North American Indigenous Games a family affair for Team Connecticut

For many participants, the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) is a family affair, and that's certainly true forTeam Connecticut.

Angela Soulor is a mission staff member and her sonKalebEspinoza is competing in athletics running track, high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus and javelin.

Soulor's motherAline Souloris also on the mission staffand her grandmother, Marie Pineault, is a Mohegan elder and an honoured guest.

"It's kind of neat to experience that as a family across generations," saidAngela Soulor,a NAIG representative for U.S. region nine.

Team Connecticut drove 1,200 kilometresto Halifax to represent their Mohegan nation,arrivingclose to 3 a.m.Friday.

Angela Soulorcompeted herself atNAIG in 1997 and saidit's neat to see how ithas grown. Now as an organizer, she said shesees how much work it takes to make thegames happen.

"It's nice to see it all come together and to see the kids get to benefit from all the work," she said.

The small team has15 people in total, with six of them athletes competing in the games.

Also representing Team Connecticut are Mathilde Roussat, 12, who iscompeting in rifle shooting, and hertwo sisters including her twin who arecompeting in athletics.Her auntie coachesandher mom is the chef de mission.

Roussat saidthere wasn't enough of them to do bigger team sports so she pivoted.

"I wanted to do swim but we couldn't get a coach so my mom just signed me up for rifle [shooting] 'cause there was a coach," she said.

Even when they aren'twearing their team shirtsshe said people still know they are not localsprobably because of how they are looking at everything in amazement, she said.

Roussat said after the long tripshe was happy to have two days to calm her nerves before competing on Tuesday.

"I'm excited but I'm also really nervous because it's like an Olympics but for Indigenous people," she said.

Roussatsaidshe loves that she'sable to participate in NAIGand be a part of this experience, especially with a focuson Indigenous culture.

"I think it's awesome because they usually skip over Native Americans," she said.

"Like other cultures are celebrated but not so much Native Americans."