Tom Longboat Awards Recipients

2024

Eli McLaughlin

Talented lacrosse player, Eli McLaughlin is from Heiltsuk Nation, British Columbia. With 25 years of experience in sports, he has achieved remarkable success, including winning a bronze medal at the World Field Lacrosse Championships with the Haudenosaunee Nationals and maintaining a 50% shooting percentage. In 2023, Eli was a finalist in the Ontario Senior A Lacrosse League with the Peterborough Lakers, where he scored 51 points in just 13 games.

Eli has played for the Colorado Mammoth in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) since 2015. He participated in the 2023 NLL Western Championships, where his team reached the league finals. Over 18 games, he amassed an impressive 93 points, ranking 19th in league scoring. In 2024, he entered his ninth year as a professional lacrosse player in the NLL. Eli has been recognized with several accolades, including Team MVP, Top Offensive Player, and as the all-time leading goal scorer for his team.

Eli is deeply committed to his athletic development. His training regimen includes setting short- and long-term goals, strength and endurance training, flexibility exercises, technical skill development, mental conditioning, nutrition, recovery, and progress tracking. He also embraces a holistic lifestyle, prioritizing his physical, mental, cultural, and spiritual well-being. Eli actively promotes important cultural practices, such as Orange Shirt Day and Red Dress Day, to honor his mother and communities affected by historical injustices. He has engaged in critical conversations about the decolonization of sports and participates in community service to enhance both his well-being and that of others.

As an Indigenous athlete, Eli projects a positive image and serves as a role model. He was the offensive coach for the Delta Islanders Junior B lacrosse team and has dedicated countless hours to community outreach, helping to grow the traditional game of lacrosse in Denver. He has also led summer and school camps in both Denver and Ladner, BC. Eli's recent participation with the Haudenosaunee Nationals marks him as one of the first BC-born players to join this respected international organization, inspiring countless Indigenous lacrosse players across the province to pursue their dreams through hard work and dedication.

Justina Di Stasio

Justina is a dedicated wrestler and a proud member of the Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. With 20 years of experience in sports, she has achieved significant milestones, including winning bronze medals at the 2023 Pan American Wrestling Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and being named BC Wrestling Senior Athlete of the Year in the same year. She also placed 8th at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, and secured a quota spot for Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics during the Pan American Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament.

Her commitment to athletic development is evident in her rigorous training schedule, which includes wrestling practice four times a week, weightlifting two to three times a week, off-mat conditioning, and regular sessions with physiotherapists, massage therapists, and sports psychologists. Justina is dedicated to continuously improving her skills, analyzing opponents, and achieving higher fitness scores in lifting and cardiovascular performance. As a role model for Indigenous youth across British Columbia, Justina has chosen a career as an Indigenous Educator and Resource Teacher. Her commitment to both postsecondary education at Simon Fraser University and athletics serve as an inspiring example for her students, demonstrating that dreams can be realized through hard work and dedication.

In addition to her athletic pursuits, Justina is actively involved with the Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games and is a distinguished role model for organizations such as I-SPARC and the Manitoba Aboriginal Sports and Recreational Council. She has served as an athlete mentor with Classroom Champions and with Indigenous communities in Northern Alberta. Furthermore, Justina supports the BC Sports Hall of Fame's Digital Indigenous Sports Gallery (DISG), providing interviews and guidance to Indigenous youth aspiring to excel in athletics.

2023

Connor Church

Connor Church is Metis from Winnipeg and is chasing his dreams of representing Canada at the Olympics in Wrestling. He has been wrestling for 13 years, and still has passion for the sport - usually being the first to arrive to practice and last to leave, often being told to "go home" by his coaches. Connor's dedication is obvious through his accomplishments. He holds many first and second place titles in National Championships in Junior and Senior age categories, he took first place in the U Sports Wrestling Championships, has been named the 2022-2023 Rookie of the Year. He placed 1st, taking home gold medals at the CSGs, as well as the 25th Copa Sparta Tournament.

Connor's successes and dedication to the sport, his community and his holistic health are evident in the fact that this is the 2nd year in a row that he has been awarded the Tom Longboat Award.

Trina Ross

Trina Ross is a proud Cree woman from Pimicakamak Cree Nation in Manitoba. Trina competes in the sport of dragon boat and has been involved in the sport for 11 years. She is touted as a trail blazer in rowing, and paddling and is seen as a role model for younger generations.

Recently, she found success at the ICF Dragon Boat World Championships, which were held in in Racine, Czech Republic, representing Canada. Trina brought home eight medals - three gold, one silver and four bronze.

Because of her accomplishments, she was awarded an Order of Sport Excellence by Sport Manitoba.

