A former Quesnel Waverider was one of 12 athletes honoured with the Premier’s Award for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport.
Garnet Currie, 18 is an avid swimmer with ties to the Métis Nation.
Scott Fraser, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation presented the award during a formal celebration held during the opening ceremony of the Gathering Our Voices Indigenous Youth Leadership Training at the Alberni Athletic Hall in Port Alberni.
According to a press release, the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (ISPARC), in collaboration with the Province of British Columbia, created the awards to highlight the achievements of Indigenous youth athletes in the province and honour their excellence in performance sport, leadership qualities, commitment to their education and role in their communities both on and off the field.
“It’s definitely a pretty big opportunity to go and show how much my sports means to me and what it’s done for me,” says Currie, who has won the regional ISPARC award twice, mostly recently in October 2018.
“I can also show the youth what the sport can do for them.”
Currie says being a young Métis athlete allowed him to travel to Toronto in 2017 to compete in the North American Indigenous Games.
He is now attending University of British Columbia and swimming for the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club.
“I’ve been swimming a ton and doing university as well,” he says, “It’s pretty chaotic at times, but I’m doing pretty well in both.”
He says he has improved markedly since training with the new club and is looking forward to competing in some big events this summer.
READ MORE: Quesnel swimmers win Indigenous Youth Excellence Premier’s Awards for second time
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