Team Kahnawake Wrestlers Recapture Todd Diabo Trophy at NAIG

COWICHAN, B.C. - It was a day 11 years in the making as the Team Kahnawake wrestling team reclaimed the coveted Todd Diabo Trophy as the best team in the competition. This was the first time that the Kahnawake grapplers have won this trophy since the 1997 North American Indigenous Games, which was held in Victoria, B.C.

The Todd Diabo Trophy is named after a young Kahnawa’kehró:non and former wrestler who was taken from us too early. Team Kahnawake has won the NAIG wrestling championship in 1990, 1993, 1995 and 1997. Going into these games the goal of the wrestlers was to take this trophy from the defending champion, Team Arizona. And that’s just what they did.

“I expect we’ll take home the Todd Diabo Trophy,” wrestler Tom Barreiro said prior the start of the tournament. “It would be nice to win it and give it to his mother.”

Team Kahnawake had the opportunity to win seven gold medals and wound up bringing back three as well as four silver medals. The team also won one bronze medal.

Team Kahnawake finished the team competition in first place with 47 points, while Team Arizona, the defending champs finished second with 38 points. Team Saskatchewan finished a close third with 36 points.

“I’m elated; excited; there’s not enough words to put together the emotions that I’m feeling right now,” an emotional wrestling head coach Peter Montour said. “A lot of these kids don’t remember Todd, but one thing they do remember is that Todd is one of us and we’d do anything to bring him home.”

Montour said that this is what the team has been training for since they reclaimed the Greater Montreal Athletic Association title this past February. Montour said the grapplers have been working hard towards NAIG and always keeping in mind recapturing the Todd Diabo Trophy.

“I feel so proud of Pete,” Team Eastern Door and the North Chef de Mission Dave Canadian said. “They worked so hard.”

Canadian, who is the former coach of the Team Kahnawake wrestling team, said that the current coaching staff made up of Montour, Kanentokon Hemlock and Garret Jacobs trained this team hard and it paid off.

“These kids are going to remember this for the rest of their lives,” Canadian said.

Akwesasronon Phil Barreiro, who won a gold medal in the Juvenile Men’s 74 kg weight class, was extremely happy with the team’s performance at this tournament.

“I feel like a millions dollars right now,” Phil said. “I feel awesome! Last time (in Denver 2006) Tom didn’t win a gold and we didn’t win the team trophy, so we left there feeling down. This time we both won gold and we won the team trophy.”

Winning medals for Team Kahnawake were the Barreiro brothers and Aronhiatekha Jacobs with gold; Rashestonni McComber, Raohserahawi Hemlock, Shawn Phillips, Devin Kirby and Karonhiaktatie Moses with silver; and Otiohkwanoron Montour with a bronze.

“It’s beast!” wrestling team captain Devin Kirby said. “It’s great to be on the team that won it back, hopefully in two years they can keep it.”

Team Arizona head coach David DiDomenico said the Todd Diabo Trophy meant a lot to his team. Over the past two years the trophy had traveled across the state of Arizona with the members of the 2006 squad who won it.

“They came here with a goal,” DiDomenico said of the Kahnawake wrestlers. “They’re well coached and they earned it. My hats off to them.”