New Lil’wat ski and snowboard team hits the slopes

By Luke Faulks Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Sandy Ward had only been snowboarding for a year or two when Aaron Marchant, founder of the First Nations Snowboard Team, invited her to join a small group of other Indigenous youth to train for the 2010 Olympics. That was in 2005. Now, Ward is leading her own winter sports youth team, the Lil’wat Nation Qwíxwla7 (sliding) ski and snowboard team. Over the next nine weeks, she and two other coaches will take more than 70 skiers and snowboarders between the ages of eight and 22 up to Whistler Blackcomb for lessons and a whole lot of winter fun. “I started in that program, and it got me to where I am today,” said Ward. “So I see how important it is.” When…

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