Canoe races take off in Lake Banook for NAIG 2023
The North American Indigenous Games are now officially underway in Halifax. I caught up with Vivianna Thomas, one of the participants.
It took B.C.’s Vivianna Thomas just 26 minutes and 40 seconds to finish her 3000-meter canoe race on Lake Banook, nearly 2.5 minutes ahead of the next paddler in the contest for those in the 14 and under category.
She tells The Weather Network she was on her first canoe at age three and started training when she was four, giving her decades' worth of experience in the sport at only 14 years old. The North American Indigenous Games are now officially underway in Halifax, and Host Society President George Tex Marshall says when it comes to canoeing, Lake Banook is the top natural facility in the country. "Lake Banook is part of our traditional transportation system," he says.
"The Mi’kmaq people have travelled throughout our territory since time immemorial by canoe and by paddling, so it's very significant to have that event there."
You can see part of Vivianna's winning race in the video above.
