Young Alberta football rivals share traditional Cree smudge before kickoff
Prior to smashing and bashing each other in an all-female battle in Spruce Grove Thursday, linebacker Alicia Gladue led both teams in something rarely seen on a football field.
Before kickoff - Gladue, a young Cree and Dene woman from Northern Alberta - gathered all players and coaches in a circle, where she lit a traditional Indigenous smudge for both teams to share.
“I just bless my body. (With the smoke) I go over my head so I can think good things, go to my ears so I can hear good things, go to my mouth so I can say good things,” Gladue explained.
Gladue is a captain with the Fort McKay Northern Spirits, based in the First Nation community about an hour north of Fort McMurray.
Her team travelled to the Fuhr Sports Park west of Edmonton, for a game with the West Edmonton Raiders Thursday night.
“It’s gets my anger out. It’s good for my mental and physical health,” Gladue said of football.
And a smudge, she said, puts her in the right mind to compete.
“It could be a blessing, or it could be to let go of the negativity. I think it’s good to calm yourself with good vibes,” she explained.
'EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY PROUD'
The idea of sharing the smudge came after Raiders coach Ryan Schulha asked his opponents about a ceremony he saw at a game a few weeks earlier.
“They were extremely, extremely proud to extend an invitation to allow us to come and learn a little bit and join the smudge circle. I’m very excited to learn more about their culture and have football be that catalyst,” Schulha said.
A coach of both girls and boys teams, Schulha believes football leaders should always be striving to be more inclusive. He called Thursday’s ceremony an “opportunity” for his players to learn and grow respect for Indigenous people.
“Do we have a long way to go? Yeah. We know that, but every little bit and every step forward helps.”
Northern Spirits coach Dylan Elias lets his players decide when and how to smudge, and was proud they chose to share with their opponents on Thursday.
“I think there’s been a lot of negativity in the news in the last couple of months especially around residential schools and missing and murdered Indigenous women,” Elias, who is Metis, said.
“So I think for the other team to reach out and want to be part of the ceremony, is really important for bringing people together, and if this thing is going to work we gotta come together as humans, and that’s what the sport of football does.”
Racism on the field is something Elias said his team has “felt” before but Thursday’s ceremony was a an important step.
The Northern Spirits are a new team, and with the closest field an hour away, it’s not an easy commitment. Elias said his girls are growing in pride, both in their play and in sharing their culture.
“After a football camp we had in 2019, there was a big push from the kids in the community. They wanted their own team.”
Feeling different on a football field is not new to Raiders running back Camryn Lauer. It’s a male-dominated sport, and inclusivity is still a work in progress, she said.
So Lauer was happy to take part in the smudge and learn more about her opponents.
“I will say it’s better just because we do get these opportunities, but there’s still more to work on. Being a female in the sport of football can be difficult sometimes, but it’s growing and it’s getting better,” Lauer said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.