Latest news with #ManitobaAboriginalSportsandRecreationCouncil
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Basketball players told to put long hair in jerseys, ref facing consequences
An amateur basketball referee has been ordered to forfeit jobs, apologize and take a course on Indigenous culture after asking First Nation boys to tuck in their braids. A minor league game at St. John's High School in Winnipeg's North End ended with tears and frustration for some of the young athletes and family members who were in the stands last Saturday. Sheena Johnston said her 11-year-old was one of three players on a Central Storm basketball team who was told they had to put their long hair inside their jerseys. When her son protested, saying his braid — a nod to his Cree and Ojibwa ancestry — could come loose while he was running, the referee told him to 'figure it out,' she said. 'His self-esteem went low. His hair is his pride and joy,' the mother said, adding she was shocked and angered by the referee's disregard for the cultural symbol. Johnston, who has four children, had never heard of such a request in all of the years she has spent watching her children play recreational sports — including hockey, soccer and volleyball — with braids. Concerns raised by her and other parents prompted a coach to flag the events, including the referee's decision to grab a player who challenged a call on the court, to the league. 'Sports need to be safe places for our young people, where they are not teased about their hair or their choices to share their cultural pride. It's not OK,' said Cheryl James, a mother of a 12-year-old on the boys basketball team. James had to miss the game due to another commitment. She said she was disappointed to learn later on that there had been so many adult bystanders in the gymnasium. The Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council, which runs inner-city recreation programs, has condemned the referee's actions. Co-ordinator Quinton Denechezhe told families immediate steps are being taken to promote inclusivity, protect athletes and address 'the obvious miseducation and inappropriate conduct.' 'There are no rules requiring players to tuck in their braids or long hair, and such a decision is always the discretion of the player,' Denechezhe wrote in a memo Thursday. The email states the referee assignor for the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association has confirmed the individual in question will forfeit upcoming assignments and issue a written apology. 'The referee will take an education course on Indigenous culture to better understand and respect the cultural practices and traditions of our players,' Denechezhe said, noting he is requesting the individual register in MASRC's 'aboriginal coaching module.' Johnston said she prides herself on braiding her children's hair every morning — a routine during which she gives each child positive affirmations and prays with them. Her boys wanted to grow their hair out after finding out about what happened at residential schools and learning that the braid connects a person to Mother Earth, because it points towards the ground. Indigenous children's braids were chopped off when they arrived at residential schools, an element of the government and church-run institutions' mission to strip their cultural identities. Johnston said her family wants last weekend's events to serve as a learning opportunity for all referees, coaches and athletes. 'We can all learn from this.… Our men and our leaders and our chiefs have always had long hair, and it is just part of who we are as First Nations,' she said. Referee assignor Reid Kenyon echoed those comments in an email. 'Our focus is on ensuring this becomes a learning opportunity for all, as we remain committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment within the game of basketball,' said Kenyon, president of the Manitoba Association of Basketball Officials. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Basketball players told to put long hair in jerseys, ref facing consequences
AN amateur basketball referee has been ordered to forfeit jobs, apologize and take a course on Indigenous culture after asking First Nation boys to tuck in their braids. A minor league game at St. John's High School in Winnipeg's North End ended with tears and frustration for some of the young athletes and family members who were in the stands last Saturday. Sheena Johnston said her 11-year-old was one of three players on a Central Storm basketball team who was told they had to put their long hair inside their jerseys. When her son protested, saying his braid — a nod to his Cree and Ojibwa ancestry — could come loose while he was running, the referee told him to 'figure it out,' she said. 'His self-esteem went low. His hair is his pride and joy,' the mother said, adding she was shocked and angered by the referee's disregard for the cultural symbol. Johnston, who has four children, had never heard of such a request in all of the years she has spent watching her children play recreational sports — including hockey, soccer and volleyball — with braids. Concerns raised by her and other parents prompted a coach to flag the events, including the referee's decision to grab a player who challenged a call on the court, to the league. 'Sports need to be safe places for our young people, where they are not teased about their hair or their choices to share their cultural pride. It's not OK,' said Cheryl James, a mother of a 12-year-old on the boys basketball team. James had to miss the game due to another commitment. She said she was disappointed to learn later on that there had been so many adult bystanders in the gymnasium. The Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council, which runs inner-city recreation programs, has condemned the referee's actions. Co-ordinator Quinton Denechezhe told families immediate steps are being taken to promote inclusivity, protect athletes and address 'the obvious miseducation and inappropriate conduct.' 'There are no rules requiring players to tuck in their braids or long hair, and such a decision is always the discretion of the player,' Denechezhe wrote in a memo Thursday. The email states the referee assignor for the Winnipeg Minor Basketball Association has confirmed the individual in question will forfeit upcoming assignments and issue a written apology. 'The referee will take an education course on Indigenous culture to better understand and respect the cultural practices and traditions of our players,' Denechezhe said, noting he is requesting the individual register in MASRC's 'aboriginal coaching module.' Johnston said she prides herself on braiding her children's hair every morning — a routine during which she gives each child positive affirmations and prays with them. Her boys wanted to grow their hair out after finding out about what happened at residential schools and learning that the braid connects a person to Mother Earth, because it points towards the ground. Indigenous children's braids were chopped off when they arrived at residential schools, an element of the government and church-run institutions' mission to strip their cultural identities. Johnston said her family wants last weekend's events to serve as a learning opportunity for all referees, coaches and athletes. 'We can all learn from this.… Our men and our leaders and our chiefs have always had long hair, and it is just part of who we are as First Nations,' she said. Referee assignor Reid Kenyon echoed those comments in an email. 'Our focus is on ensuring this becomes a learning opportunity for all, as we remain committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment within the game of basketball,' said Kenyon, president of the Manitoba Association of Basketball Officials. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
