Sports

Meet some of the new inductees of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame

A few of the 2024 North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame inductees. (via North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame)

From empowering Indigenous youth to winning gold medals, the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame is acknowledging people involved in sports.

This year's class of inductees celebrates and recognizes 77 individuals and seven teams for their perseverance.

• Stories in the sports world you should know about

"The hope is their stories may inspire future generations to follow their dreams in athletics and life," the press release from the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF), reads.

The honour is given to individuals and teams that show "outstanding leadership and achievement."

The NAIAHF was founded in 2022 by Dan and Susan Nimham who have been involved in Indigenous athletics for 40 years.

The 2024 inductees are the third class of individuals and teams being recognized by the organization.

Here are just some of the inductees and their achievements:

GREG EDGELOW

Greg Edgelow (pictured) created an endowed wrestling scholarship fund at his Alma Mata, Simon Fraser University in 1996. (via The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame)

Now a retired Olympic freestyle wrestler, Greg Edgelow is certified as an Aboriginal Wrestling Coach.

He won at "every level" of wrestling, his biography reads on the NAIAHF website.

Born in Edmonton, now living in Vancouver, Edgelow has Cree Ancestral Heritage from Manitoba.

In 1990 he won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games in Seattle for wrestling and is the only Canadian to do so. He is also the only Canadian to win in four consecutive senior freestyle weight classes.

His last competition was in 1998 where he represented Canada at the World Championships in Iran.

Edgelow received the 1999 Canadian Sport Leadership Award for his "outstanding athletic achievements and leadership in volunteerism," beating out fellow finalist, Wayne Gretzky.

KATHY SMITH

During Kathy Smith’s (pictured) time as the leader of the Haudenosaunee women’s lacrosse program, the women had autonomy, self-sufficiency and independence...true empowerment of women. (via The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame)

Inducted in the "builder" category, Kathy Smith has dedicated her life to Indigenous sports.

Growing up on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory near Brantford, Ont., Smith, a member of the Mohawk Nation Sha’tekariwate turtle clan, is involved in lacrosse.

She was inspired by her father's involvement in minor sports and empowered to push the needle after noticing a lack of opportunities for girls to play.

Spending time as a coach, house league convenor and Vice President of Six Nations Girls Field Lacrosse, Smith also was the Executive Director of the Haudenosaunee National Board of Directors.

She led the Haudenosaunee women to World Cups in 2009, 2013 and 2017, and was key in the U19 World Championships in 2011 and 2019.

"She hoped the experience of representing the Haudenosaunee on the world stage, persevering through adversity, and believing in their ability to have, be, or do whatever they want, will be passed on to future generations," the biography reads on the NAIAHF website.

SYDNEY DANIELS

Sydney Daniels (pictured) and her father, Scott Daniels, run the Daniels Hockey School, a multi-day youth hockey camp for Indigenous youth. (via The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame)

Hockey player Sydney Daniels is a proud member of Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation on Treaty 6 Territory, just north of Saskatoon, Sask.

She completed a four-year National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 ice hockey career at Harvard University where she received multiple awards and captained the team her senior year.

She participated in the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships for Team USA bringing home a silver and gold medals in the U18 and U22 levels.

After graduation, she was drafted third overall into the National Women's Hockey League and played her first professional ice hockey season with the Boston Pride.

Recently, Daniels was hired by the Winnipeg Jets as a member of the NHL scouting staff.

"Daniels is passionate about finding ways to use her experiences to uplift Indigenous Youth," her biography reads.

HAROLD LADOUCEUR

For Harold Ladouceur horses had been his family's life since he could remember. (via The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame)

Raised between northern Alberta and the Kikino Metis settlement and Saulteaux and Moosomin Reserves in Saskatchewan, Harold Ladouceur has loved horses his entire life.

Being honoured in the "trainer" category for this year's Hall of Fame, Ladouceur honed his skills as a rider in between working with logging horses and weekend rodeos.

"Understanding the needs of horses was ingrained in Ladouceur as a boy," his biography reads on the NAIAHF website.

Ladouceur eventually  found himself racing thoroughbreds and winning multiple awards.

According to his bio, "Ladouceur believes that horses are sacred animals that will speak to you, one only has to listen."

SAKGEENG OLD TIMERS

The Sakgeeng Old Timers won the 1983 World Cup in Munich, the 1987 World Cup in Montreal, and the 1988 COHA National Cup in Montreal. (via The North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame)

A hockey team 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg is being inducted.

Players ranged from age 35 to over 50 and were called the Sakgeeng Old Timers. They were of Ojibway and Cree ancestry and came from communities throughout the province.

The group joined the Canadian Oldtimers Hockey Association (COHA) in 1978 and played in tournaments around the world including Denmark, Germany, France, England and across Canada.

In 1983 and 1987 the teams won the World Cup and in 1988 received gold at the COHA National Cup.