We are Aikowania

The sights and sounds of a Kodiaks basketball game are unmistakable: the sharp echo of a ball snapping against hardwood, shoes squeaking as players pivot, a whistle slicing through the air, jerseys flashing across the floor. On the home court, the Blackfoot word Aikowania – the essence of readiness – is painted in bold letters.

From the stands, these are ordinary rhythms of the game. But for five Indigenous student-athletes, each bounce, pass and whistle – and the words beneath their feet – carry a deeper meaning: a reminder of family, community and the personal growth fostered by being part of the Kodiaks program.

The path to Lethbridge Polytechnic looks different for each of them. Zachary Many Grey Horses (English) was born and raised in Lethbridge but honed his skills playing spring club basketball on the Blood Reserve. Others, like Cash Red Crow and Memphis Gambler-Yellowknee, transferred schools in their teenage years to face tougher competition – riding buses to larger towns or moving between cities.

Mylynn Lewis speaks openly about joining the Kodiaks to start fresh and build a healthier life. Chase Wells-Creighton took time off to have her daughter after COVID-19 disrupted her 2020-21 season. She now balances motherhood with practices, games and coursework.

For these student-athletes, stepping onto the court in a Kodiaks jersey is about more than wins and losses. It reflects the decisions, sacrifices and determination that brought them to the polytechnic – and their readiness to keep moving forward.

Finding their path

For many Indigenous student-athletes, the road to postsecondary sport rarely follows a straight line. Opportunities can be limited in smaller communities, and pursuing higher levels of competition often means transferring schools.

“As a kid, I would go around with my dad to basketball tournaments, which sparked my interest,” says Lewis, who grew up on the Onion Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. “I started playing in seventh grade, but it wasn’t my favourite sport, to be honest. I was more of a softball-badminton kid.”

In Grade 11, Lewis says she made a move not many players from the reserve make; she transferred to Lloydminster Comprehensive High School just across the border in Alberta.

“I remember my dad telling me when he was younger he was asked to do the same thing, but he wasn’t given the right opportunities,” she says. “My dad probably could have played college, too, but he didn’t have the right support, so I decided to take what was given to me.”

Red Crow faced a similar decision during his high school years. A member of the Kainai First Nation in southern Alberta, he started at Saipoyi Elementary School in Standoff on the Blood Reserve and later attended middle school in Cardston. He spent a couple of years at Kainai High School before transferring again, this time to Magrath.

“There’s not a lot of players who leave the reserve to play high school basketball,” Red Crow says. “It was a little complicated for me because I had to travel on the bus for half an hour and then I wasn’t able to play for Magrath until I moved there.”

Gambler-Yellowknee’s journey also involved several moves. He spent his early years on the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta before his family relocated to Grande Prairie and later to Leduc, where basketball became a larger focus. After graduating high school, he played a year of prep basketball in Calgary with United Prep Canada but didn’t receive any interest from post-secondary schools.

“My buddy who I played club basketball with, Hayden Many Grey Horses, played with the Kodiaks last year and he got me in contact with (head coach) Ryan Heggie,” he says. “He wanted me, but I decided to play another year of prep at Western Canada Prep Academy in Edmonton.”

That lasted for half a season, then he decided to take up welding. “I was trying to decide whether or not I wanted to play college [basketball] or pursue my welding,” Gambler-Yellowknee explains, though he ultimately chose to become a Kodiak.

Carrying community

The distance from home varies between the five athletes, but all say family and community remain close to their heart.
“My culture and family help keep me emotionally regulated on the court,” Lewis says. “I’m not a person who talks a lot to the other team and there are players who do that, so my culture keeps me grounded because I’m representing them.”
Many Grey Horses and Red Crow say they feel that responsibility as well.

“The Blackfoot culture is a big part of me, even though I was born and raised in Lethbridge,” says Many Grey Horses. “Being Blackfoot has helped me a lot because there’s not a lot of hoopers who get to play post-secondary, so it makes you want to work harder and keep on playing as long as you can.”

“My culture has been pretty big in the sport and where I come from,” adds Red Crow. “There’s always fans at the games, always showing love.”

Community support is also a constant for Wells-Creighton thanks to the polytechnic’s proximity to the Blood Reserve. She says her relatives attend nearly every home game.

“When I see them, they’ll tell me they’re proud of me, that it’s really good that I’m in school and playing basketball and they want their daughters to do the same thing.”

As a student-athlete and mother, she also leans on the support of her Kodiaks family.

“[My teammates and coaches] understand there might be times I miss practice because of my daughter maybe having a birthday or a doctor’s appointment,” she says. “They’ve never treated me differently. Right away I took her to practice, and everyone loved her; everyone is her auntie, basically.”

Growing through the game

While basketball provides competition and opportunity, the transition to post-secondary life has also brought personal growth.

For Lewis, enrolling at Lethbridge Polytechnic marked a turning point in how she manages her mental and physical well-being.

“Since coming here I’ve changed my lifestyle,” she says. “I’m working toward sobriety, and before it was hard for me to do that. I would use alcohol to cope with things because I didn’t have it too easy growing up, especially on the reserve.”

She says staying busy with school and basketball and accessing new supports has helped her move forward.

“Playing for the Kodiaks has been more than I thought it would be,” she says. “I didn’t know what to expect and I’ve noticed my confidence going up and I’ve never felt so secure about myself. Coming here has definitely helped me a lot.”

Many Grey Horses experienced a different kind of adjustment when he first arrived in the Kodiaks program. After trying out and redshirting his first year, he says he needed time to find his place.

“Last year was kind of rough,” he says. “It took me a while to get close to the guys, but this year is way better. Other players have made me realize I fit in.”

And now that he’s got more playing time in, he says he understands the high expectations.
“Playing post-secondary is definitely more competitive,” he says. “You’ve just got to work way harder than you did before.”

Looking ahead

For each of these student-athletes, basketball is only one part of a much larger journey.

Gambler-Yellowknee says he wants to see how far basketball can take him while keeping other career options open. Wells-Creighton plans to move on to the University of Lethbridge to earn a degree in kinesiology. Red Crow is exploring business or social work, inspired by his mother’s career on the Blood Reserve. Many Grey Horses is considering the polytechnic’s Business Administration program while continuing to develop as a player. And Lewis is looking to return to the polytechnic next year before moving on to university in Lethbridge or Calgary.

“My goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree and hopefully a master’s degree in psychology,” she says. “That’s what I want for myself.”

Kodiaks at a glance

Five players. Five paths to Kodiaks basketball. No two stories are the same, but all are tied together by a shared commitment to school, sport and the people who continue to support them along the way. Here’s a closer look at the individuals behind the jerseys: where they come from, what they’re studying and what basketball means to them.

Read more about these five student-athletes at gokodiaks.ca.