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Young athletes rally before heading to Kjipuktuk for North American Indigenous Games

Thursday, 13 July 2023 19:38

Four members of the 8-person Rifle Shooting Team are heading to the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) on Saturday; Georgia Jackson, 16; Josh Jackson, 16;Jesse Johnson, 18; Colton Jim, 16.

Rifle shooting team members excited for first international competition

A sea of young athletes wearing black and turquoise marched through downtown Whitehorse Thursday evening celebrating their upcoming competition at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia).

The Indigenous teens come from communities across the Yukon.

They fly out Saturday to join more than 5,000 other athletes, coaches and team staff from 756 Indigenous Nations from across North America, according to the organization's website.

The Yukon athletes will compete in 15 sports over seven days at venues across Dartmouth and Millbrook First Nation starting July 15.

CHON-FM spoke with four members of the eight-member Rifle Shooting team, all citizens of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.

Georgia Jackson, 16, and her brother Josh are competing at NAIG for the first time.

"I've been shooting for a long time," said Josh, also 16. He expects to be "sweating buckets" as temperatures in Halifax are typically higher than Yukon temperatures this time of year.

"Howdy, got some moose meat?" is how Josh intends to make friends, he says.

Colton Jim, 16, and Jesse Johnson, 18, are also competing in Rifle Shooting for the first time.

Jackson, however, competed recently in the Dene Games where he came in third place in the hand games competition.

The NAIG are governed by the North American Indigenous Games Council, a council of representatives from 13 provinces and territories in Canada and 13 regions in the United States.

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