by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
“I have always lived far away from my family and the rest of my people of the Nippissing First Nation,” said Clinton Kaboni. “Therefore, I don’t really know about my culture and that saddens me. However what I do know is that my heritage defines who I am because I have always used the opportunities I have to better myself and to make my people proud. It has always been my dream to return to my home and bring opportunity to the youth and the people and teach them what I have learned because those are the people who deserve opportunity. So, when I compete, I compete for my home, family, and people.”
Clinton Kaboni, 18, is Nishnaabeg from the Nipissing First Nation in North Bay, Ontario, and he is from the Crane clan.
“My Indian name is Monaejush and means waterbeetle; to never give up,” said Clinton. “My parents are Wayne and Kerry Kaboni and I live in Merritt British-Colombia, originally from Ontario, and go to school in California.”
“I am in the 12th grade at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California,” said Clinton. “I’ll be attending Humboldt State University next fall.”
“I played varsity lacrosse all three years being there, and was on the varsity cross-country team my senior year,” said Clinton.
Clinton’s athletic accomplishments include being captain of Indigenous Team BC at the BC Games 2018, Sierra Canyon varsity field lacrosse member from 2018-2020, Sierra Canyon varsity cross country team 2019, North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) Team BC, and U16 2017 Varsity Goon Lacrosse 2019.
His personal achievements include the receiving the 2017 Emerging Film Makers Award “Because I Have Been Here Before” and the LA Skins 2015 Emerging Entrepreneurs World Indigenous Business Forum, Hawaii. School achievements include being named to the Sierra Canyon Dean’s List 2019, and earning the 2018 National French Contest silver medalist and 2019 National French Contest bronze medalist.
Clinton’s entrepreneurship partners are with DahBroz clothing 2015-present, Co-founder: Y We Dream Foundation 2012-present, Partner: Dilemma clothing 2019-present, and Co-founder: Nicola Valley Basketball Association 2020.
Mario Waibel is Clinton’s lacrosse coach. “Coach Mario is the most intense and passionate coach I have ever had,” said Clinton. “His love and knowledge of the game helped me so much in improving my skills and finding my love for it. His fire and passion, that he expressed everyday transformed me into someone who competes and fights and puts it all on the line in everything I do. Although I am not even close to becoming the competitor he is and establishing the killer instinct he expresses every day, his nature and philosophies he lives by has greatly influenced the way I live my life, and I wish to one day become close to the killer mentality he conveys in his life.”
Coach Troy Samuels is Clinton’s cross-country and strength and conditioning coach. “Coach Troy is by far the hardest working, kindest, and friendliest person I know,” said Clinton. “The way that every time I see him he has a smile on his face and never fails to great and appreciate his players and the warmth and kindness he gives to all his friends and family, has helped me and influenced to always value character and kindness. Although he is very friendly and kind, Coach Troy is by far the hardest working person I know, the man is a warrior. Someone who will under any circumstances protect those he loves, someone who works harder than anyone else to better himself. His unbelievable work ethic has helped me become a person who give it my all until I passed that finish line, someone who will put in the work to better myself, and in all treat everyone with kindness and protect those you love.”
“Clinton has been a pleasure and honor to coach,” said Troy Samuels, Sierra Canyon School head track and field and cross-country coach and strength and endurance coach for soccer and lacrosse. “He has truly embraced one of our pillars of excellence. ‘Respect is commanded, not demanded.’ He quickly became a lacrosse team leader. He got my attention when the boys’ cross-country team joined one of our strength endurance training sessions. The lacrosse and cross-country teams were tasked with a timed four-minute run. Much to my surprise, only one person finished ahead of Clinton. The person in front of him went on to place 32nd in the State Cross Country Championships. Needless to say, I was on a mission to persuade Clinton to run cross-country. Finally, in Clinton’s senior year he decided to run cross-country. With no summer base running training Clinton made an immediate impact on the team. He improved in every race and displayed an incredible ability to ignore his body and run, run and run. As a scoring member of the team, Clinton helped the team make school history by advancing into the California Interscholastic Federation’s Divisional Preliminaries.
“In all of our strength training sessions, Clinton was willing to do whatever it took to outwork everyone in the gym. There were several occasions I had to make him go to lighter weights to maintain his proper mechanics. In a very short time he would grab the weights again and ask me how I liked his mechanics,” added Troy.
“Clinton is a gifted athlete, has the heart of a lion and natural leadership abilities far beyond his age,” said Troy. “I feel he has only tapped the tip of the iceberg of his talents.”
