Indigenous football camp welcomes first female recruit
'I want girls to know that they can do anything,' says Chandinee Laliberty
Chandinee Laliberty says girls like smashmouth football just as much as the boys.
Laliberty is the only female at a Football Saskatchewan camp for young Indigenous players. The Six Nations Elite Development Camp runs until Sunday in Saskatoon.
The 16-year-old from Cumberland House — about 350 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon — is spending the week sprinting and tackling with a couple dozen boys at SMF field.
"I want girls to know that they can do anything. They're intelligent and can do whatever they want and play this kind of sport," said Lalibery, an aspiring lawyer.
She plays on a boys team, the Cumberland House Islanders, but she doesn't mind. She hopes younger girls will see her and want to start their own team some day.
'It brings out the best in kids'
The camp, which has run for several years, is designed to encourage the growth of football in northern and Indigenous communities. To attend the camp, players have to be nominated by a coach or their school.
Owen Bird, 17, is also part of this year's camp. He said he'd like to continue playing football after high school and this camp gives him access to coaches and expertise players don't have in the north.
"My coach said it would be a good experience for me to come and try out new skills on both sides of the ball," Bird said.
When his football career ends, Bird wants to become a police officer.
He says he wants to help people, and it's a great way to keep in shape.
The coaches include Mark Williment, a La Ronge-area school superintendent. He picked up his La Ronge kids in a school bus, drove 500 kilometres east to collect Laliberty and her teammates, then drove another few hundred kilometres south to Saskatoon.
His own children are grown, but he believes it's important to give kids in the north the same opportunities as those elsewhere. He said those who compete on the football team have improved their school marks and seen other improvements in their life.
"It brings out the best in kids. It's worthwhile," he said.