VICTORIA - It's been a memorable year for nineteen-year-old Ayiana Gagne, who moved across the country to start university, began her post-secondary swimming career at the University of Victoria, and most recently found herself on the podium six times at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Halifax, NS.
Gagne, who will start her second year with the Vikes development team this fall, exceeded even her own expectations at the event by capturing six medals while representing Lac Seul First Nation as a member of Team Ontario in the U19 women's division, including silver medals in the 200-metre and 800-metre freestyle, and bronze in the 400-metre freestyle, 50-metre freestyle, 200-metre backstroke, and 50-metre breaststroke.
The NAIG takes place every three years, bringing together 5,000 athletes, coaches and team staff representing more than 750 Indigenous Nations from across North America.
For Gagne, this wasn't her first time experiencing the magic that is the NAIG. She competed for Team Ontario in 2017 as a 14-year-old and has been dreaming of returning ever since.
"The energy at the event is amazing; there is this total group feeling of excitement. It's such an honour to do the sport I love while representing my community," said Gagne.
Amidst the intensity of competition, Gagne found a sense of tranquillity like never before. She describes the event with an air of euphoria, saying, "I think it's the calmest I've ever been on the pool deck—everyone supports each other, there was no pressure, and the vibes were high."
A product of Fort Frances, ON., a border town with just under 8000 people, Gagne began swimming competitively at age seven. Despite it being challenging to find pool time, often requiring long commutes to train, a love of the sport drove Gagne to continue throughout high school and even through the COVID lockdown.Â
"Being from such a small town, I was lucky to have a great coach named Dawnn Taylor. Her son Donovan went to the States to swim in university, so I knew it was possible," said Gagne. "I continued to train through COVID, and by finding that routine of training everyday, I just enjoyed it too much to stop."
When choosing a university, Gagne wanted a change of scenery, and what could be better than an ocean view? After selecting UVic, she contacted Vikes swimming assistant coach
Ryan Clouston, who invited her to try out for the team.
"From day one, Ayiana seemed to have a lot of love for the sport, tremendous spirit and dedication. While she didn't have much opportunity to train with a coach or a team through large stages of her swimming journey, she always found ways to get in the pool and train, whether it was on her own or by driving hours to train with the closest club teams to her hometown," said Clouston.
"She wasn't at the U SPORTS level initially but seemed like someone whose spirit, work ethic, dedication, and more coaching and some opportunity could progress over time and find herself at the national level. She quickly progressed within our development program, and we're excited to see where she can go this season as well," he continued.
A season of swimming alongside some of UVic's best proved fruitful in both skill development and confidence as Gagne stepped onto the pool deck for the NAIG. After chasing times all season, Gagne smashed previous personal bests and exceeded her rankings against North America's top Indigenous athletes.
While Gagne admits it was awesome to see all of her hard work this season pay off, for her, it's more than the results that keep her coming back.
"I love participating in an individual race but then chasing goals with the team, supporting one another, and rooting for my teammates. I'm excited to return to the Vikes this season and push myself to continue improving."
Gagne will return to Victoria this fall with no plans of slowing down as she continues to train with Vikes in hopes of moving up the competitive track.
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