James Lavallée

James Lavallée was born 6 October 1997 and is a Métis sprint kayaker from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is a Canada Games multiple medalist and a member of the Canadian Junior National Kayak Team.

Lavallée was the (male) recipient of the 2017 Tom Longboat Awards, awarded annually to the most outstanding male and female indigenous athletes in Canada.

Personal life

At an early age, Lavallée was diagnosed with both dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which led to a frustrating elementary school experience. To relieve the stresses of school life, Lavallée turned to the sport of kayaking at the age of eleven. His family would visit Fort Whyte, in southwestern Winnipeg, during the summers to take advantage of their kayaking program.[1]

Overcoming his earlier learning disabilities, Lavallée is currently an environmental science student at the University of Manitoba. He was also recently named to Manitoba's CBC Future 40, showcasing influential Canadian change-makers under the age of forty.

Athletic Career

Lavallée was named the Canadian flag bearer at the 2014 ICF Junior & U23 Canoe World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. He did not medal in Hungary, but a year later at the 2015 world championships in Montreal, Canada, Lavallée won gold in the K1 200-m event. Then, at the 2017 Canada Summer Games (hosted in his hometown of Winnipeg) Lavallée won three medals, including a silver in the K1 200-m and two bronzes in the K1 500-m and K4 200-m events (K referring to the number of athletes in the kayak).

His goal is to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Heritage

Although in his family their "Métis heritage was hidden on both sides," Lavallée is an outspoken advocate for indigenous cultural heritage.[2] During medal ceremonies, notably at the 2017 Canada Games, Lavallée would wear his ceinture fléchée (Metis sash) on the podium. One day, he “hopes to introduce more people to kayaking through an Indigenous holistic paddling program he wants to start with a fellow Métis athlete.”[3]

References

  1. ↑ "James Lavallee". Sport Manitoba. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  2. ↑ Still, Mike (2017-10-25). "Elite kayaker James Lavallée making waves on and off the water". UM Today. Retrieved 2018-03-15. /
  3. ↑ "Métis kayaker paddling to Olympic podium". CBC Radio. 2018-01-07. Retrieved 2018-03-15.


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