by By Dan Ninham, contributing writer
Sage Roberts is a member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band located in Treaty Six territory in north-central Saskatchewan. He recently graduated Grade 12 from City Park School in Saskatoon.
Roberts attended the Indigenous Sports Academy where he captained the U17 Prep Eagles in their inaugural year in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League (CSSHL), an academy hockey league in Canada.
Last March he played with Team Saskatchewan at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships and recently signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with his home town Junior A hockey club, the La Ronge Ice Wolves.
Currently Roberts plays fastball with the U20 Prince Albert Astros and Saskatoon Browntown, their respective city leagues. He will also be playing for Team Saskatchewan at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was invited to play at the Canadian Native Fastball Championships in early August.
“With the Prince Albert Astros program, we have won a couple provincial fastball championships and attended the Canadian national championships a few times,” said Sage Roberts. “In Saskatchewan, we have the FSIN youth provincial championships and our Lac La Ronge teams have won championships in both hockey and softball over the years.”
“Our tribal council team called Team Woodland has also won gold medals in hockey and softball at the Tony Cote First Nations Summer and Winter Games. I have also won some individual awards and was recently selected as a CSSHL first-team all-star for the 2022-2023 season,” added Roberts.
A respect for each game and sport drives Roberts to achieve. He said, “No matter the outcome of competition, I always respect the rules, officials, and opponents. At the end of the day, it’s still just a game. I also always believe in winning with class and losing with dignity.”
Elite athletes continue to prepare to compete and are working towards a high performance level.
“Recently I signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Junior A La Ronge Ice Wolves,” said Roberts. “I’ve always had to put in the extra work to make it to the next level. Lately I’ve been working hard in the gym regularly to increase my strength and put on some weight.”
Mentors help guide elite athletes on their journey. “Greg Slobodzian is my mentor and coach over the last couple years with the Indigenous Sports Academy,” said Roberts. “He’s not only taught me about the skill and technical side of hockey but also shares experiences which I can learn from and shares life lessons that I appreciate very much.”
Gregory Slobodzian coached Sage for the last two years. Coach Slobodzian said, “It’s been an honour being a part of Sages growth and development. Sage is an intelligent skilled player an exceptional young man.”
Being a leader in today’s day and age is not easy. You need a strong belief in yourself and need to be able to hold yourself accountable. Sage strives in these areas. He is a silent leader who cares about his teammates and has consistently put his team ahead of himself,” added Coach Slobodzian.
“Sage leads by example,” said Coach Slobodzian. “Playing and practicing hard regardless of outside distractions and discomfort. When he did use his voice his words landed with power and conviction. For example after a hard fought battle Sage stood up in the room and spoke of being proud of being part of a family. Hearing words like this as a coach are rare and special.”
“The dynamic of this year’s team was extremely strong and positive and I have Sage to thank for that,” said Coach Slobodzian.
Photo Credit: Ted Whitecalf
