By Rita Mingo

As a young Inuk swimmer, there was really no special venue for Leanne Sirup to showcase her talent among her community.

So when the North American Indigenous Games were created, it opened up a whole new world for Indigenous athletes – including Sirup – to shine.

“As an adult, I got to compete in the ’97 Games and it was an amazing experience,” the 46-year-old recalled. “Just to see athletes who look like me. On the pool deck, there aren’t many who look like me; I’ve always been the one on the outside.

“Growing up as an Inuit individual, it never occurred to me that I was any different than anyone else. But when I went to the Indigenous Games with all other Aboriginal people, it just became this amazing sense of belonging. It became this, hey, there are other people like me in this world and I can work with them to make us all better. So as a coach, I was able to be a coach for the Games in 2006 in Colorado and ever since I’ve wanted to be a part of it.

“It allows for individuals like myself to get a separate opportunity to help identify themselves with who they are.”

Sirup was one of two individuals recently honoured by the Aboriginal Sport Circle with the 2021 National Indigenous Coaching Awards. A national level swim coach out of Duncan, B.C., Sirup has, among other things, assisted in developing and implementing the Indigenous Community Leadership Program in B.C.

“All I like about it (this recognition) is it’s focusing on swimming as a real great sport and all the athletes I work with, they get an opportunity to be highlighted as well,” she explained. “And hopefully, this will generate more interest in our sport and especially with the Aboriginal community.

“It’s a validation for my manner of coaching,” she continued. “I’ve always worked with the whole athlete and being mindful of their personal health outside of the training and the sport of swimming … their mental, physical and emotional health. If we can keep the athlete productive and moving forward, it’ll only benefit their performance in the water.”

Sirup’s family is originally from Clyde River, Nunavut and she was born after they relocated in Duncan.

At the Duncan Swim Club, just north of Victoria, Sirup oversees the coaching of more than 100 young swimmers, ranging in age from five to 17, as well as a Masters program.

Her coaching style is a blend of the numerous coaches she had the privilege of working with in her own competitive career.

“I have a coach in mind who was ahead of the curve, Bruce Clarke, and he was always mindful of ensuring that everything surrounding the athlete was settled so that the athlete could just simply look at the performance,” she explained.

“I’ve also had the other extreme where coaches didn’t care about anything else except for what you did in the pool. Both those styles have helped me become the type of coach I enjoy being and that’s helping athletes become the best human they can be.”

For all coaches in every sport, the past couple of years have really forced them to stretch their reach in terms of keeping their athletes on top of their game.

“We were fortunate in B.C. that we were only shut down for a few months and within that time frame, we found different strategies for the kids to make the best use of the time we had,” Sirup noted. “We were looking for the athletes to continue on the path, regular testing, but we went on the premise that we would be ready when racing started again.

“The greatest role that I saw during shutdown was actually the mental health check-ins with my athletes; knowing that they had a caring adult ready to discuss bigger world issues.”

Always eager to progress in her field, Sirup is currently working remotely towards an advanced coaching diploma with CSI (Canadian Sport Institute) Ontario. It’s a program tailored toward junior national program athletes.

“I want to see what the next level is so I can coach my kids to be prepared to perform at that level,” Sirup pointed out. “I don’t necessarily have goals I want to achieve. Moreso, I have principles I live by to then progress my own development. Simply, I want to move forward in what I’m doing and how I can benefit the swimmers the best.”

As well, giving them the opportunity she enjoyed to be celebrated as an Indigenous athlete.

“Generally the kids we have coming into the team, they’re strong swimmers but rarely the ones sitting on top of the podium,” Sirup said. “So here is a vehicle (NAIG) for these kids to realize that, hey, you have talent and you have ability. You see this inner drive just grow … and the confidence … it’s exponential.”