Tahlaela Marks of shíshálh Nation was among the eight Indigenous youth to receive the 2018 Premier’s Award for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sports from B.C.’s Fraser Region.
Marks was honoured with the award at a ceremony on Nov. 18 at the Mamele’awt Community Aboriginal Centre in Abbotsford. The nomination process began in August, with nominations received by Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (I-SPARC) and the province. Eligible athletes must be Indigenous players and under 25 years of age who are currently competing and are “committed to living healthy, active lifestyles,” according to an I-SPARC release.
Marks, 17, plays competitive soccer. In 2017, the midfielder and defender played on B.C.’s U19 team at the North American Indigenous Games, helping the team win gold in an undefeated streak.
“I’m very proud to support these awards, which provide much-deserved recognition for our top young Indigenous athletes,” said Premier John Horgan in the release. “It’s great to see these young champions achieving top results in such a wide variety of sports.”
The regional recipients are automatically qualified for the provincial awards. Those awards will be presented at Gathering our Voices: Indigenous Youth Leadership Forum in Port Alberni in March 2019.