“When I was younger, I was struggling with heart issues,” said Clinton. “In the town I was living at the time, there were no doctors. So no one knew what was happening. When I finally got to see a doctor, they still had no idea what was wrong with me, all they could say was, ‘it seems that you some sort of short in your heart’ and that meant nothing to me or my dad. During this time, I had many episodes of heart attacks and seizures and nothing the doctors could explain. Although I was afraid and so was my father, he never stopped trying to figure it out. During these times, my father conveyed truly how amazing he was. However even after going to sick kids to get it treated, they never really found out what was happening. To this day we don’t really know, and it scares my father, but it never really scared me because I knew I would be safe and healthy with a father like him.”
“From September to the beginning of the season in late February, my team and I work out four times a week Tuesday-Friday at 7:00 am,” said Clinton. “We practiced box lacrosse to hone our stick skills three-five times a week. Right now, during the quarantine in preparation for next season, I work out five times a week, hit the wall every day, and practice dodging and shooting three times a week in preparation for next season.”
“To prepare myself mentally for next season and just my lacrosse career in general, I’m improving my IQ in the game,” said Clinton. “Due to all the free time we have now, I find myself watching a lot of film of my games to watch for personal mistakes, and just going through in my head what we as a team were attempting to accomplish on the field. I’ve also been watching a lot of film of college lacrosse.”
“Personally, I have never really been a spiritual person, but when I go out and play, I try to remember where I came from,” said Clinton. “I believe in my people and understand that I’m fortunate to have the chance and opportunity to play the game of lacrosse. I take advantage of being out there because I know a lot of people would die to have the opportunities I have had, so I just try to stay grateful.”
“In stressful game situations, to stay calm is just to treat it like any other moment,” said Clinton. “To work harder than everyone else, to stick to the fundamentals, and to not be afraid to take risks. To stay calm, I take deep breaths and just remember this is what it’s all about these moments.”
“I’m not going too crazy like everyone else,” said Clinton. “Although the present is a time of uncertainty and chaos, I have found peace and harmony within these times. I thank the fact that I am still in school full time online for keeping me sane. But I also love the free time I now possess. My brother and I are always blessed with great ideas. However, we never develop them or follow through due to lack of time but mostly procrastination. Therefore now, because we have so much time, we have been working on many different business ventures and non-profit ideas.”
“Besides the entrepreneurial spirit being let-loose, I have found myself delving into more lonely hours. Hours of the day to improve myself whether it is through knowledge, physically working out, or honing my skills in lacrosse. Our pandemic world has brought peace into my life, time to deeply dive into ideas and to better who I am, in the classroom and on the field,” added Clinton.
“I grew up in a home with only one parent, my father,” said Clinton. “Growing up I never felt challenged by anything, I never felt like I was less fortunate or anything even though my mother was never around. My mother and father separated when I was about three years old. So, she was never really in my life. Although my brother always had a hard time growing up without her, I was never fazed by it.”
“I always thought my father was enough, because he worked every day to provide for my brother and me. And even though there were days that were hard for him, he never failed to do the little things like drive us to practice and hang out with us,” added Clinton.
“I was one Clinton’s coaches for team BC for the North American Indigenous Games in 2017,” said Clinton’s father Wayne Kaboni. “I was also his head coach for Indigenous Team BC for the 2018 BC Games and he was awarded the captain for the team by his teammates. He’s always been perceived as a great leader and motivator on the floor and on the bench. One of the games at the BC Games he could not feel one of his arms and only had the mobility of one of his arms and he continued to play to demonstrate that heart wins over fear.”
“Clinton was selected to be one of the people interviewed for the BC games highlight video. It was the first time in 40 years that an indigenous only team was allowed to participate in the BC games. He was able to motivate a team that wasn’t winning and led by example to not give up. He played with his younger brother Connor and even though their team was not a very strong team they played strong and hard thanks to his leadership and support of his younger brother to the end of each and every game,” added Wayne.
“His teammates looked up to him because of his success and being recruited to play at Sierra Canyon HS,” said Wayne. “This was a pretty bold move for a young native boy from a small city in British Columbia and small town lacrosse. I also coached him in hockey and he’s always been the player that wasn’t selfish. He and his younger brother were asked to present at the world indigenous business forum in Hawaii to talk about their clothing business that supported youth development with pursuing their dreams and goal setting. He and his brother developed a second line of clothing under the Dahbroz clothing line.”
“My father always taught me to believe in myself and that anything was possible,” said Clinton.
Photo Credit: Marcus Huddleston and Clinton Kaboni
