Annual Clayton Askoty tournament raises awareness on men’s mental health

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — This time of the year always gives Prophet River First Nation Chief Valerie Askoty hope.

Ahead of the first pitch of the sixth Clayton Askoty Slo-Pitch Tournament, Askoty spoke to energeticcity.ca about the event’s origins and the impact it has had on discussing men’s mental health.

Askoty’s brother, Clayton, is the tournament’s namesake. Born into an abusive upbringing, she said her brother had always been a protector, no matter the situation.

“He was always trying to look out for me and see us wherever we went to play,” Askoty recalls. “He was always watching out for me making sure I was safe. Even if it meant him possibly getting hurt.”

“He worried so much about others. He’d try to involve us in all kinds of sports.  He travelled to Kamloops and Grande Prairie to play baseball.  We kept busy and away from the negative influences of life.”

Unfortunately, the impact of the trauma suffered during his growing up left deep emotional scars, affecting Clayton in a way no one knew.

Despite his “deep love” for baseball, Askoty says, not even teammates knew how troubled their friend was.

“His teammates say they never saw the signs,” said Askoty. “They said ‘your brother had it all, a loving family, children.’“

Clayton took his own life in January 2012.  His passion for the game inspired the tournament, which Askoty says was a “natural” way to honour him.

“We put it together fairly quickly,” said Askoty. “[Former Chief] Lynette Tsakoza and his children joined as a family initiative.  We had a lot of success organizing that first tournament with the support of the city of Fort St. John.”

Men’s mental health has become a priority in the health community. 

According to Statistics Canada, men are three times as likely to take their own life compared to women.

A 2016 report says the age-standardised suicide rate among Indigenous communities per 100,000 people was 24.3 per cent, three times higher than the non-Indigenous rate (8.0).  Indigenous men were much higher (29.6) than women (24.1).

“There is the perception men aren’t supposed to speak about their emotions,” said Lori Ackerman, a member of the board of the Clayton Jack Askoty Memorial Tournament Society (CJAMTS)

The former mayor of Fort St. John, Ackerman says collaborations enabled herself and Askoty enabled them to put together the framework for the society this spring.

Longtime friends, they were bonded by the passing of their brothers: Ackerman’s own brother, Jeffrey, died by suicide last October.

“It’s the first year as a society, so sponsorships are coming in from many local companies,” said Ackerman. “Those who understand this is a very important topic, there is a lot of energy, but also a stigma [about men’s mental health]”

“Clayton was a caring, family-oriented person.  He just had his struggles, not unlike a lot of guys.”

After Clayton’s death, Askoty found moving on difficult.  In between his death and other family-related tragedies, she eventually moved to Grande Prairie.  The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic only further complicated organizing the showcase.

Becoming Chief of Prophet River First Nation in 2021, she organized the tournament again in 2021 and 2022. 

While governance is still underway, Ackerman sees great potential in getting the word out about men’s mental health in the coming years. 

“When you’re going out for sponsorship, and you’re not a society, you know, you can struggle to get donations,” said Ackerman. “That was the motivation. Valerie has been very keen to ensure those goalposts were in place for good accountability.”

“When you start to build something, especially when you’re at that point of inception, where you’re planting a seed, and all of a sudden it comes and then you realize that that plant needs the support.”

Proceeds from the tournament will go toward men’s mental health initiatives, including the Movember Society and the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society, which offer a variety of men-oriented programs.

Clayton founded the Prophet River Outsiders, which will have their jerseys on display as one of two teams entering the tournament. The other is the Prophet River Pirates. 

His younger sister believes he’d see the tournament as something to be proud of.

“I think he’d love it. I think he’d be proud of how far we’ve come. Because we came with the bare bones and now we’re developing more,” said Askoty. 

The sixth Clayton Askoty Memorial Slo-Pitch Tournament happens from July 19th to the 21st at the Taylor Baseball Fields. For further details, call or text Askoty at (250) 500-1285.

For those struggling with mental health issues, call the Hope for Wellness helpline at 1-855-242-3310. If you are thinking about suicide, call the Suicide Crisis Hotline at 9-8-8.