by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Robyn Boulanger, 20, will be a fourth year basketball player next fall at the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
“I’m Ojibway, and I’m from the Sturgeon Clan. My spirit name is Memengwa Ikwe and means Swirling Butterfly woman in Ojibway,” said Robyn. “My parents are Jackie Anderson and Marcel Boulanger and I live in Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada. My mom is Metis from Binscarth, Manitoba and my father is from Berens River First Nation where I am treaty status.”
“I’m a third year student athlete at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba,” said Robyn. “I’m studying Physical Health and Education. My future aspirations are to pursue firefighting or Indigenous Law.”
“I just finished my third year playing basketball for the University of Winnipeg Woman Wesmen Team,” said Robyn. “I will be going into my fourth year starting in September of 2020. Growing up I played for a Indigenous Inner City basketball club team that my parents created in Winnipeg called ‘Annishinabe Pride’. I then played in the Canadian National Basketball Championships in 2014 to 2016 representing Manitoba. In 2016, I was named a Canadian National Championship Tournament All-Star. I was also a part of the 16U Manitoba North American Indigenous games (NAIG) but had to make the decision to play at Nationals instead in 2014. I played in the 2017 NAIG games for the 19U team in Toronto. I was named Aboriginal Athlete of the Year in 2015 at the Sport Manitoba Awards. In my first year playing for the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, I was named to the Canada West Rookie All-star team for the season.”
“There are not a lot of Indigenous female basketball players playing in USPORTS (Canadian NCAA),” said Robyn. “I am playing with pride with my culture and how I identify as an indigenous athlete. I know a lot of young indigenous youth look up to me so I believe it’s important that indigenous athletes shouldn’t be discouraged when it comes to playing at a university level. It’s possible if you put the work in it and have self-confidence.”
“I include my cultural values in my sport. I have one of the 7 Sacred Teachings ‘Courage’ tattooed on my arm to remind me to take chances and be courageous especially to leave everything I got in training and on the court. I also put one of the four sacred medicines, cedar, in my basketball shoes to help me stay balanced, grounded to Mother Earth and prevent me from injuries. The last value I use is before games I smudge with my family so I have a successful game that is not always winning it’s coming out healthy at the end and staying balanced,” added Robyn.
“My sisters were the ones who influenced me to be a competitive athlete,” said Robyn. “Raven Boulanger is the oldest and Skylar Boulanger the second oldest are my role models and I have always looked up to them especially in basketball. They both played competitively, Raven played for a college team here in Winnipeg and Skylar played five years at the same university I am playing for right now. I got to play my rookie year with Skylar at the University of Winnipeg and she was a senior finishing her university career. This will always be in my memories when it comes to looking back at my basketball career. They both influenced me to become the athlete I am today because they always challenged me and continued to give me advice during games throughout middle school and high school. I always went to their games and I learned a lot from them.”
“Arnold Juan was my middle school coach and physical education teacher,” said Robyn. “He pushed me to become a competitive athlete early on and believed in my capabilities to play at the next level. He had me weight and conditioning training and shooting tons of shots in the gym. He would even come in early before school started to work with me. He played a big role in my basic skill development so I was ready to play competitively going into high school.”
“Robyn’s curiosity to learn and understand every sport makes her a great athlete,” said Arnold Juan. “Robyn is awesome in basketball, but she is also great in floor hockey, volleyball, football, softball and track and field. Whenever we trained, she was curious with lifting weights, running the parachute, man makers, training circuits, shuttle runs and she always wanted to be stronger and faster.”
“Robyn is very competitive and is also a natural leader. She leads by example with her physical attributes and her intelligence with all sports, especially basketball. I remember when we won the Winnipeg School Division Championship in 2013 and Robyn had that eye of the tiger. With this championship game, nothing was going to stop her and she led our team to the championship,” added Arnold.
“Robyn is an amazing young lady as she teaches basketball with the younger children in the community and instills the seven teachings with the Pride Basketball Program,” said Arnold. “She is very humble and is always grounded as she has amazing parents in Marty and Jackie. Also, her successful and athletic basketball playing sisters, Raven and Skylar, have paved the way for her to be successful in basketball.”
“I consider myself very lucky in having that chance meeting with the Boulanger family a long time ago,” said Arnold. “A great athletic family who are wonderful role models in the city and province.”
