Canoe coach gearing up for NAIG
- EFN Staff | March 30, 2017
The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) is a highlight for many Saskatchewan athletes. With a strong placement year after year, our talent remains a force to be reckoned with heading into the 2017 competitions.
Strong teams and athletes require strong coaches. Lori McAuley is a coach who knows what it takes to prepare her team to compete.
Coming from a family of competitive canoers, Lori continues in the tradition of teaching canoeing to youth. She grew up on an island in Cumberland House, Saskatchewan and learned how to canoe at young age. It has always been a passion for her to help her family with coordination, coaching, and training. “We do this for the kids who don’t have the opportunity to do it for themselves. I would often go door to door to wake up kids to get them to training. As a result, a lot of them have gone on to win golds, silvers, and bronzes in previous NAIG competitions.”
Canoeing is a tough sport. It takes the responsibility and dedication of the athletes to prepare. “We work really hard to build endurance in our athletes. It’s not just about strength, but also about nutrition and mental health too.”
Currently Lori has a team of 45 that will have to be paired down to 36 (three divisions of six). “When we look at who will be chosen to represent Saskatchewan we involve the community. In order to qualify, we of course take into consideration their strength and endurance, but we also look at things like attendance, academics, how they strive to be role models in their community. In this way, we hope to give kids the opportunity to abstain from the peer pressures that can lead to problems with our youth.”
Camps are held throughout the year to train. “As the kids move forward, they advance, you can see it. They grow so much in the areas of strength, attention to detail, leadership, and self-motivation.”
Removing barriers is a big part of coaching a team. “We really work hard to ensure that kids are able to participate. We apply for grants through SaskSport, and fundraise to try to make some dollars available to families who have to travel to attend our camps.” Kids come from all over the North, and there are even some that come from Regina and Onion Lake.
Going to NAIG can be a life changing experience for some kids. This might be the first time that they have had an opportunity to leave their home communities. “Going as a team helps to develop closeness, build memories and lifelong friendships. It gives the kids a sense of security, that they are part of something. Seeing the sport move forward also gives the community a sense of pride. We get to be closer as families. We engage in the success of our kids and build trusting relationships.” As a female coach, Lori considers how important the entire picture is in the lives of the kids she meets. “It’s not just about physical strength. It’s about a balance of many factors.”
All of the time that Lori commits to the sport is volunteer. She has given up many summer vacations to coach, and will be spending her 35th wedding anniversary coaching NAIG 2017. “Nothing really stops me. We do whatever we have to in order to support the kids.” That can also mean coming up with funds out of pocket to send their athletes to compete. “In previous years it has been around $500 per athlete to attend the games. This year it has increased to $1000 per kid. We are committed that all the kids who qualify will go, and we will do whatever it takes to get them there.”
When thinking about barriers, Lori encourages young Aboriginal woman to “be true to yourself. Being from the North is something you can draw strength from. You are part of something.” She hopes that her granddaughters continue in the canoeing tradition. Her message to them is “Be consistent, be persistent.”