Alberta volleyball players heading to North American Indigenous Games

A group of 12 young Indigenous athletes were training Monday in Edmonton, preparing to head to the North American Indigenous Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

A group of Alberta volleyball players is preparing to compete in the 10th annual North American Indigenous Games this summer.

Twelve young women, mainly from northern Alberta, will represent the province as Team Alberta Indigenous.

Head coach Kerrie Buchberger said the entire team is "super skilled and athletic," and the organization fundraised last year to make sure everyone on the team could travel to Edmonton to train before the games.

"Try to make it a lot more accessible. I always said if I coached a team, I didn't want it to be a team based on who could pay, but who should be there based on their skill," Buchberger said.

"Sport I think is a great opportunity for these kids to travel the world to see things," she added. "Sport brings people together, it teaches you how to communicate, how to talk, how to work together."

The North American Indigenous Games get underway July 16 in Halifax, N.S., bringing together thousands of athletes from more than 750 Indigenous Nations.

This year is outside hitter Carly Hawryluk's first year on the team, and she said she's excited to create connections with her teammates .

She said many people aren't aware that there is an Indigenous Team Alberta, and she's proud to be able to help raise awareness for Indigenous athletes.

"I'm playing the sport I love, while representing my culture and my family and my people, I'm having fun with it and showing people that being Indigenous isn't just a race, it's being part of a community and being able to represent that."

Another player, Megan Kendziora, said the games are a chance to learn about Indigenous cultures from around North America. Playing on the team has also been an opportunity to connect with her own heritage, she added.

"This gives us a different chance to [self-reflect] on who we are," Kendziora said. "We're going down to Fort [Edmonton Park] and speaking with an Elder, just kind of learning more about ourselves."