Two northern First Nations are taking part in hockey camps over the next week.
Cat Lake players are in Thunder Bay over the next three days to take part in a camp with the Kam River Fighting Walleye of the SIJHL.
Emily Shandruk is executive director of the Mikinakoos Children’s Fund and says this part of a grant they received recently.
“Sports and Social Development in Indigenous Communities which is provided by the government through the Heritage Fund,” says Shandruk.
“It was specifically to provide a combination of equipment as well as coaching and skill building opportunities. I mean, we’ve provide equipment to 16 First Nation communities.”
Shandruk says the hope is the youth taking part will be able to pass on the hockey skills they learn to others.
“The money we’re now investing in the youth that are coming here, you know they are going to go back, and they are going to be share with their friends or maybe siblings who weren’t able to attend, some of the skills and opportunities they learned, and maybe one day they are going to want to be a hockey coach, or things like that.”
The Cat Lake players will attend the Saturday game between the Fighting Walleye and the Wisconsin Lumberjacks.
Shandruk says they will be wearing bright green jerseys and will be easily identifiable.
She adds that two players and a coach from Kam River will be flying into Sandy Lake next week to conduct a similar hockey camp.
(Photo via Kam River Fighting Walleye Twitter)
