Fort William winter sports tournament exemplary for its inclusiveness
By Rick Garrick
FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION—Grand Council Chief Glen Hare is calling for more tournaments to include a Special Olympics component such as the Special Olympics basketball and floor hockey games at Fort William’s Anemki Unity Winter Classic tournament.
“I participated in the Little NHL opening in Toronto last night and I mentioned the Special Olympics that you do in Thunder Bay and Fort William, and some of the moms came up to me last night and said: ‘It’s about time’,” Grand Council Chief Hare says during the March 11 opening ceremonies for the Anemki Unity Winter Classic. “So I am going to put the [idea] in someone’s ear to expand the games to Special Olympics because all kids should have the March Break and they should all lace up, and I truly believe that.”
Fort William Chief Peter Collins applauded Grand Council Chief Hare’s idea of encouraging tournament organizers to include a Special Olympics component in their tournaments.
“He is going to try to get it included in the Little NHL, which would be really spectacular knowing that we are leading the way to make sure all of our young people are included in the opportunity to compete against one another,” Chief Collins says. “This is the second year the Special Olympics are included in [the Anemki Unity Winter Classic], so it is a great opportunity, great fun for all our folks that get to play and get to compete against each other. Last year our Special Olympics basketball team beat the councilors and the police force.”
Angela Collins, one of the Special Olympics players, looked forward to competing again in the Anemki Unity Winter Classic, which was held from March 11-14 at the Fort William First Nation Arena.
“I like playing basketball, so that is my main thing is to beat the Chief and Council,” Angela says after the opening ceremonies. “And I’m going to get them again.”
LiUNA (Labourers’ International Union of North America) Local 607 supported the Anemki Unity Winter Classic for the second year. The tournament featured 20 teams and more than 300 players, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous players, in about 43 games.
“We are very pleased that there is a Special Olympics component because everybody deserves that right to play,” says Shane Fugere, Indigenous relations with LiUNA and Pays Plat citizen. “Sport brings us all together — it teaches us about teamwork and gives us that self-confidence. [Sport] teaches us about goals and setting goals. Everything can be achievable; we just have to work together.”
The North Stars won the Midget finals with an 8-7 win over the Bruins.
“They skated hard and played hard — it was a good game, clean, and everybody had fun,” says Mike Santorelli, coach of the North Stars. “It’s always a good time. The kids are out to have fun.”
The Hurricanes won the Bantam finals with a 7-2 win over the North Stars.
“The competition was stiff, but it was really fast hockey and they played hard,” says Joe Berube, coach of the Hurricanes. “It was a lot of fun. It was a great tournament for the kids and they had a blast over March Break. This is our third year in the Unity tournament — it is a great experience for all the kids to play together.”
The Ice Badgers won the Peewee finals, Red Rock won the Atom finals and the Arctic Ice won the Novice finals.
Chief Collins says next year’s Anemki Unity Winter Classic will be held on the Family Day weekend.