b'ROLE MODELSabout teams, people, and dealing withcareers. Former NHL player John Chabotago, our intent was always to get out difficult and challenging situations, he(Algonquin Anishinabeg), for example,there and do what we can to support says. One thing I learned along theenjoyed a career playing hockey withthe Indigenous community, says Rivers.way is that while we tend to judge thethe Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh success of an athlete by whether or notPenguins and Detroit Red Wings beforeNO EASY JOURNEY they made it to the next level, we shouldco-founding Anish Branding in OttawaIntegrity and resiliency define many also emphasize the skills and life lessonswith former NHLer Shawn Rivers. Today,Indigenous athletes journeys, and few learned along the way. they regularly conduct hockey clinics forsuccess stories have been free of racism Indigenous youth in Northern Ontarioand other barriers. From the earliest Norriss trajectory echoes that of manyand manage a business that takes pridetimes I can remember, it was very evident Indigenous athletes who leveraged theirin building its community. Ever sincethat I was up against preconceived time in the arena to build enrichingwe started this company some 12 yearsnotions about what our people were like, says Sports Hall-of-Famer Horn-Miller. It was hard. Imagine being eight years old and having people tell you your people are lazy or alcoholics. That kind of stuff happened throughout my career. I didnt face it from everybody, but I faced it from a lot of people. Fortunately, I had teammates that were supportive and stood with me.Horn-Miller is no stranger to prejudice. As a young teen, she was caught in the middle of the infamous 1990 Mohawk Resistance(akatheOkaCrisis)in Quebec. While the experience would inspire her advocacy work in the decades to come, it would be used against her when selected to co-captain Canadas first womens Olympic water polo team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. I was asked why I should be co-captain of the national team when I had said I wasnt a Canadian back when I was stabbed by a soldier as a 14-year-old Paralympic cross-country skier Colette Bourgonje during herduring Oka, she recalls. That made induction into Canadas Sports Hall of Fame me angry. It was really unfair, and I had to carry a lot of that.Canadas Sports Hall of Fame The path to victory has also often been Canadas Sports Hall of Fames 64th Annual Induction Festival, heldblocked by financial and logistical October 23, 2019, included the induction of Olympic water polo playerchallenges. The barriers I see for Waneek Horn-Miller and Colette Bourgonje, a Canadian ParalympicIndigenous athletes are getting the cross-country skier of Mtis descent.equipment, ice time and related costs, notes Norris. Many small communi-The pair joined a growing list of Indigenous athletes who have beenties also face financial and operational inducted into the Hall of Fame over the years, including: challenges with maintaining sports programs due to limited resources,Alex Decoteau (Track and field) Wilton Littlechild and as players get better, its difficult (Multiple sports) to seek higher levels of competition dueSharon Firthto geographical challenges. (Cross-country skiing)Tom Longboat(Long-distance runner) For his part, Michael Linklater saysShirley Firthfinding the time, resources and trans-(Cross-country skiing)Alwyn Morrisportation to play sports was difficult for (Sprint kayaker) those who simply wanted to get theirBill Isaacs (Lacrosse) foot in the door. Some of my friendsJoe Benjamin KeeperGaylord Powless (Lacrosse) just didnt have the access or the means(Long-distance running)Bryan Trottier (Hockey) to be a part of some of these club teams or even provincial teams because of the costs, says the basketball player.20A CCAB PUBLICATION2020'