For 12 years, the Baha’i Twin Arrows soccer team has been participating in “June Sports,” an annual soccer tournament and sports day held in the small village of Alert Bay, on Cormorant Island, British Columbia.
First organized to commemorate the centennial of British Columbia, June Sports has become an annual event to celebrate Aboriginal culture, traditions, and sportsmanship. This year marked its 55th anniversary.
This year’s event included a men’s and women’s tournament, as well as children’s soccer games and races. The Twin Arrows — one of the few non-Native teams to participate in the tournament — fielded men’s and women’s teams.
The weekend started with a sharing circle to introduce those who had never been to Alert Bay to the history of June Sports, the island, the village, and its people. The stories that were shared in the circle were heart-warming and occasionally heart-wrenching: stories of faith, life in residential schools, addiction, teaching, and soccer. Out of respect for the participants, a special guest, a well-known elder Chief Robert Joseph, joined them for a sharing circle on one of the evenings.
For the Twin Arrows, this event was an opportunity to rejoin their friends and families. “Alert Bay is my home away from home,” said Matt Mehrassa. “I miss it when I’m away. The people and the culture on that island are amazing. It is the bonds of friendship and brotherhood that I have with the people and with the other Twin Arrows players that motivates me to attend June Sports every year.”
“The thing I enjoy most about June sports is all the connections you make, whether it’s making stronger connections with people you already know, or connections with people you’re meeting for the first time,” said Savannah Norris.
Neither Twin Arrows team won the tournament; however, their presence demonstrated the Baha’i belief in the principles of the equality of men and women, fellowship, and love.
The spirit of the teams was expressed in the words of the coach of the Vancouver Street Soccer team who said, after an evening of meaningful conversation and story-telling, “I’ve never been in a room where so many men have used the word ‘love’ so often. This is the power that will change the world, and we need to carry that with us when we leave.”