It was a winning week for two Salmon Arm athletes who attended the North American Indigenous Games in Regina.
The games ran from July 20-27 and basketball player Jared Sharp and swimmer Paige Coutlee both earned medals.
Coutlee, who has been swimming for seven years, placed gold in the U16 200-meter freestyle and bronze in the 100-m freestyle. She also placed fourth in the 50-m backstroke and 50-m freestyle and fifth in the 100-m backstroke and 50-m butterfly.
As a member of a relay team, Coutlee also took home an additional gold and two silver medals.
Coutlee’s favourite experience at the games was the social aspect.
“People would come from all over the place and bond as if we all knew each other,” said Coutlee. “Within the team you would become like a big family.”
Sharp played on the British Columbia U16 boys basketball team as guard, helping them earn a silver medal.
“The games were awesome,” said Sharp. “We won our first three games and blew them out by at least 20 points.”
The B.C. team’s first game was against Manitoba, and B.C. dominated with a final score of 53-36. Next was against the Northwest Territories team with a final score of 78-47 and New York with a 78-47 win.
The final contest was against Wisconsin, and Sharp noted that one of the rival players was on fire, scoring many points. Sharp’s team was defeated with a score of 78-48, but Sharp is still pleased with the silver medal win.
“I did what I could, but I think I could have done better,” he said, noting that his favourite part of attending the games was the chance to meet his teammates and make new friends.
