On a bright June day in Fort Providence, something powerful happened, not with banners or speeches, but with smiles, swings, and shared stories. Team Canada Olympian Liam Gill came to the Northwest Territories not just as a snowboarder, but as a young Indigenous role model walking with purpose.
His visit, supported by the Canadian Olympic Committee and coordinated through local partnerships, was rooted in celebrating Olympic Day. But what unfolded reached far deeper: a living example of physical literacy in motion.
Beyond sport: movement as connection
Physical literacy is often defined by skills, running, jumping, balancing, but in the North, it means more than that. It鈥檚 how we greet the day, how we build confidence, how we find our place in the community. Liam鈥檚 presence brought that to life.
He joined kids in school gyms and recess playgrounds. He arm-wrestled students, presented his story to the students, tossed a table tennis ball, and listened. Really listened.
Cpl. Kevin Devoe, currently the detachment commander of Fort Providence RCMP, captured it beautifully, after a visit with Liam: 鈥淩econciliation isn鈥檛 about big events. It鈥檚 about listening, being present, and inspiring even one person. That鈥檚 the key.鈥�
Representation matters
Seeing Liam, a proud Indigenous Olympian, walk into a place like Deh Gah School matters. His story, his laughter, his humility - they all became mirrors for youth to see their own greatness reflected back.
Liam鈥檚 journey didn鈥檛 begin with his visit this year to celebrate Olympic Day. For three years, he鈥檚 returned to the North to teach snowboarding in communities like Yellowknife, Fort Smith, and Fort Simpson. He does it because he loves the sport, because he cares, and because he remembers what it meant to be a kid with big dreams. When his grandmother mentioned there was a snowboard hill in Fort Simpson, Liam came North to ride that hill with the youth. Not for cameras, not for glory, but for connection.
In Kakisa, the principal was moved to order snowboards for next winter. In Fort Providence, youth now talk about using their local hill for snowboarding. These are not side notes, they are the legacy of presence.
Movement is a language
From Hay River to Fort Providence to Kakisa, Liam鈥檚 journey reminded us that movement is a language. It speaks when words cannot. Whether on the land, on a snowboard, or holding hands in a circle, movement tells stories of identity, healing, and possibility.
To Liam, thank you for showing up with heart. For swinging with our youth. For standing in front of the monument to children lost in residential schools. For choosing to listen. For reminding us that one visit, one shared moment, can spark hope.
This is what physical literacy looks like in the North.
