By TRT Staff with notes from ISWO.ca
ONTARIO — On the Road to National Aboriginal Hockey Championship (NAHC) at-home, virtual training has opened through the Indigenous Sport and Wellness Ontario group (ISWO).
Until November 12, Indigenous youth ages 11-19, have access to free videos for off-ice hockey skills training, dry land training, and weekly challenges with On the Road to NAHC Program.
Kalley Armstrong will be providing the off-ice training segment. Armstrong is the granddaughter of legendary Toronto Maple Leaf captain George Armstrong. In 2019, Kalley launched Armstrong Hockey in honor of her grandfather and their love for the game of hockey. Armstrong Hockey focuses on providing hockey development opportunities for Indigenous youth. In the summer of 2019, Kalley ran her first Indigenous youth hockey camp in London, Ontario open to all First Nations youth in surrounding communities.
Casey Swamp will be providing the dry-land segment. Swamp is from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory and has been active all of his life. He played lacrosse and hockey at an early age and played competitively through high school, University and Sr. A leagues. He has grown to become passionate about fitness, health and strength on and off the field. His focus is to encourage the youth to achieve their athletic goals and to compete at their highest potential level of competition.
“There are now two editions of the athlete development training available to Indigenous youth between the ages of 11 to 19, who reside in Ontario. Check them out after you register under the athlete development tab,” reads the NAHC website piece.
“The summer edition of the program was geared to seven NAIG sports and is still available to registered users. The new fall edition of the program focuses on ice hockey with resources available for ball/street and field hockey.”
Focusing on creating opportunities to play and practice during the pandemic, the ‘On the Road to NAIG’ Athlete Development Program is set for all Indigenous youth athletes between the ages of 11-19; regardless of level of play or ability.
“On behalf of the entire team at ISWO, we’re so happy that you’ve joined and are interested in developing your skills and increasing your opportunities, as a young Indigenous athlete. We’re here to support you in your journey and help you develop your confidence, build your sport-specific skills and create a community that can help you achieve your dreams of competing at NAIG and beyond,” reads the site.
Participants can also earn points to win Team Ontario gear by taking part in the various training options.
“Start training now to reach your peak performance in preparation for the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships tryouts, or brush up on some skills for this season,” reads the ISWO Facebook page.
Those interested can register or log in at https://roadtonaig.iswo.ca/.
