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A Fort McMurray athlete is a gold medal winner after Staff Alberta’s 16U feminine basketball workforce took the highest spot on the 2023 North American Indigenous Video games (NAIG) in Halifax final month.
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Kayla Giroux, 15, mentioned she was shocked at how nicely Staff Alberta did in opposition to the opposite groups. She mentioned profitable gold was an incredible expertise, however is gloomy the video games are over.
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“It was a really pleased second and the entire thing was an excellent expertise,” mentioned Giroux in an interview. “It wasn’t simply the basketball, both. Touring town and cheering for different groups, it was all enjoyable. They’re my pals now.”
Staff Alberta went undefeated at NAIG. They began robust with a 74-24 victory over Staff Ontario in preliminaries. Their second pool match was a 94-12 victory over Jap Door and the North. They beat Staff Manitoba 58-51 in quarterfinals and defeated Staff Minnesota 73-36 in semifinals. Staff Alberta gained in opposition to Staff Wisconsin 54-42 within the gold medal recreation. Staff British Columbia took house bronze.
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Giroux averaged 5.0 factors per recreation and her tournament-high rating was 12 factors in opposition to Easter Door and the North. Giroux mentioned she was impressed with the efficiency from Staff Manitoba, however discovered the opposite victories too simple.
The members of Staff Alberta are unfold out throughout the province. Giroux mentioned the workforce practiced and educated collectively, and had an intense coaching week in Calgary earlier than the video games. In addition they bonded rapidly socially and as a workforce.
Giroux goes into Grade 11 at Holy Trinity Excessive Faculty. She has performed basketball since she was 10 and is a member of the Northern Trailblazers Basketball. She goals of taking part in basketball at a post-secondary stage. In school, she has competed in monitor and discipline occasions equivalent to shot put, focus on and 400-metre occasions. However basketball is a ardour.
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“It’s like an escape and it’s actually enjoyable,” she mentioned. “Say I’m bored or upset, I’ll simply go play basketball with my pals. It’s calming.”
About 5,000 athletes from greater than 750 Indigenous nations who competed in 16 sports activities at NAIG earlier this month. Staff Alberta completed fourth on the medal desk with 26 gold medals, 27 silver medals and 28 bronze medals. That is the biggest competitors Giroux has attended and her first worldwide athletic event.
Tayden Shott of the Fort McKay First Nation additionally gained gold at NAIG. He competed within the 16U Male compound class for 3D Archery, defeating 21 different athletes from throughout Canada, New Mexico and Colorado.
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