Robyn Boulanger : The Next One
By Scott Taylor , Photos courtesy of Anderson / Boulanger family
Some families leave very large footprints . In Winnipeg , that could certainly be said of the Anderson- Boulanger Family . Especially , when it comes to basketball .
For more than a decade , Jackie Anderson and her husband Marcel ( Marty ) Boulanger have operated , coached , nourished and mentored the Anishinabe Pride basketball program in Winnipeg ’ s North End .
The program has turned out NAIG stars , university players , Team Manitoba leaders and solid , all-around young men and women . Among those athletes were Raven and Skylar Boulanger , two young women who starred at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate and then played for the U of Wesmen . Both are back in the Anishinabe Pride program coaching and in 2017 will coach Team Manitoba ’ s U-17 women ’ s basketball team at NAIG in Toronto .
So now along comes Boulanger No . 3 . Her name is Robyn and it would appear that she ’ s “ The Next One .”
Robyn , 16 , is in her third and final year with U-17 Team Manitoba ( Open ) and is currently playing at the National
Championship in Regina . She has also tried out for Team Manitoba for the 2017 NAIG Games , in hopes of playing under the coaching guidance of her older sisters , and has made one of the Top 20 roster positions . She will be informed in the fall , likely over dinner , if she ’ s made one of the final spots .
She ’ s an outstanding ball-handler and a good three-point shooter . However , the key to her skill is her ability to see the floor and make plays . She says she gets more joy out of a great pass than a great shot . She ’ s a leader and a vocal supporter of the young women on her high school team .
“ I started playing because my sisters were playing ,” said the 5-foot-5 pointguard who hopes she ’ s “ still growing .”
“ I ’ ve always looked up to my sisters and I want to be like them , but in our family , basketball is 24 / 7 . We were always playing or coaching smaller kids or volunteering to run camps or help younger kids . Last week , I ran my own basketball camp at Turtle Island Community Centre and the North End Y on MacGregor . That ’ s kind of what we do .”
Robyn has entered Grade 12 at the University of Winnipeg Collegiate and hopes to earn herself a CIS or NCAA basketball scholarship .
“ I eventually to study criminology and go to work for the RCMP ,” she said . “ But before that , I ’ d like to play university basketball in the CIS or the NCAA . I haven ’ t talked to any NCAA schools yet but I ’ ve spoken to a couple of CIS schools . I ’ d be thrilled to play in the CIS . I know , from watching Raven with the Wesmen that it ’ s great basketball .”
Naturally , her mom Jackie , is pleased with the direction all of her daughters lives have taken , thanks in no small way to the existence of the Anishinabe Pride program . Now , to have a third daughter excited about attending university because of basketball gives her , no pun intended , great pride .
“ Robyn is a great kid ,” said Jackie . “ She ’ s so committed to her studies , but basketball is also six days a week for her .
She also practices her culture to keep her balanced . She smudges before every game and puts cedar in her ball shoes to keep her balanced and grounded and safe from injury when in competition .”
Robyn has also been part of the Basketball Canada Team at Manitoba ’ s Centre for Performance the last few years . She makes no bones about the fact that he inspiration comes from , her sisters , but her basketball role model is Shoni Schimmel , a 24-yearold Native American woman who plays professionally in the WNBA . Raised on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Mission , Oregon , Schimmel was the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Jonathan Hock called Off the Rez , which chronicled her journey from a small high school to an NCAA scholarship and eventually to the WNBA .
“ Her inspirations are her big sisters Raven , who also played provincials when she was a teen and played NAIG and college basketball and is on an adventure of a lifetime ,” said Jackie . “ She was chosen as one of 10 Canadian aboriginal youth for an internship to work in Africa for five months .
“ Meanwhile , her sister Skylar also played at two NAIG Games and is going into her fourth year playing CIS for the University of Winnipeg Wesmen . both Skylar and Raven are coaches for the 2017 NAIG games where they , and of course their father Marty , continue to encourage all girls to follow and chase their dreams .
“ Robyn has worked so hard to chase her dreams , she is so resilient and committed and so proud to always share where she comes from and who she represents .” •
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