Factors Influencing University Sport Participation among Rural and Remote First Nations Athletes in Manitoba by Nickolas J. Kosmenko A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Applied Health Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2021 by Nickolas J. Kosmenko ii Abstract This research focused on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 90(ii): “[a]n elite athlete development program for Aboriginal athletes” (TRC, 2015, p. 10). Numerous barriers impede Indigenous peoples’ sport participation (e.g., racism, cultural exclusion, few Indigenous coaches, geographic isolation of reserves). University sport programs can be helpful in this regard by providing access to sport resources (e.g., expert coaches, athletic therapists, sport nutritionists, sport psychologists, quality facilities and equipment) yet many obstacles affect university education for Indigenous students (e.g., racism, cultural irrelevance, limited academic direction in communities). Approximately 18% of people in Manitoba identify as Indigenous, suggesting efforts to overcome barriers to university sport/education would be impactful. Using socioecological frameworks and following an Indigenous research paradigm, the overarching focus of this research was to identify factors influencing university sport participation specifically among rural and remote First Nations athletes in Manitoba. Chapter 5 used conversational interviews to gather insights from rural and remote First Nations athletes at the high school level, as well as their coaches and teachers. Similar methods were used in Chapter 6, but with university-level athletes, their coaches, and university athlete alumni. Due to the importance of Indigenous coaches to athletic development of Indigenous athletes, Chapter 7 used conversational interviews to examine the factors influencing Canadian First Nations coaches’ coaching paths. Results of Chapters 5 and 6 highlighted challenges related to opportunity and direction with respect to both sport and education, as well as the importance of exposure to urban environments and high-performance, mainstream/university sport prior to university. Results of Chapter 7 highlighted the importance of relationships along coaches’ career paths, as well as the need for more coaching clinics in rural/remote communities. Collectively, Chapters 5, 6, and 7 can inform academic and sport organizations contributing to the development of First Nations athletes and coaches. Lastly, to raise awareness among graduate students considering work following an Indigenous research paradigm prioritizing relational accountability and reciprocity, as well as among current and potential members of these graduate students’ support networks, Chapter 8 used a fictional autoethnography to examine the challenges I encountered throughout my thesis work. Keywords: First Nations peoples, First Nations athletes, First Nations coaches, sport, university, rural, remote iii Co-authorship Chapter 1: Kosmenko, N. J. Chapter 2: Kosmenko, N. J. Chapter 3: Kosmenko, N. J. Chapter 4: Kosmenko, N. J. Chapter 5: Kosmenko, N. J., & Strachan, L. Chapter 6: Kosmenko, N. J., & Strachan, L. Chapter 7: Kosmenko, N. J., & Strachan, L. Chapter 8: Kosmenko, N. J. Chapter 9: Kosmenko, N. J. iv Acknowledgements This research was funded by a University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship, a Manitoba Graduate Scholarship, a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master’s Program), a CD Howe Memorial Fellowship in Creative Writing and Oral Culture, Sport Canada’s Sport Participation Research Initiative, and a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. v Dedication This thesis is dedicated to everyone who helped with not only its production, but also with my growth and development as a researcher and human being. Joannie says research should be transformative, and I can say that over the past several years, from the start of my MA until now, I have been very humbled by the wisdom, positive encouragement, support, and patience of the athletes, coaches, and teachers I have talked to, as well as my thesis committee members, mentors, lab mates, family, and friends. As well, I have long been a critic of the predominating views existing in our society regarding the images we, as its citizens, should project in terms of appearance, behavior, beliefs, and values, and so, I would like to also dedicate this thesis to all those who work toward making environments (in sport and elsewhere) more inclusive of those who do not find themselves within the narrow boundaries society uses to define what is virtuous. My good mentor Heatherrrr says the work we do is not only hard work, but also heart work. I’m not sure what it is that prompts some people to engage in this type of work, and others to choose something that isn’t as emotionally taxing. Perhaps the words of Rocky IV’s Apollo Creed may be useful here in helping us explore why we do what we do: “You and me, we don’t even have a choice. See we’re born with a killer instinct that you can’t just turn off and on like some, some radio. We have to be right in the middle of the action ‘cause we’re the warriors. And without some, some challenge, without some damn war to fight then the warrior may as well be dead” (Chartoff et al., 1985).1 Perhaps we’re just geared that way. Perhaps we simply have to be involved. Whatever the case, we continue on in a way that can be described using the words Kennedy (1980, 33:27)2 spoke at the 1980 Democratic National Concession Address: “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.” We don’t stop at impossible. -Nickolas J. Kosmenko 1 Winkler, I., Chartoff, R. (Producers), & Stallone, S. (Director). (1985). Rocky IV [Motion picture]. United States of America: MGM/UA Entertainment Company. 2 Kennedy, E. (1980, August 12). 1980 Democratic national concession address [Speech audio recording]. American Rhetoric. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/tedkennedy1980dnc.htm vi Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Co-authorship ............................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... v Contents ........................................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... xii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. xiii Preamble ..................................................................................................................................... xiv The Thesis ................................................................................................................................ xiv My Positionality in Brief ......................................................................................................... xiv Chapter 1: General Introduction .............................................................................................. 17 Who is Indigenous? .................................................................................................................. 17 Why Manitoba, and What is “Rural and Remote”? .................................................................. 18 Why Sport? ............................................................................................................................... 21 Why University Sport? ............................................................................................................. 23 Research Purpose in Brief ......................................................................................................... 25 What is an Indigenous Approach to Research? ........................................................................ 26 Margaret Kovach (2015) ....................................................................................................... 26 Shawn Wilson (2001) ........................................................................................................... 28 Michael Anthony Hart (2010) ............................................................................................... 28 Denise Jaworsky (2019) ........................................................................................................ 29 Why I Chose to Follow Wilson’s (2001) Indigenous Research Paradigm ........................... 30 Strategies for Meeting Relational Accountability and Reciprocity Obligations .................. 33 A Word About Validity and Reliability ................................................................................ 34 How Can Future Work Better Follow Wilson’s (2001) Indigenous Research Paradigm? ... 34 Theoretical Frameworks ..........................................................................................................