Wawatay staff get Olympic training

Four of Wawatay’s radio broadcasters have been training for the Olympics.

February 4, 2010: Volume 37 #3, Page A9

No, they are not training as athletes, but as sports commentators to broadcast the 2010 Olympic winter games in their Native language.

For the first time, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network will be providing live coverage of the games in numerous Aboriginal languages.

There will be Aboriginal language coverage for 10 hours per day.

Wawatay Radio Network broadcaster George Nakogee is among a handful of staff who were recruited to provide translated coverage of the Winter Olympics for APTN.
-Wawatay News file photo

George Nakogee is a radio broadcaster for Wawatay Native Communications Society at the Timmins location.

Nakogee tells how this great honour came to him while working at Wawatay.

“One day I just got a call from the guys at APTN. The producer, Doug Howe, said, ‘we are looking for Aboriginal broadcasters in your language for the 2010 Olympics, if you are interested.“

Nakogee was definitely interested and jumped at the proposal.

“I am so happy I could cry!” was the sentiment of Nakogee. “I feel so proud, I can’t even believe it. I was one of the persons chosen out of the Cree language to speak, to be broadcasting for the first time in our language.”

Nakogee has teamed up with fellow broadcaster, Jules Spence, to provide coverage in the Muskego Cree language.

Spence’s reaction was, “I feel pretty privileged. It’s the first time they are doing this all across Canada here.”

Nakogee notified Harry Mawakeesic about APTN looking for Aboriginal sports broadcasters.

Mawakeesic is also a radio broadcaster working for Wawatay out of the Sioux Lookout location.

Mawakeesic did not hesitate to express his interest to APTN about sharing the Oji-Cree dialect.

“This is actually a once in a lifetime experience that I’d be able to commentate the events during the 2010 Olympics.”

Mawakeesic has teamed up with Bernard Mekanak.

Mekanak has worked with Mawakeesic in the past on commentating broomball and hockey tournaments.

Mawakeesic never dreamed that covering those tournaments would be a stepping stone to working in the Olympics.

“It is going to be awesome and I am going to do the best I can,” he said proudly.

The foursome, along with other trainees, received three days of training in Winnipeg from Jim Van Horn in broadcaster’s protocol, and rehearsing play-by-play dialogue.

Both teams have been selected to provide coverage of the Women’s hockey games.

The soon-to-be Olympic broadcasters were asked to share their key message to the rest of us watching from the sidelines.

Mawakeesic gently reminds us, “I hope you guys enjoy watching the games too, and make sure you tune into APTN during the 2010 Winter Olympics.”

Spence said, “I just hope somebody somehow sees!!! Just tune in!!

Nakogee’s message is, “Don’t forget to tune into the 2010 Olympics on APTN!”

Other dialects selected for broadcast coverage are Dene, Plains Cree, Ojibwe, Micmac, Michif Cree, and the Innuktitut Language.

Many people are waiting anxiously to hear the broadcasters share the beautiful Aboriginal languages with the rest of the world, Nakogee said.