Chelsie McCutcheon grew up as part of the First Nations Snowboard Team (FNST).
But with the organization broadening its focus after rebranding as thein June, the Squamish resident is embracing the additional opportunities for her children, 13-year-old Cullan and eight-year-old Kaida.
McCutcheon, who works with the ILSA as the Whistler Blackcomb Snowboard co-ordinator and Squamish Nation mountain bike manager, said that while physical activity itself is important, the act of doing it can hold additional significance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 more like a mission that started with my parents 35 years ago. They grew up as teen parents on the reserve and they wanted something different for our family and so they focused on applying me into skiing and on the ski team to create that positive social change,鈥� said McCutcheon, who is Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檈n. 鈥淭hat vibrates through my children because now it鈥檚 a natural part of our family and them calling Whistler Blackcomb their home mountain, that鈥檚 the legacy of our family鈥檚 decisions when I was a baby.鈥�
McCutcheon said the FNST broke down economic barriers to allow her to not only access snow sports but also reconnect with the land. She鈥檚 glad to see the program evolve into the ILSA to create chances for Indigenous youth to take part in rock climbing, mountain biking, skateboarding and hiking.
鈥淓conomically, it鈥檚 generally not accessible or easily accessible and programs like the Indigenous Life Sport Academy open up that barrier,鈥� she said.
Additionally, McCutcheon said participation in these activities helps to bridge gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, which she saw as part of the FNST and as recently as this month鈥檚 women鈥檚 rock-climbing clinic.
ILSA executive director Court Larabee said the shift has been underway for some time now as it moves away from a focus on high-level competition and spotlights love of the sport rather than an 鈥渦s-versus-them鈥� mentality.
鈥淢y focus was never in the world of competition,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were making small internal changes throughout the years and then when COVID hit and our programming was cut so violently quickly over the winter, we were left with a little bit of surplus budget. That surplus itself, we put into the rebrand and launched.鈥�
Larabee鈥檚 instincts were confirmed after the program surveyed participants about whether they still wanted to compete.
鈥淎bout six of them out of 300 said yes,鈥� he said. 鈥淟istening to my own intuition and knowing what they wanted proved that they wanted the exact same thing.
鈥淭hey just want to have fun in a progressive space and they still want to excel in the sport, but the focus of competition is so quick and far between. You have this small window to be great and you need this excess amount of support and surplus. It鈥檚 just realistic for the youth.鈥�
While the FNST had spread its reach across the country, the ILSA will start small, offering programming to all Indigenous youth in the Sea to Sky starting with Lil鈥檞at and Squamish nations and those in between.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be doing activities that you can do for life, where you don鈥檛 need a team, you don鈥檛 need a practice space, you don鈥檛 need to wait for anything,鈥� Larabee said. 鈥淵ou can simply pick up your skateboard, your golf clubs, your snowboard and do what we all do, just slide away some of your daily stresses.鈥�
In particular, Larabee said, skateboarding has seen strong uptake, with roughly 120 new participants joining up. There is also a skateboard donation program within the system, he said.
鈥淭hat gift of a skateboard, we know, can absolutely change lives,鈥� he said, adding that the academy鈥檚 first skate camp is set for this weekend.
In the future, the academy will look to offer sports such as surfing, while he鈥檚 open to other sports not currently on the radar.
鈥淎nyone who鈥檚 championing or is interested in these unstructured sports, whether we offer them or not currently, it鈥檚 an opportunity for us to grow our own organization,鈥� he said.
In addition to fostering participation in sport, Larabee hopes to create a mentality of participants creating opportunities for others. Through a partnership with the Indigenous Sports and Recreation Council, the academy provides free training for youth to become coaches or guides to allow them to give back to the program, helping it stay sustainable, and gives them the tools to pursue a career.
Past participants are making their mark in a variety of fields, Larabee said taking on leadership roles in politics and business.
聽鈥淭he impact that we had with snowboarding is only going to be returned tenfold as we add all these different sports,鈥� he said.
McCutcheon, for her part, is seeing the positive effects on her son.
鈥淗e already knows that he鈥檚 going to be a leader within the sport as his first job experience,鈥� she said.
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