Journey to the Canada Games
With athletes drawn from communities across Northern Manitoba, Coach David Muswaggon’s softball team faced long roads, tight timelines, and scarce funding—yet found connection, a sense of culture, and competition on Canada’s biggest youth stage.
Team Manitoba, Men’s Fastpitch (Softball) Team
Softball in northern Manitoba is more than a pastime; it is a living thread of culture and resilience. For over fifty years, the community of Cross Lake (Pimicikamak) has nurtured the sport, building teams, rivalries, and family traditions around the diamond. “It’s become part of our cultural fabric,” says Coach Muswaggon, who has dedicated much of his life to keeping the game alive and creating opportunities for youth to play at the highest level.
That dedication paid off when Manitoba fielded a men’s softball team for the 2025 Canada Games composed solely of Indigenous athletes from communities and reserves across the province. Their path to the Games was anything but straightforward. Limited funding, scattered geography, and a short preparation window tested every ounce of commitment. Yet what emerged was a story of community pride, cultural strength, and a team that showed they belonged at the largest amateur multi-sport event in the country.
Building on a Long Tradition The history of softball in Cross Lake stretches back to the 1970s, when the sport was first introduced to hydro dam workers. Over the decades, it evolved from workplace recreation into an enduring community tradition. By the mid-2000s, the sport faced a lull, with declining participation and the threat of fading away. That’s when Muswaggon stepped up.
“I wanted to be part of the solution,” he recalls. In 2007, he launched the Thunder minor program with just three teams. With support from family and community, the program emphasized more than batting and fielding—it introduced nutrition, life skills, and mentorship. Players became like an extended family, often gathering together off the field and building lifelong bonds.
That commitment bore fruit. The Thunder program produced multiple provincial championships, back-to-back Western Canadian titles, and even a TSN feature that showcased how sport was giving northern youth new hope. Athletes from the program went on to earn university scholarships, compete professionally, and represent their communities on national stages.
The Challenge of Assembling Team Manitoba
Building a Canada Games roster required a different kind of effort. Male fastpitch is less common today than it was in earlier decades, with many young athletes opting for baseball or slow pitch. Identifying players with the potential to compete at a national level meant driving to weekend tournaments in Indigenous communities, watching for flashes of skill, and persuading local clubs to release their best talent.
“Some teams had been together for two or three years,” Muswaggon explains. “We had only a couple of months to build chemistry.”
That short runway was further complicated by geography. Cross Lake is an eight-hour drive from Winnipeg, while other athletes came from Fisher River, Norway House, and other northern communities. Coordinating practices was a logistical feat—requiring gym space, bus rentals, and endless hours on the road. Still, the vision was clear: to unite young Indigenous athletes and give them the chance to measure themselves against Canada’s best.
Canada Games, August 21, 2025
Funding the Dream, Community by Community
Unlike other provincial squads, Team Manitoba’s men’s softball program did not receive government funding this cycle. That reality could have ended their Games dream. Instead, Muswaggon turned to long-standing relationships built through years of grassroots work.
Corporations such as Tricor Projects and Paletta Investments contributed. Manitoba community-based programs—including education and health authorities in Cross Lake, Norway House, and Fisher River—stepped up to sponsor athletes from their regions. Local gaming revenues, often reinvested into bereavement, health, and sports, also played a part.
“It takes a village,” Muswaggon says. “Everywhere I turned, people wanted to help. They knew how much this meant to the kids, and they wanted to be part of the solution.” The result was a fully equipped team—uniforms, gear, travel, and accommodations covered—not by a single funding body, but by a mosaic of support from Indigenous communities and allies.
Canada Games, August 21, 2025
Culture on the Diamond
For Muswaggon, coaching has always meant more than scoreboards. Language and tradition were intentionally woven into the team’s preparation. Signals and plays were paired with Cree words, giving athletes a chance to reclaim their language while sharpening communication on the field. “Language is part of culture,” he says. “When the boys use Cree on the field, they reconnect to identity, values, and family. It makes them safer, stronger, more united.” The approach mirrors Muswaggon’s broader philosophy: sport as a vehicle for healing and cultural resurgence. Just as Nelson Mandela famously used soccer to unite South Africa, northern Manitoba has used softball to build bridges between generations, communities, and cultures.
