Many of the teams participating in badminton this week at the North American Indigenous Games had never met before arriving in Toronto.
But that’s not the case for cousins Davidee Kudluarok and Mike Kavik, the 16U males double team from Sanikiluaq, Nunavut.
Against the wall, “Team Toba” stood tall when it mattered most, on Thursday.
Being tied with Team Wisconsin in the same pool, Manitoba battled it out with them, as a win confirms a chance for a “better” matchup moving forward in the tournament.
And they did...
Sam Tourtilott is pitching and catching for Team Wisconsin at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games, and he plays an important part in their road to the gold medal game.
Gregory Elijah-Brown’s explosive first period game Team Ontario a lead it never surrendered on the way to a gold medal in the U16 lacrosse gold at the North American Indigenous Games on Thursday.
Lacrosse player Bryson Knockwood grew up in Indian Brook, a Mi’kmaq First Nation community in Hants County, N.S., where he was known by his peers for a positive attitude and outgoing personality.
Athletes often cite experience playing with each other as an answer to why they're able to work so well together.
Hockey players, for instance, often make blind passes, made possible by a sixth sense of just knowing where their teammate will be at any given time.
The North American Indigenous Games is an event that subscribes to sportsmanship, community and personal growth, but as the Under-19 lacrosse team from Nova Scotia learned, winning can be fun, too.
Team Nunavut had a successful year in the 2014 Regina games, but something was missing -- a gold medal.
They fell short to Team Saskatchewan and look to finish the job this year.
It's time for a celebration, Toronto.
The 2017 North American Indigenous Games officially got underway Sunday evening, with the opening ceremonies taking place at York University’s Aviva Centre.