Record-breaking athlete running in NAIG, election
- EFN Staff | June 25, 2017
An athlete from Northern Saskatchewan is raising the bar high by competing in various sporting competitions this summer. Landon Sasakamoose, 18, from Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation will be at this summer’s North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Toronto, competing in track and field. Sasakamoose is not a stranger when it comes to NAIG – he competed in the last sporting event that was held in Regina where he won three gold and two silver medals, breaking the Saskatchewan record in the 300-metre race.
“Right after I crossed the finish line in the 300-metre and I broke the Sask. record…my dad was right there waiting for me with his arms open and he said ‘good run my son’ and he gave me a big hug,” he said.
His late father Chucky Sasakamoose, the son of NHL legend Fred Sasakamoose, died last March in an apparent murder-suicide on the Cree Nation. It was a devastating loss to the young athlete who lost a man who was not only his father – but his coach and mentor.
“My dad trained me since I was 12-years-old. He’d follow behind me in his truck every second day, I would run 3-4 kilometres for about six months straight,” he said. “He really got me ready…he was doing that a month before he died. It’s been awhile since a vehicle has followed behind me [while I] was running down the road. It’s kind of different now.”
When Sasakamoose was nervous before a race, he would let his dad know how he was feeling. His late father would tell him, “My son. Pray hard and just do your best. You’re here for a reason.” Those are words that still linger in his mind.
His father would smudge his sporting equipment before leaving the house. Until this day, Sasakamoose kept those traditions alive by running with sage in his shoes and wearing an eagle feather on his arm.
In 2015, Sasakamoose initiated a fundraiser called the Terry Fox run where he ran from his community to Prince Albert which is 86 kilometres that took them a day and a half. Five runners in total ran together taking turns switching off with a van following them. At that moment, his father told Sasakamoose that Terry Fox ran alone so next year, he should do the same – which he did last October.
“It took me two days to get to Prince Albert. I raised $1500 in 2016 and that all went to cancer research,” he said. “This year I’m planning on running to Saskatoon alone. It will take me about 3 or 4 days to get there running from 6am to 9 at night.”
Right up until 2016, Sasakamoose said he remained Saskatchewan’s fastest Aboriginal male for all ages – and that was achieved through discipline and training.
Sasakamoose sends a strong message to those who may have lost someone in their lives by telling them not to give up on your goals and dreams.
“I know it’s hard losing a loved one and you want to give up but that’s not the answer. Your loved one is going to be looking down on you. Work hard at your goals and don’t give up,” he said. “My dad always told me that pain is temporary and success is forever.”
Sasakamoose is not only running in NAIG this summer but he will be his community’s youngest running candidate for councillor in their upcoming election. To add to his long list of great accomplishments, he will also be competing in this summer’s World Indigenous Nation (WIN) Games that will be held in Alberta.
Competing in this year’s NAIG and the WIN Games will be different for Sasakamoose without his father waiting for him at the finish line but he found a way to make it feel like his father will be there.
“For the remainder of my track career, I’m going to always bring my dad’s sweater that he always wore when he took me to my runs…I’m going to always put sweater on a chair with his picture on it,” he said. “I did that at the Aboriginal championships and I felt just as if my dad was there watching me.”