Wayne Smith eases into a seat in the reception area of Totem Hall.
Office doors open and close around him. Squamish Nation members are busy putting the finishing touches on a weekend-long indoor, adult soccer tournament.
Smith's calm demeanour seems to slow the activity. But there's a flash of excitement in his eyes. He sits upright as he starts speaking about his favourite sport.
"I loved going riding at night in the winter," Smith recalls of his youth in Edmonton. "The snow would just glow from the moonlight. We didn't have headlights. We would just race through the forest."
The Squamish Nation recreation program co-ordinator started cycling before mountain biking was a sport, he says. The activity helped change his life. Before Smith was 17, his days were filled hockey and soccer. That all ended when he started hanging out with the wrong crowd. Simply put, things went south, Smith says.
But cycling helped get him back on track to a healthy lifestyle.
"I was sick of waking up hung over," Smith says. "I wanted to feel the way I used to feel."
As a kid, Smith's mother, who is Cree, couldn't afford to buy him a bike. Instead, Smith scoured the neighbourhood for forgotten bikes. He'd turn them in to the police in the hopes that officers would, one day, call him if the owner didn't claim the bicycle. They never did.
"My first bike I got from someone that had stolen it from The [Hudson] Bay," Smith says.
While the bike's history was shady, it brightened Smith's future and shaped his world today. Over the years, Smith has accumulated an impressive amount of medals including a gold for his age bracket in the Ontario Cup mountain biking race. In 2005, Smith pedalled in the Master World Games, claiming bronze in mountain biking and placing 12th in road cycling and eighth in the velodrome.
Now he wants to give Squamish Nation youth the same opportunity - this time around with bought bikes and a team of support. With the help of the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association, Smith is setting up a Squamish Nation mountain biking program.
"There is no opportunity for some youth to get into mountain biking," he said, noting bicycles cost between $500 and $2,000.
Squamish Nation reserves are like their own little towns, Smith said. Although they are physically within the municipality, they are very isolated, he added. There are approximately 50 Squamish Nation youth in Squamish. Many haven't explored their territory, he says.
"I took some kids hiking up in Crumpit Woods and a lot of them have never been on the trails beyond the reserves," Smith says.
Smith is applying for grants to help buy up to 10 mountain bikes. They would be lent out under the supervision of a program member, said Smith, who has his mountain bike training coaching certificate. SORCA has offered volunteers' time to help with skills training.
"I was overwhelmed a little bit by the support I am getting," he says. "I am really excited. I think this is going to be a success story."
The program is on the lookout for gently-used mountain bikes and gear. To donate contact [email protected] or call (604) 815-7621.
