OLDS — As part of Team Alberta in women’s basketball, Michaela Allen-Gullion remembers being in awe during the opening ceremonies of the 2014 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Regina.
After growing up not fully understanding the importance of her identity, NAIG 2014 served as Allen-Gullion’s awakening to the power and strength of her culture, from the dancers to the gatherings to the proud Indigenous expression and everything in between.
“I’ve made lifelong friendships with girls who were part of those Games,” Allen-Gullion said. “The amount of culture and just being around my people, the amount of warmth, and just the common understanding of how we act towards each other.”
Nine years later, the Olds College Broncos women’s basketball alumnus and 2019 CCAA national champion returned to the NAIG stage last week as the assistant coach of Team Alberta’s 19U women’s basketball team in Halifax (Kjipuktuk).
“I’ve always embraced it, and I’ve been yearning for any type of grasp onto the culture, and basketball has given that to me,” said Allen-Gullion, who is representing and affiliating with Swan River First Nation during the Games.
“NAIG was probably the first time where I was like ‘Holy Cow, this is really cool, this is what my people can do.’”
After NAIG 2014, the next key moment in Allen-Gullion’s Indigenous sport journey came three years later at the World Indigenous Games in Vancouver, where she was particularly awestruck by the Indigenous dancers from around the world performing in the opening ceremonies.
Among the dancers was Macyn Morning Bull from the Piikani Nation, who was also part of the Broncos’ 2019 national championship team.
“I had tears in my eyes because with me having a dancing background, I never really got in touch with the dancing side of my culture, and that’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Allen-Gullion said.
“That was the second part that really pushed me forward into the mindset of ‘This is somewhere I need to be, and I need to learn more of.’”
The connections gained through sport and culture eventually led Allen-Gullion to Australia, where she played professionally for the Toowoomba Mountaineers of the Queensland State League, as well as playing for another team that consisted mainly of Indigenous athletes and also featured an Indigenous coach.
“It allowed me to feel a little more at home,” she said. “Their mannerisms are very similar, the way they communicate with one another, and the way they’re very stoic and calm in delivering their messages.
“Being on that team and having that mutual understanding of oppression and the strength in which it’s carried… It saved my mental (health) when I was there.”
Upon returning to Canada, Allen-Gullion dove back into coaching, which eventually led her back to NAIG while also fulfilling her ambition of coaching alongside Avery Harrison, who coached the Broncos’ title team from four years ago.
“We’re on the same wavelength,” she said. “It's an easy flow in that transition, because I already have all the pieces and what he's going to say to the girls, how he's going to say it, and the drills that he puts out.
“Honestly, it’s a blessing.”
Throughout the process on the way to NAIG, Allen-Gullion has appreciated the role she’s played in building the team while also being a role model for her players.
“It’s pretty cool to see when I speak at practice or when I’m speaking to the girls, they’re all looking and they’re all listening,” she said.
While on-court development is a component of the process, Allen-Gullion’s desire is to become a representative and resource for not only her current players, but also other young Indigenous athletes.
“It's something that we desperately need and it's something that we are continuing to do,” she said. “Our people are coming up, and we're coming up strong, so any way I can help and give a hand in that, that's the goal of life.”
“I want to get to know them,” she said. “I want to build a relationship with them and I want to be able to create that relationship so they can reach out to me.”
Allen-Gullion’s passion for NAIG continues to burn bright, as she recently participated in a promotional video supporting Calgary’s bid to host the 2027 North American Indigenous Games, a prospect that excites the former Bronco.
“I’m smiling just thinking about it,” she said. “It would be one of those full circle moments.”
Moving forward, having the opportunity to coach young Indigenous athletes has also provided Allen-Gullion with a sense of purpose, which she hasn’t taken for granted.
“I'm gonna make a career out of it,” she said. “That's how it's going to go. I'm going to be in the Indigenous communities, coaching basketball … I have a lot of knowledge to offer, and it’s been my inspiration to give back to the youth. I want to create a book of knowledge that I can pass along to them, if they’re willing to take it.”
Watch live coverage of the 2023 North American Indigenous Games from Halifax at youtube.com/@naig2023.
Geordie Carragher is an Olds College Sports Information and Esports coordinator.
