Small but mighty: Team Sask. prepares for Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games

Team Saskatchewan is looking forward to the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.

Tuesday morning saw Team Sask. announce new team apparel, participating teams and this year’s flag bearer.

“I am very pleased to announce that the opening ceremonies flag bearer is Angel Besskkaystare from Wollaston Lake and competes in the sport of wrestling,” announced Mark Bracken, Chef de Mission for Team Sask.

Besskkaystare has a number of accolades from wrestling with Prince Albert’s St. Mary High School, but that’s not the reason why she was chosen.

“It’s an athlete that wasn’t handed things on a silver platter … who slept on the floor in Prince Albert to further her education … to live her dream of becoming a high level wrestler,” Bracken explained.

“It’s just a message all of our athletes need to hear.”

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts sent to your device

Besskkaystare said she was surprised and honoured by the announcement.

“It was shocking, but I was excited at the same time,” she said. “Because having to lead all Saskatchewan athletes is amazing.”

Besskkaystare grew up in northern Saskatchewan’s Wollaston Lake, her mother moved her to Price Albert four years ago. When she first arrived, she had no friends and found herself crying most days, longing for home.

One day, the wrestling coach came up to her asking if she wanted to join the team. When she went to her first practice, the students were running on the stairs, as Besskkaystare recalled. She says she joined them, and even though she fell several times, she did not quit.

Hesitant to go back the next day, she stepped into the wrestling ring and fell in love with the sport.

Besskkaystare explains that she became comfortable in her own skin, proud of her heritage.

“I had my fair share of injuries… an ankle sprain, a low back injury, and constant pain in my kneecaps,” she explained.

“But looking back, I tell myself, ‘This is how far I’ve come.’”’

With the responsibility of flag bearer on her shoulders, Besskkaystare never thought about the other responsibilities of being an athlete.

“I never thought about being a role model, especially in wrestling,” she said.

“Now I understand because a lot of kids look up to me especially in the high school wrestling and club.”

Besskkaystare leads Team Saskatchewan into the 2022 summer games with championships at the high school, provincial and national levels.

However, wrestling is just one of 19 sports at Canada’s largest multi-sport event, and this year, Saskatchewan will be represented in all of them.

“Out of the 19 sports we have representation in all 19, we’re not a huge province but we have such a great sport system,” Bracken explained.

Week one action includes wrestling, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, men’s soccer, rugby sevens, mountain biking, swimming, triathlon, tennis and women’s lacrosse and softball.

The second week will feature athletics such as canoe kayak, diving, rowing, sailing, golf, cycling, indoor volleyball, men’s softball and women’s soccer.

“Each of our teams has put in a tremendous amount of work to prepare and be ready for this moment on the national stage,” said Bracken.

“It has not been easy to prepare for an event of this caliber over the past two years as the pandemic has impacted training and competition opportunities for many.”

Team Saskatchewan will be represented by 377 athletes, including eight Paralympic and 8 Special Olympic athletes, heading to the games from Aug. 6 to Aug. 21.

Bracken is confident in the team, boasting that even though it’s a smaller province, Saskatchewan stands right up there with Ontario and Quebec vying for the podiums.

“Our goal is to finish in the top five as a province in terms of medals and flag points,” he said.

“I am confident we can make it happen.”