Young athletes, Huskie players and coaches, HPC trainers and volunteers join Tribal Chief Mark Arcand and Dean Chad London for a group photo.

Inspiring Indigenous youth

Welcoming young athletes back to the PAC for our partnership program with the Saskatoon Tribal Council and Huskie Athletics

By Amanda Davenport
Athletes respectfully listening to Tribal Chief Mark Arcand (on right) surrounded by their Huskie mentors, HPC trainers and volunteers.

The College of Kinesiology was pleased to welcome several returning participants in addition to new athletes for the second session of the Youth Leadership Through Sports program on Saturday, March 17. In partnership with the Saskatoon Tribal Council and Huskie Athletics, the program brings young athletes to the PAC for an opportunity to access the same facilities, trainers and resources as the elite athletes on the Huskie teams.

The kids had a chance to develop their skills under the guidance of certified personal trainers from the Human Performance Center and Huskie athletes and coaches. Volunteers kept them moving between skill development stations during a busy morning before they had a chance to fuel up at lunch, followed by a mental skills training session focused on goal setting led by a Kinesiology faculty member. An afternoon of fitness testing helped the athletes identify the areas to focus on improving if they want to excel in their sports and training. A group session of static stretching brought everyone together for a great way to wind up the day and reinforce the importance of warm ups and stretching.

For more on this story and to hear from some of our athletes, please visit the CBC News profile or MBC Radio story of our program and the day's events.