Eight northeast B.C. athletes compete in NAIG

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Eight athletes from northeast B.C. represented the province at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Halifax last week. 

According to the NAIG website, the games bring 756 Indigenous Nations together to celebrate, share and reconnect through sport and culture. The purpose of the games is to help Indigenous athletes realize the collective potential of their bodies, minds, spirit, and cultural heritage.

Indigenous athletes from across the continent headed to the games to compete in 3D archery, athletics (track and field), badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, box lacrosse, canoeing and kayaking, golf, rifle shooting, soccer, softball, swimming, volleyball, and wrestling. 

Here are the results for athletes from northeast B.C.:

Samantha Mae Shipley, Fort St. John – Athletics (track and field):

• Sixth place in under-14 female long jump
• Fourth place in under-14 80 metre
• Bronze in under-14 150 metre

Linden Dickie, Fort Nelson – Athletics (track and field):

• Eight place in under-14 150 metre
• Tenth place in under-12 1,200 metre
• Eight place in under-14 shotput 

Jackson Whitford, Fort St. John – Athletics (track and field):

• 6th place in under-16 200 metre
• Silver in under-16 high jump
• Bronze in under-16 4×400 metre relay
• Sixth place in under-19 4×100 metre relay

Whitford also competed in the under-16 300 metre, but didn’t make the medal heat. 

Emerson Whitford, Fort St. John – Under-16 Volleyball:

• The under-16 team didn’t pass the quarterfinals.

Shayne Madelaine Turner, Fort St. John – Under-19 Soccer:

• Bronze, final record of 4-1

Taya Lee McCarthy, Dawson Creek – Under-19 Volleyball:

• The under-19 team didn’t pass preliminaries.

Brooklyn Rose Jean Munch, Fort St. John – Under-16 Softball:

• Bronze, final record of 4-2
• Medal games were cancelled due to weather, and teams in gold and bronze medal games received respective medals.

Jada Christine Brown, Moberly Lake – Under-16 Softball:

• Bronze, final record of 4-2
• Medal games were cancelled due to weather, and teams in gold and bronze medal games received respective medals.

A full list of results and statistics from the 2023 North American Indigenous Games can be found on the organization’s website.