Building bridges between all communities
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/73121
JULY 2012 • PAGE 23 Trish Wilson, wrestling coach/role model BY MARTIN ZEILIG Considering her accomplishments, it is no wonder that amateur wrestling coach Trish Wilson, who hails from Peguis First Nation, would consider herself "a role model" – and in more ways than one. She's earned the right to that title. "I graduated from the University of Brandon at age 24 with a six-year-old child," explains Wilson, 28, who works fulltime as the Curricu- lum Developer-Instructor at Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate (a First Nations High School that was, as the school's website says, created to help First Nation students in Manitoba access new sources of education, and also to find new learning opportunities) on Waverley Street in Winnipeg. "I'm alcohol and drug free and very active in the community. I volunteer where I can; and I started a wrestling program." Wilson also notes that she ran in the relay event at the 34th annual Manitoba Marathon on June 17. Mel Whitesell, executive director of the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Council, says that Wilson was selected (by both MASRC and Coaching Manitoba) to represent Manitoba through the Aboriginal Apprentice Coach Program for the upcoming 2013 Canada Games. "She will be an assistant coach on the wrestling team," said Whitesell in an email message to this reporter. "This is a big commitment on her part, but very worthwhile and she will learn a lot." She added that Wilson coached wrestling in Peguis for several years, and developed a strong program by working with Adrian Bruce (formerly with Wrestling Manitoba – now the Varsity Wrestling Coach at the University of Winnipeg). "Her daughter was a Provincial champion last year," said Whitesell. During a telephone interview, Wilson, who is also the Rural Representative of the Mani- toba Amateur Wrestling Association, mentions that she's taking three Aboriginal wrestlers, ages 14-17 (one girl and two boys), to a survival school in Kahnawake, Quebec, July 6-11. "It will be training a camp with top coaches wrestlers who competed and in the nationals in the past," she explains. "So, we'll be training with Team Quebec while we're down there." Wilson caught the wrestling bug while she was in junior high. "I wrestled for six years till the end of high school," she says. "My weight class was 115 pounds. And, I won the provincial championship at ages 13 and 14." She competed for Manitoba at the 1997 North American Indigenous Games in Victo- ria, B.C. where she won the gold medal match against a girl from Kahnawake. "After high school, I didn't have anywhere to wrestle. Then, I went away to Brandon Univer- sity," she says, adding that she received two degrees – a Bachelor of General Studies and a B.A. in Education while her daughter was in daycare. "After university, I returned to Peguis to work with youth there. And, that's when I start- ed my own wrestling team in January, 2010. We only had three athletes at the time. The sport was all new to them." When the school year began again in Sep- tember, 2010, Wilson had 10 young people in grades 7-12 sign up for the team. BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE – IMPROVING LIVES "My daughter also joined the team even though she was only in grade three," she says. Wilson adds that another coach, Bernie McCorrister, an educational as- sistant at Peguis, helped her with the team. "He now runs the practises at Pe- guis since I'm not there," she says. "But, I manage the team from here." Most tournaments are in Winnipeg, but the Peguis wrestling squad did participate in the Husky Classic at the University of Sas- katchewan in Saskatoon in February, 2011 and again this year, adds Wilson, who also played basketball, volleyball and ran cross country races while in high school. "I have my National Coaching Certification levels one and two," she says. "And, I'm currently working on level three, so I can coach at the Canada Games." She's a real role model. www.firstnationsvoice.com Or for a subscription call 697-7598 Missed an issue? Check out our archive at ON BEHALF OF SIGFUSSON NORTHERN LTD. Wishing All a Great Summer Call: 1 – (888) 762 – 5500 Visit: www.sigfusson.ca