04-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Interlake tribal council withdraws from 2 Manitoba sports groups, cites lack of supports for young athletes
Social Sharing The chair of a tribal council representing seven First Nations communities in Manitoba's Interlake region says his group has received more financial support from a charity associated with the Toronto Blue Jays than it has from two major provincial sports organizations. The Interlake Reserves Tribal Council withdrew from Sport Manitoba and Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council, citing frustration with both organizations and saying both have paid poor attention to the needs of their athletes and communities, a news release said Thursday. The tribal council represents seven First Nations communities about 190 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba: Kinonjeoshtegon, Peguis, Lake Manitoba, Pinaymootang, Little Saskatchewan, Lake St. Martin and Dauphin River. Lake Manitoba First Nation Chief Cornell McLean, who chairs the tribal council, says the two sports organizations have shown a lack of accountability when it comes to supporting athletes from their communities. "There's no relationship," he told CBC News on Thursday. The tribal council has received more financial support from the Toronto-based Jays Care Foundation — which helped create a recreational softball league for IRTC's seven communities — than it has from the two sporting organizations, McLean said. "The main priority here for us is that we want to be included, not excluded, from Sport Manitoba," he said. A spokesperson for Sport Manitoba declined to comment on this story. The Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council has not yet responded to CBC's requests for comment. The organization, also known as MASRC, aims to connect Manitoba's sports sector with Indigenous communities in the province in order to develop sustainable programs that enhance sporting and recreational opportunities for Indigenous people in Manitoba, its website states. Rural Interlake 'forgotten about' Many of the communities represented by the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council were impacted by severe flooding in 2011, which forced thousands of people from their homes and often left few play options for children and youth, said Karl Zadnik, CEO of the tribal council. The tribal council has run free basketball training camps for children and youth of its member communities over the last six years, but neither Sport Manitoba nor MASRC have financially supported them, despite the council's efforts to secure funding, Zadnik said. "Our requests have fallen on deaf ears," he told CBC News. The tribal council will re-evaluate how sports and recreation are handled within its communities and explore alternative ways of supporting athletes, the news release said. "We're better off taking care of our own sporting dollars [and] initiatives housed within our own communities, as it seems that the rural area of the Interlake region is forgotten about," said Zadnik. Zadnik says the tribal council plans to speak with Sport Canada representatives and the federal sport minister about the issue following the federal election later this month. Both Zadnik and McLean said they want to see the two Manitoba sporting organizations try to identify service gaps alongside the tribal council. Zadnik said the tribal council would ultimately like to work on a solution with both organizations. "If they wanted to change their tune and how they approach us, we'd be willing to sit down with Sport Manitoba and MASRC and figure out a path forward, so that our people are not neglected any further."
CBC
31-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
2 First Nations to host return of Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games
After more than a decade, the Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games are returning this July and August. The importance of the games is not lost on Robyn Cruz, major games manager for the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council. "It's really about making sure those kids feel safe, welcome, recognized and seen and ensuring the TRC's calls to action are recognized," she said. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls To Action 87-91 are about Indigenous access to and involvement in sports and recreation. The games will take place in Norway House Cree Nation, about 450 kilometres north of Winnipeg, from July 9-13 and in and around Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation, about 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, Aug. 17-23. An expected 2,000-4,000 Indigenous athletes under 16 are expected to attend the games. Each community will host a number of sports, demonstration sports, and cultural events. Edward "Sonny" Albert, president of the MISG North host corporation, which is running the first week of the games in Norway House, said preparations are well underway. "Right now the focus is on the athletes. We've provided agreements with the schools and we're preparing for our athletes village there as well," he said. The games were last held in 2011, also with split hosting duties between Peguis First Nation and Opaskwayak Cree Nation. 1st week Norway House will host eight sports (badminton, 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, canoeing, soccer, softball, volleyball, and 10K) and two demonstration sports (wrestling and York boat racing) selected by the host committee to represent the history and culture of the community. The York boat races reflect the history of the region during the fur trade and celebrate the Treaty & York Boat Days that are held every summer in Norway House. The wrestling competition is being held in honour of 2024 Team Canada Olympian and band member Justina Di Stasio. The 10K will be held in honour of Joe Keeper, a member of the Norway House Cree Nation and member of the 1912 Canadian Olympic team in the 5K and 10K events. "We wanted to make sure that we kind of provide that homage to honour our people in that sense." Albert said. 2nd week Week two of the games will be run by the Northeastern Nations Friends of the Games, made up of Sagkeeng and the communities of Black River, Brokenhead, Hollow Water, Powerview/Pine Falls, Lac Du Bonnet and Manigotagan. The communities will host archery, athletics, basketball, ball hockey, and golf competitions, with lacrosse as a demonstration sport. Sagkeeng has a long and storied history with the game of lacrosse, with a number of its citizens playing at the provincial and national levels, thus the host committee chose it as its demonstration sport. "We're looking forward to using the games to revitalize the interest in the sport again because we had some really top notch, top quality lacrosse players here at one time," said Sagkeeng Chief E.J. Fontaine. For the athletics competition, a $600,000 rubberized track is being installed at the Sagkeeng Junior High school especially for the games, which Fontaine said is a legacy project for the community. Fontaine said he remembers the vibe when Winnipeg hosted the Pan Am Games in 1999. "It was just a really celebratory feeling and that's what I want to have in the community," he said. First Nations, Métis and Inuit athletes born after Jan. 1, 2009 are eligible to participate in this year's Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games. There is also a call out for volunteers, coaches and sponsors.
