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Spirit Ride 2015

The Bike program is taking off!

Written by Don Patterson

With the support of JumpStart, Sport Central, Gen7 and Alex Stieda, we’re developing bike programs in local communities across Canada!

Sport Central in Edmonton is providing bikes for the youth at Maskwacis and Enoch. Alex Stieda is helping launch a pump track at Enoch which is a very cool BMX type track.

In Ontario, we now have 10 First Nations communities. They’ll be applying thru Gen7 who will in turn request bikes from JumpStart.

Last week, I spoke to the Principal at Fort McPherson NT who said she would love to get bikes for the kids. I’m working on that!

Blog

Little Native Hockey League tournament

Written by Don Patterson
What a thrill this week to watch First Nations kids participating in the 44th Annual Little NHL tournament. There were 178 teams from across the province with supportive fans, coaches and parents. I loved seeing all the smiling faces as the kids headed into the Mississauga arenas.Ok, the highlight was watching the Tykes. 2 of the kids must have followed the instructions to a tee. “Do not swarm the net. Play defence and hold your position.” Well, that’s what they did! In the 1st pic, they are stationed at centre ice. The other team skated around them and in the 2nd pic, all 5 are buzzing around the net. You can’t see it in the pic but the 2 defence are following instructions perfectly and still out at the red line. Gotta love it.
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Blog

Launch of the Blog

Written by Don Patterson
Very exciting to set up the blog and all the links. I’ve met some amazing people the past 3 years. So much passion and sharing ideas on creating opportunities for Aboriginal youth to lead healthy active lives.

Last week, I attended the NAN Indoor Games in Thunder Bay. Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) represents 49 First Nation communities in northern Ontario. Such energy and determination by these young athletes. The team from Sandy Lake travelled 15 hours over the ice roads to attend!

I also had the honour of talking to 4x Olympic cross country skier, Sharon Firth. She, along with her twin sister Shirley, who passed away after a battle with cancer in 2013, were among the 1st Aboriginal athletes to represent Canada in the Olympics.

At the Games, I talked to 4 First Nations communities who were all interested in bike programs for their youth. That’s the most exciting part of this journey, building sustainable programs that will have a long lasting impact.

Check out the Route. 7000 km starting on June 21 in Inuvik, National Aboriginal Day. Exciting days ahead!

Cheers, Don

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