2022

Leah Miller

Leah is a member of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba. Leah began rowing when she was 13 years old. Throughout the years Leah has had many great accomplishments within the sport of rowing. In 2021 Leah was named to Rowing Canada's CanAmMex Next Gen Team and won bronze at the National Rowing Championships that year in Women's single sculls. Leah then went on to win gold at the 2022 Rowing Canada Aviron Small Boat Trials for Junior Women's single sculls and was selected to be apart of the Junior Women's National Team for the U19 Junior World Championships and placed 11th.

Leah is currently attending the University of Michigan on a full athletic scholarship.

Connor Church

Connor is a member of the Manitoba Metis Federations. Connor is a National Team member for Wrestling Canada, winning his first nationals this year, 2022. After winning Nationals Connor went on to win Canada Cup and the Canada Summer Games in his weight class. Over the summer Connor competed at the U20 PanAm Championships, where he placed 3rd overall.

Connor is currently attending Concordia University where he is studying Business Development. He is training as a member of the Varsity team at Concordia and with the Montreal Wrestling club. He is also planning to give back to the sport and community by being a coach at NAIG 2023.

2021

Kerri Einarson

Kerri Einarson is a proud Métis woman from Camp Morton, Manitoba. In addition to being a wife and a mother of twins, Kerri is an elite-level curler with a heavily decorated career. Within the 2021 competitive season alone, Kerri was a Canadian Women's Curling Champion for the second consecutive year, Canadian Mixed Doubles Champion, placed 6th in the Women's Worlds and 4th in the Mixed Doubles Worlds, earning Canada's 2022 Beijing Olympic berths in both Women's and Mixed Doubles competitions. "Kerri's dedication to the pursuit of excellence in the sport of curling is truly inspirational," said Resby Coutts, Vice-President of the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame.

Conner Roulette

Conner Roulette is a First Nation athlete from Winnipeg, Manitoba with ties to the Misipawistik Cree Nation and the Sandy Bay First Nation. Conner was drafted 34th overall by the Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft and was recently selected by the Dallas Stars with the 111th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Conner also competed for Team Canada Red at the 2019 U-17 World Hockey Challenge and won gold with Team Canada at the 2021 U-18 IIHF World Hockey Championship. "His commitment to the game of hockey is outstanding, only slightly less than his commitment to be an incredible human being," said Conner's mother Tannyce Cook.

2019

Cameron Gayleard

Cameron is a proud Métis from the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, Manitoba. Cameron is currently a varsity athlete competing for Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, MB. Cameron was previously the captain of the Selkirk Royals AAAA Varsity Boys Volleyball team as well as a bronze medalist in the Volleyball Manitoba's Beach Provincials. "Having someone with the level of respect leadership, skills and admiration of his peers that Cameron has is unique these days," said Jeff Scarcello, Royals club coach.

Lyric Atchison

Lyric is a First Nation athlete from the Squamish Nation. Lyric is currently a starting line varsity rugby player for the University of British Columbia and played on Team Canada U20 Team at the 2019 Tri-Nations Cup. "Lyric has true commitment to bettering herself and the others around her and sees sport as a vehicle to do so," said Darcy Patterson of BC Rugby. "Lyric's ambition to pursue higher level sport are also accompanied by her drive and dedication to excel academically."

2018

Jocelyn Larocque

Jocelyn is a proud Metis athlete, as well as a member of the Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey Team and was the top-scoring defenseman in the Gold Medal Game at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. She values her part as a role model and hopes her accomplishments inspire young girls to achieve their dreams in sports.

Michael Linklater

Michael is a proud Nehiyaw who plays 3x3 Basketball and is ranked 38th internationally and 1st in Canada with prospects to attend the upcoming 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He brings his Indigenous heritage everywhere he goes to inspire boys within the indigenous community to embrace their heritage with his Boys with Braids foundation.

2017

James Lavallee

James is a member of the Junior National Canoe/Kayak team, a proud Metis, loves the outdoors and is currently studying Environmental Science at the University of Manitoba.

"James Lavallee demonstrates daily the positive attributes of being a leader. James quietly leads by example and speaks volumes by his actions" explained Dave Anderson, Team Manitoba Canada Games head coach. "James has a deep respect for all aspects of his sport. As James has grown, he has become more aware of his heritage and embraced it. This self-awareness of who he is seems fitting for someone in a water sport, as his respect for the environment plays a daily role in his life."

Joy Spearchief-Morris

Joy is a role model both on and off the field. She is both a multi-sport athlete and track and field champion, recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in History and minor in First Nations Studies from University of Western Ontario, is Academic All-Canadian student athlete and is an active volunteer within the Indigenous community.

"On the track she was an OUA 1st team All-star and CIS 1st team All-Canadian multiple years. She has also found time to volunteer where she is most passionate and has been an incredible role model to indigenous youth", described Vickie Croley, Head Track and Field Coach, Western University.