“Throughout high school I had a lot of coaches from school basketball to club basketball,” said Robyn. “The coach that helped me the most and influenced me the most was Alyssa Grant. She was my Centre for Performance basketball coach and also the provincial basketball coach for the Canadian National Basketball Championships in 2014 and 2016. She challenged me to become a better player and gave me opportunities to be a leader on the team. She taught me more complex skills and a lot of my competitive drive and mental game knowledge comes from her. She prepared me for the next level of basketball and it was at the university. She also played five years at the University of Winnipeg and she is an assistant coach for our team right now. She still challenges me and she’s my go to coach whenever I need feedback immediately. We even go for runs outside together and I’m thankful to still have her be a part of my basketball career.”
Alyssa Grant, Assistant Coach at the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, said: “Robyn has always had a real passion for the game. She is one of the hardest working kids on the court in practices and games but also in her training and her schoolwork. She is self-motivated and really represents what our program is about. In this way she has always been a leader by example. This year Robyn really established herself as a vocal leader on our team as well. When we were going through a time of lots of injuries and illness, she stepped up. She was a steady voice, and a positive voice from within the team. I’ve seen so much growth from Robyn as a player this year. I’m excited to see what comes next.”
“Tanya McKay has coached at the University of Winnipeg for over 15 years now,” said Robyn. She not only influences me in becoming a better player but she also helps me become a better person. She challenges me daily whether it’s in practices, games, school or everyday life. She helps me stay on track with any goals I set for myself, and she gives me the confidence I need whenever I think I don’t have it. I appreciate all that she has done for me on and off the court.”
“Robyn has demonstrated very strong leadership qualities in our Wesmen Program over the last three years,” said Coach Tanya McKay, Head Coach at the University of Winnipeg. “Every year she has become more confident and more vocal. This coming season Robyn will now be one of three captains for our program because of the work ethic and dedication she has shown over the last three years.”
“Robyn is already a role model in the community with her efforts as a coach and guest speaker, especially in the indigenous community. Robyn is the one of the first to volunteer for school visits and clinics. I can always depend on Robyn to be a lead speaker and instructor. She thrives in the spotlight and very much enjoys being an ambassador for the University of Winnipeg Women’s Basketball team,” added Coach Tanya.
“One of Robyn’s biggest strengths is her awareness,” said Coach Tanya. “She reads situations well knowing when to step forward and when to step back. When we are in practice and things are not going well – she shows confidence in her team by pushing and encouraging them to fight through the tough times. She is also known as being a trustworthy and dependable teammate. Many players name Robyn as the player they will often lean on when they need help plus she is known as the first teammate to congratulate another when they have been recognized.”
“Robyn recognizes to be a leader you need to be not only vocal but also a good listener,” said Coach Tanya. “Robyn has demonstrated both of these qualities as leader and I am very proud of how she embraces these qualities both on and off the court.”
“Not only is Robyn a vocal leader but she also leads by example. She is leader in off-season training and will encourage her teammates to join her. Robyn takes pride in her training and sets goals to be the best in her position. She will often by the first at practice so she can get game shots up before and will be the last to leave. It is because of her work ethic that Robyn has not only been a top player on our team but also in the country,” added Coach Tanya.
“Without question Robyn is a leader and I would not hesitate acknowledging Robyn as a top leader,” said Coach Tanya. “I have had the pleasure working with her during my tenure as Head Coach at The University of Winnipeg.”
“Due to my gym being closed for obvious reasons I have been keeping in shape by going for daily 6km runs outside,” said Robyn. “I have some old weight equipment I dug out of my garage and made a mini-gym in my back yard. I am also making healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner because good nutrition is important as well.”
“During the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to spend time with NBA Player Danny Green,” said Robyn. “Danny visited Winnipeg and wanted to learn about the values of the Anishinabe Pride Basketball Program and the impact it has on Indigenous Inner City youth. Danny asked me to share my story of resiliency and perseverance. His documentary was called Beyond the Arc, and was aired on TSN.”
“Before the pandemic, I have been running free basketball skill development camps for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth ages 5-13 on every Sunday for two hours,” said Robyn. “I worked with another coach Joshua Gandier who also played on the University of Winnipeg mens’ basketball team and is indigenous. Giving back to the community is huge for me because there were not any opportunities like this for me when I was younger and my parents had to find camps for me that cost high. I think that this Anishinabe Pride Basketball Developmental Skills camp gives families the opportunity to introduce sports and a healthy lifestyle to their children early on with no financial barriers.”
“If you are a student-athlete its all about balance,” said Robyn. “Being able to balance your physical health with school is really important but what I recently learned was how important it is to take care of your mental health as well. Mental health is just as important as physical health so being able to balance both will have a long success in being a part of school and sports together. As an indigenous athlete, never give up no matter what obstacle is set along your path, always give it your all, remember who you are and where you come from and ensure you always use your ceremonies to keep you connected to Mother Earth.”
Photo Credits: Jackie Anderson and University of Winnipeg Athletics
