Growing up, I always viewed sports as a path to self-improvement, teaching teamwork, determination, and discipline. Discovering the application of sports in Canada’s residential schools altered this view. As The Skate highlights, sports were not just for fun for Indigenous students in these institutions; they were tools of assimilation. Indigenous sports were actively suppressed, and Euro-Canadian sport was used to instill colonial values of obedience and discipline. Something that appeared to be a universal good was, in this instance, a means of control.

Despite the coercive and restrictive context of sports in residential schools, however, Indigenous students reclaimed sports as a survival tactic. Indigenous students found solace, companionship, and even happiness in these forced sports. This points to the resilience of Indigenous children, who utilized sport not only for survival of their circumstances but also to fashion restricted spaces of autonomy within a system that sought to eliminate their identities. Sport-derived values are not universal; they depend upon the systems through which they emerge. While sports do tend to represent empowerment and community, even they can be used as vehicles of oppression. This reflection acknowledges the necessity to critically evaluate the institutions that constitute experience and the resilience of those who have recast their meanings.

Emotional Healing – The majority of interviewees describe sports as a way to cope with trauma, loss, and stress. For example, a young athlete describes how being on the lacrosse field is a way for him to cope with the pain of a loved one having died. The pace of activity and focus required allow him to forget momentarily emotional burdens while also channeling his energy into a positive outlet.

Cultural Connection – Indigenous cultures are closely linked to traditional sports like lacrosse. A speaker explains that playing lacrosse makes her feel connected to her ancestors since the sport has been passed down from generation to generation as a sacred tradition. Through participating in the sport, players take back cultural practices that were formerly suppressed by residential schools and government policies.

Sense of Belonging – Sport allows Indigenous youth to belong and be supported. One participant explains how being part of a lacrosse team enabled them to form lifelong friendships and a solid support system, affirming a common cultural identity. In a world where Indigenous individuals are frequently marginalized, sport provides an environment to feel valued and belong.

Therapeutic Release – Playing sports is both a physical and mental release. One of the speakers recalls how, during personal crisis, the repetitive actions of running, passing, and shooting were calming and concentration-inducing. The physical nature of the game allows players to release pent-up stress and frustration in a healthy way.

Resilience and Strength – Sports instill discipline, determination, and overcoming adversity. One of the interviewees relates how being raised in a difficult environment made them feel helpless, but through sports, they learned to overcome failures and build self-confidence. These are lessons that transcend the playing field, enabling them to overcome life’s challenges with resilience.

Pride and Empowerment – Being a sports champion is an incredible source of pride. One of the former players describes how winning a lacrosse championship was not only a personal triumph but a triumph for their entire community. For Indigenous athletes, success in sports becomes a way of breaking stereotypes and proving their strength and capability.

Encouraging Harmony – Team sports offer a platform for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to bond and reconcile with each other. A few of the participants spoke about how sports events unite people from various walks of life, creating a sense of understanding and bridging barriers. The collective spirit of sports promotes respect for one another.

Historical and Spiritual Significance – The majority of Indigenous players see lacrosse as a game, but it’s also a spiritual practice. One of the elders in the video shares how lacrosse was played traditionally for healing and ceremony, not just for competition. The sport has teachings of respect, balance, and harmony and is, therefore, part of their cultural and spiritual identity.

The video documents how sport is a powerful tool of healing and empowerment in Indigenous society. Whether it provides emotional release, confirms cultural identity, or establishes resilience, sport is a profoundly meaningful and transformational force.

In Rilee ManyBears’ video, his life as a Siksika First Nation athlete demonstrates systemic barriers that face Indigenous athletes. While he has achieved a lot, including attending the World Indigenous Games, his dreams of being in the Olympics were interrupted by institutional challenges like racism, financial challenges, and scarce opportunities to receive elite training facilities. His life corroborates Horn-Miller’s argument that Indigenous sport is still dominated by external systems that undermine self-determination.

Similarly, the North American Indigenous Games video shows the cultural significance of Indigenous sport but indicates the intricacies of hosting such events. While the Games allow Indigenous athletes, they still exist within a broader sporting framework that has historically excluded and marginalized Indigenous participation.

Horn-Miller’s insights as an Olympian highlight these challenges as well. Being an ambassador of Indigenous people worldwide is something of which she is proud, yet she also realizes that there continues to be no actual Indigenous-directed sport governance. These videos depict that Indigenous sport development is more than money needed; It takes Indigenous leadership, retention of traditional sport, and eradication of the system barriers which still restrict possibilities.

McKee and Forsyth’s chapter on residential schools and sport extends this theme by showing how sports were employed to assimilate Indigenous children rather than empower them. Similarly, the video with Rilee ManyBears highlights the systemic barriers Indigenous athletes continue to face, from racism to not having access to elite training facilities. Being an immigrant here for couple years now, I perceiv sport in the only way possible: as chance and integration. These readings prompted me to acknowledge how deeply the colonial systems influence access and engagement in Canadian sports. The reality is that it is not always just about winning; sport comes with power, identity, and historical trauma woven into its very fabric. A critical understanding is necessary in spite of working toward a more decolonized, inclusive version of sport in Canada.