ISPARC organizes development camp for Indigenous youth in Fort Nelson

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Fort Nelson’s Rod and Gun Club will host a development camp for Indigenous youth in February for those interested in learning about 3-D Archery.

Set to take place on February 10th and 11th, the camp also provides an opportunity for Team BC to scout archery prospects from ages 10 to 18 as they set their sights on the 2027 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG).

The Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (ISPARC) helped organize the camp in Fort Nelson, with assistance from Cedar Wechlin.

Wechlin, Fort Nelson First Nation’s athletic director, says that scouts from the Canada Games and Team BC for the NAIG usually ignore Fort Nelson when searching for new athletes. 

“I want to put a lot of pressure and emphasis on Team BC, both the Indigenous Team BC and the mainstream Team BC to recruit here,” said Wechlin.

Linden Dickie was the lone athlete from Fort Nelson who competed at last summer’s NAIG.

“They need to start recruiting and making it accessible for our students here because they stop at Prince George and don’t access other students in the northeast region. That’s probably 1,200 to 1,400 kilometres away. It’s a whole day trip, and some kids cannot get the hotels and the gas or even have access to rides.” 

After a career as an educator, Wechlin moved to Fort Nelson from Vancouver, landing the job as athletic director with Fort Nelson First Nation last year.

Believing that children can excel in other avenues of life via sport, Wechlin applauds ISPARC for taking the voyage from Duncan to get out of their comfort zone. 

“My job when coming up here was to create a system where I could push organizations to get people up here in the middle of winter. ISPARC has done a tremendous job.”

Wechlin estimates about $20,000 has been spent on the camp.  

From filling out forms for equipment grants to finding a venue, Wechlin has been dedicated to bridging the gap between NAIG’s Team BC and Fort Nelson athletes. 

“We’ve been just trying to get the necessary resources and equipment. Even if kids don’t have the equipment, they can still come. The equipment will be here. So no matter what, there’s no barriers.”

Registration will end on February 6th at 4:00 p.m., and more details can be found on ISPARC’s website.