聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Eighteen-year-old volleyball player Summer Longie is taking her talent to Toronto. As a聽 member of Team Saskatchewan, the resident of White Bear First Nations will join other elite athletes as they compete at the North American Indigenous Games, July 16-23.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭hey've been called 'the Olympics for Indigenous people,'鈥� says Longie. 鈥淭hey're only held every three or four years. In 2014, they were held in Regina. There were hundreds of folks competing, so it's really exciting.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚n 2014, the people I know who competed at the Games in Regina say it was one of the most memorable experiences of their lives,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd they still have friends from all over North America that they made there.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 tried out before but I got cut,鈥� adds Longie. 鈥淎nd I definitely wanted to try out again this year. I didn't think I was going to make it, but I did.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The first of three tryouts for the 2017 provincial team was in December in Fort Qu'Appelle. 鈥淚t was drills and scrimmages,鈥� explains Longie. 鈥淭he second one was in Saskatoon in February. It was a two-day tryout. The first day was made up of drills all day and on the second day, we did scrimmages.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 wasn't confident at all that I'd played well enough to make it to the third round, but somehow, I did,鈥� says Longie. 鈥淏ut I didn't feel like it was a done deal.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The final tryout meant a return to Saskatoon in March.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 was just so happy that I made it that far,鈥� says Longie. 鈥淭here was a Facebook page and the names of the players who'd made the team were released about a week later. That's when I knew that I would be competing in Toronto.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 thought 'That's crazy!' But I was so happy and I'm super-excited to go to Toronto, because I haven't been anywhere far.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Now that Longie is officially a member of the Team Sask Indigenous Games volleyball team and will definitely compete in this year's Games,聽 she reflects on how reaching her goal required sacrifice, hard work and more than a little help from her friends and family.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 graduated last year and until then, I played high school volleyball in Carlyle until grade 12, when I played with the White Bear Cubs and club volleyball with the Redcoat Rebels who are coached by Mickey Adams.鈥� says Longie. 鈥淲hen Mickey found out I made Team Sask, He let me practice with his younger girls. I really owe him a big 'thank you' because when he started training me last year, I was only good at one thing and that was hitting. After training with him, I was better at all aspects of volleyball.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t definitely made a difference between making it and not making it,鈥� explains Longie. 鈥淚 didn't have a coach dedicated to volleyball. But he loves the sport as much as I do.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Longie also credits the White Bear Education Complex community - especially school principal Sherri McArthur-Cappo - for their support.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淪he let me train in the school gym and she let me use the school for a fundraising tournament I had planned,鈥� says Longie. 鈥淚t makes me so proud to represent the White Bear community at the Indigenous Games.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淢y mom (Renita Paul) drove me to every single practice,鈥� adds Longie. 鈥淎nd my sister Schuyler helps me out a lot, too. She throws hundreds of balls so I can practice setting. And she trains with me, too.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Longie's training regime includes workouts with Adams, cardio and weightlifting in the gym and runs up Heart Hill with her sister.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 When asked if she has any pre-competition rituals, Longie says: 鈥淚 don't have any supersitions or anything like that, but me and my mom pray before every game that I play good and don't get injured.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚'm really excited to go to Toronto, but there's not a lot of down time. But that's okay, because I'm there to do a job. We received a schedule with everything on it and we were told: 'If you want to look at the Niagara Falls, you'd better look at pictures on the internet,'鈥� she says, laughing.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e fly to Toronto on July 15,鈥� she says. 鈥淥n the 16th, the opening ceremonies are held and after that we practice and play almost all of the time until the (July 23) closing ceremonies.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t's really an honour to represent the White Bear community,鈥� says Longie.鈥淚 think it's cool that we get to do something like this for Native people from all over North America.鈥�
