Manitoba Olympic medallists given warm welcome home

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This article was published 26/02/2018 (2936 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Olympic medallists Brigette Lacquette and Kaitlyn Lawes arrived home Monday evening to a hero’s welcome at the Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg.

Lacquette, whose Canadian women’s hockey team took silver after a heartbreaking shootout loss to the United States last week in South Korea, was welcomed by throngs of fans, especially young Indigenous hockey players such as Shelby Ross, 15.

Shelby and others were waiting with signs welcoming Lacquette: “No. 4 Proud of You” and “You inspire me.”

“She’s a First Nations woman, I’m First Nations,” said Kurtia Yetman, 11.

“It’s truly inspiring to watch her,” said the member of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, who plays triple-A hockey.  “I aspire to be like her. That’s my dream. I want to do what she did.”

Hayden Halcrow, 8, presented Lacquette with a bouquet of flowers.

“Brigette is a good role model,’ said Hayden’s mom, Nikita Didychuk. She said she played hockey with Lacquette years ago, and wasn’t surprised at Lacquette’s success in joining the national women’s team and winning a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

“You always knew. She worked so hard,” said Didychuk, adding she expects a growing number of Indigenous girls will be inspired by Lacquette.

Lacquette hopes so, too.

“It’s very special for me,” the 25-year-old blue-liner said, after posing with a steady stream of fans wanting a selfie with her. “I’m excited to be a role model for that person to look up to.

“Growing up, I didn’t have someone who kind of went through the same obstacles like me. I know I could be that person for a lot of First Nations girls across Canada — to open the door for them by being the first one at the Olympics. It’s very exciting for the future,” Lacquette said.

“I just hope to inspire a lot of young Indigenous kids across Canada. I feel that playing in the Olympic Games has opened a lot of doors and opened a lot of eyes. It’s exciting for me — it’s exciting for them. It’s awesome.”

Lacquette’s parents were at the airport Monday, too. Her mom, who is a member of the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan, said she hopes others see her daughter’s achievement and it encourages them to set their goals high and reach them.

“I’m very excited for where she is, and it’s hard work to get to where she is,” said Anita Lacquette. 

“With her being First Nations, she’s opened many doors,” she said, adding her daughter holds a special place in the hearts of young Indigenous hockey players. “It gives them hope: if you have a dream, you can reach your dream.” 

She also had some advice for the hockey moms of the Indigenous girls who came out to the airport to welcome the Olympic medallist: “Believe in them. Believe in what they can do and push them.”  

Cheryl Lawes was also at the airport Monday, awaiting the return flight of her two-time curling gold medallist daughter.

Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris secured the first mixed doubles curling gold medal in Olympics history during the opening days of the 2018 Games. Lawes was third for the Jennifer Jones team that won women’s team gold in 2014.

“It doesn’t get any better than that,” said Cheryl Lawes, who was waiting to greet her daughter along with family and friends.

Louise Vigier, whose son, Stephan, is dating the gold medallist, drove in from Notre Dame to welcome Lawes home. Stephan Vigier took a break from playing hockey in Norway to travel to his girlfriend’s gold-medal match.

“We could see him in the crowd on TV,” said Vigier. “It was so exciting.”

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca