliver am emphatic high-five to the tallest of the two blue eagles was the highlight of her day.

Both were lucky enough to attend a Bombers game two years ago when their community was selected for the game day fly-in program. To be able to see the players and coaches — and mascots, which might have been the most popular of the bunch — up close and on their own turf was beyond their expectations.

“It’s just so cool to have them here,” Chavis said. “We don’t see a lot of visitors here so it’s exciting.”

“I never thought this could happen,” added Harper. “We didn’t get to meet them at the game, so that was really great this time.”

Over the course of eight hours, the Bombers visited three schools, including an elementary and high school in Garden Hill, as well as the lone school on Red Sucker Lake.

Students were put through various drills, practicing fundamentals of the game like throwing and catching. At Garden Hill Elementary School, they went classroom to classroom snapping pictures.

Alexander, along with fellow defensive back Nick Hallett, answered questions from students. Topics ranged from how they got to the CFL, to dieting tips and whatever else the wide-eyed kids wanted to know.

“That’s what I will remember most, that pure joy on kid’s faces from something as simple as playing catch,” said Hallett, who, along with his brother and Bombers teammate, Noah, visited Shamattawa FN for an anti-bullying campaign last year. “You realize you have an entire province behind you and that’s just so special. Nowhere in the CFL is it like that. It’s hard to put into words just how much that means to us. It’s an honour to be welcomed into their community and be accepted like we were.”

Community leaders throughout the day were often referring to the visit as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, while one young student described meeting the players up close as miracle.

While those representing the Bombers have become accustomed to a nice stadium and all its amenities, to hear those kind of words used to describe the impact of their visit offered an opportunity for introspection.

“It’s humbling, because we don’t think of ourselves like that and sometimes you take it for granted and don’t realize the impact you can have,” said GM Kyle Walters, who estimated he signed around 100 autographs. “Being a community-owned team, it’s very important that we get up here. They are as big of fans as any. They also want to know why we didn’t win the Grey Cup the last two years.”

While the Bombers are popular in the community, with nearly everyone watching games on TV, football isn’t a sport many kids get a chance to play. Hockey, basketball and volleyball are the main draws.

By teaching kids the game and providing hundreds of footballs to play, there’s hope that it could grow into a more common activity in the future. It’s an exciting idea not only for the kids, but also several adults in the community who were feeling motivated by the visit and eager to make the impact last.

“I’ve been a big fan ever since I can remember,” said 28-year-old Garden Hill resident Bruce McPherson. “I’m a hockey coach. But seeing the football players, it makes me want to do a football team, too. Next year, maybe. We’ll see what happens. They’ve inspired me to be a leader in sports, and it would be really helpful if our community had a football program.”

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Mike O’Shea isn’t a fan of talking about himself. When engaging in conversation with someone, he’s much more interested in their story than his own.

So it was no surprise when the Bombers head coach wasn’t signing autographs, letting kids touch his furry beard and giving hugs to those eagerly asking for an embrace, he was sitting down with community members and students to get a better understanding of their lives and some of the obstacles they face.

“I don’t want to stand in front of a group of people and lecture about my experiences because that’s irrelevant in a lot of cases,” O’Shea said. “But sitting down one-on-one and having a meaningful conversation, that’s more up my alley.”

It wasn’t lost on O’Shea that the high school in Garden Hill continues to deal with a mould issue, with some areas still condemned. Or the lack of a reliable transportation system for food and materials, resulting in high costs at the local grocery store, with a 12-pack of soda pop nearly $40.

“In visiting a northern community, I don’t think you should get stuck on first impressions,” O’Shea said. “You keep looking and you realize there’s a lot of people that are choosing to be happy, even given the circumstances and conditions they might be in, which is a good lesson. I also think you look around and you have that thought that there’s got to be more we can do.”

Roni Beardy is an elder and a member of Garden Hill’s council. The Bombers had barely been there for 10 minutes and you could already see the raw emotion on his face.

His lip quivering as he spoke, Beardy wanted to ensure those living outside the community understand the importance these types of initiatives have on its people. It’s not just about providing some excitement and learning the skills to play a game, but an opportunity to build a closer relationship, no matter the distance between communities.

“It’s very, very important. It’s important to our kids. It’s important to the people in our community. It’s a very positive thing for our Chief and council to see because how often can an important event like this happen in a remote community?” Beardy said.

“The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are part of the community because the kids and adults look up to them. When I say you’re welcome to the community, you’re part of the community, in every aspect. This comes from the heart of our people. You’re so welcome in our community. It’s a very special thing because it shows that people care. People care — that’s the main thing. Regardless of where you live, we’re all neighbours, in every aspect of our lives.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton