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A Fort McMurray athlete is a gold medal winner after Crew Alberta’s 16U Feminine Basketball staff 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 effectively Crew Alberta did in opposition to the opposite groups. She mentioned successful gold was a tremendous expertise, however is unhappy the video games are over.
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“It was a really comfortable 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 associates now.”
Crew Alberta went undefeated at NAIG. They began sturdy with a 74-24 victory over Crew Ontario in preliminaries. Their second pool match was a 94-12 victory over Japanese Door and the North. They beat Crew Manitoba 58-51 in quarterfinals and defeated Crew Minnesota 73-36 in semifinals. Crew Alberta received in opposition to Crew Wisconsin 54-42 within the gold medal sport. Crew British Columbia took house bronze.
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Giroux averaged 5.0 factors per sport 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 Crew Manitoba, however discovered the opposite victories too simple.
The members of Crew Alberta are unfold out throughout the province. Giroux mentioned the staff 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 staff.
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 desires of enjoying basketball at a post-secondary degree. In school, she has competed in observe and area occasions comparable to shot put, talk about 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 associates. It’s calming.”
About 5,000 athletes from greater than 750 Indigenous nations who competed in 16 sports activities at NAIG earlier this month. Crew Alberta completed fourth on the medal desk with 26 gold medals, 27 silver medals and 28 bronze medals. That is the most important competitors Giroux has attended and her first worldwide athletic match.
Tayden Shott of the Fort McKay First Nation additionally received 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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