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Yolande Schick (née Teillet; September 28, 1927 - January 26, 2006), nicknamed Yo Yo, was a Métis-Canadian catcher who played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She both batted and threw right-handed.

Personal life
The daughter of Camille Teillet and Sara Riel, Yolande Teillet was the granddaughter of Joseph Riel, younger brother of Louis Riel. One of her brothers was Member of Parliament Roger Teillet.

She was one of the first Métis players to ever play in the United States.

She had 9 children and 21 grandchildren at the time of her death in 2006.

Baseball career
She started off by playing for the St. Vital Tigerettes in the position of catcher in the early 1940s, where she was scouted to play in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was soon after recruited to play for the Fort Wayne Daisies as an inaugural member of the team (in 1945), who came in second place that year to the Rockland Peaches. She also played for the Grand Rapids Chicks (in 1946), as well as the Kenosha Comets (in 1947), before returning home to play for the Tigerettes once again. Yolande was inducted as one of eleven female athletes from Manitoba who played in the All-American Girls league, into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988, and Into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.

New article on Veronika McDonald

lead paragraph - elite Dene athlete from the NOrthwest Territories, holds several records in Arctic Sports, which are the traditional games of the Inuit, found in events including the Arctic Winter Games and the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. She comes from a family in Fort Smith including her mother, who excelled in Arctic Sports as well. Veronika has received the NCCP coaching award for her work with athletes in Arctic Sports.

Sources for Yolande Teillet

https://www.aagpbl.org/profiles/yolande-teillet-schick-yoyo/624

https://m.facebook.com/svhs.ca/photos/yolande-teillet-aka-yoyo-was-such-standout-catcher-for-the-famed-st-vital-tigere/10155835865567958/

https://twitter.com/jeanteillet/status/1219649864226598912

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/correspondents/2017/09/12/st-vitals-professional-baseball-star

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Yolande_Teillet

Awards
looking at this article Heather Kashman (Metis)

Early Life

Heather Kashman’s earliest recollection growing up in Edmonton, Alberta was gliding on a pair of two-bladed skates across a backyard rink her father made when she was just two years old. Even then, she had very particular views about her ice hockey career. She wanted to skate just like her older brother and shortly thereafter those first pair of skates were upgraded to single blades and off she went. Taking joy in her sport and honing her skills, she has tender memories of skating with other kids and their families outside at the Castle Downs Rink. Throughout her childhood, Kashman played on boys’ teams. By the time she was 12 years old, her passion for the game would yield invitations for her to compete on consecutive U16 Hockey Alberta Teams for the Alberta Winter games.

Close with her family, who are from the Red River Settlement, she had a special bond with her father, describing him as her biggest role model and first teacher. From building that rink to teaching her about the game to providing ongoing support for her career, she credited him as a key inspiration.

Her Feelings About Ice Hockey

In an interview for the AYA Awards (Alberta Alboriginal Youth Achievement Award for Athleticism) in 2010, Kashman talked about her great love for the sport. “Playing hockey is amazing. It’s the highlight of my life. It’s what I wake up in the morning to do…and when I’m really truly happy I’m in my hockey skates.”  The competition she faced on the ice and the physical contact were aspects of hockey that she described as “making the sport complete”.

Kashman’s Many Successes in Major Midget Hockey

Between 2008 and 2011, Kashman played for the Midget AAA Edmonton Thunder. She left an unmistakable mark on those teams as they advanced farther into post-season competition each year she played. The AAA Thunder won Alberta provincials and the Triple AAA Pacific championship every year she was on the team (2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011). The team earned a bronze medal at the Esso Midget Triple AAA nationals in 2009-2010.

The 2010-2011 season was a pinnacle year for Kashman and the Thunder. As one of the scoring leaders in the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League (AMMFHL), she was named the ISCA (Aboriginal Sport) Athlete Player of the Month in December of 2010. Having risen in the ranks to captain and leading scorer, she led the team to an undefeated regular season and a silver medal at the Esso Cup. That same year, she was selected as a member of Team Alberta, a team she helpedwin gold at the Canada Winter Games. That year she was also named the Mac tournament most valuable player (MVP) and to the tournament all-star team. She was an all-star team selection for the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League (AMMFHL) two of those three years.

College Playing Career in the United States

During her outstanding major midget career, Kashman drew interest from numerous women’s college hockey coaches in the United States. In 2011, taken by the beauty of the University of New Hampshire campus and the prospect of playing for one of the top collegiate women’s ice hockey programs, she embarked on a new chapter in her career. Her first year at UNH offered much promise for the future. She had an impressive rookie season, with a debut weekend that included goals against UNH opponent Niagara that helped the team sweep that series.

As hopeful as the start of her career at UNH was, she faced adversity along the way. Her second season was interrupted by serious hip and shoulder injuries requiring her to devote time to recovery and recuperation. She returned to the ice on a new timetable, expecting to graduate in five rather than four years. While she was facing her own challenges as a player, so too was the team.

The coach who recruited her into the program was fired during the 2013-2014 season with the team subsequently going into a 10-game losing streak. Coming out of that downturn would be no easy task for a team that would undergo three leadership changes within a six- month period of time, losing a coach, then under the direction of an interim, and then hiring a new coach. During that transition, the team struggled to get its bearings. Kashman continued to demonstrate her leadership with those teams, however, serving as alternate captain in her final two years with the program. In the spring of 2016, she graduated from UNH with a master’s degree in Community Development, Policy and Practice and a bachelor’s degree in business.

Dealing With Adversity

In the fall of 2015 after she suffered a major back injury doing a deadlift while working out, Kashman thought her playing career was over. In a Core Orthopedics video, she talked about being in a constant state of pain and finally finding an orthopedic doctor who worked with her to return her to play. Battling back from that injury, she attempted to play during her final season at UNH. In November of 2016, Kashman commented on the toll that the injuries she had sustained during her playing career had taken. Hoping to one day play professional hockey, that dream may not come to pass. In an interview with Windspeaker, she said “I’m kind of too broken to play now. So yes, I would say I’m retired. Maybe one day I’ll come out of retirement.”

Community Service

Following her graduation from UNH, Kashman took a position working with Father Bills & Mainspring, a non-profit entity whose mission is to prevent and end homeless in Southern Massachusetts. The community spirit demonstrated in Kashman’s chosen professional work was evidenced throughout her schooling and hockey career. She gave of her time to work with the Native Urban Ministry and helped develop and implement the Flying Eagle Program in collaboration with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) groups in Alberta. The Flying Eagle program offers education about FNMI to children and youth.

The 2017 Indspire Award

In 2017, Kashman was recognized with the prestigious Indspire Award recognizing outstanding Indigenous Canadians who have made significant contributions across a range of interests and professions. Upon receiving the award, Kashman offered this message to Indigenous youth, “Try and focus as much as you can on the important things in life and don’t let the little things bother you or distract you from your end goal….You should believe in yourself and you should find strength from the Creator and your inner self and work as hard as you can and do not get down on yourself.”

Personal Life

According to a wedding announcement posted on TheKnot.com, Kashman and former UNH teammate, Sarah Cuthbert will be getting married September 29, 2018. Describing a close personal relationship that started out as friendship, Kashman describes Cuthbert as her soulmate.

 

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