North American Indigenous Games a family affair for Team Connecticut

For many participants, the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) is a family affair, and that's certainly true for Team Connecticut.

Angela Soulor is a mission staff member and her son Kaleb Espinoza is competing in athletics — running track, high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus and javelin.

Soulor's mother, Aline Soulor, is also on the mission staff, and her grandmother, Marie Pineault, is a Mohegan elder and an honoured guest.

"It's kind of neat to experience that as a family across generations," said Angela Soulor, a NAIG representative for U.S. region nine.

Team Connecticut drove 1,200 kilometres to Halifax to represent their Mohegan nation, arriving close to 3 a.m. Friday.

Angela Soulor competed herself at NAIG in 1997 and said it's neat to see how it has grown. Now as an organizer, she said she sees how much work it takes to make the games happen.

"It's nice to see it all come together and to see the kids get to benefit from all the work," she said. 

The small team has 15 people in total, with six of them athletes competing in the games. 

Also representing Team Connecticut are Mathilde Roussat, 12, who is competing in rifle shooting, and her two sisters — including her twin — who are competing in athletics. Her auntie coaches and her mom is the chef de mission.

Roussat said there wasn't enough of them to do bigger team sports so she pivoted.

"I wanted to do swim but we couldn't get a coach so my mom just signed me up for rifle [shooting] 'cause there was a coach," she said.

Even when they aren't wearing their team shirts she said people still know they are not locals — probably because of how they are looking at everything in amazement, she said. 

Roussat said after the long trip she was happy to have two days to calm her nerves before competing on Tuesday.

"I'm excited but I'm also really nervous because it's like an Olympics but for Indigenous people," she said.