2026 Cowichan I·SPARC Camp Recap

BC Wrestling was proud to support the 2026 BC Indigenous Wrestling Development Camp, hosted by Cowichan Valley Wrestling Club in partnership with I·SPARC (Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council) in preparation for the upcoming North American Indigenous Games.

Held at Queen Margaret’s School in Duncan, the camp brought together athletes for a full day of wrestling development, learning, and connection. Thank you to Cowichan Valley Wrestling Club and I·SPARC for organizing such an incredible event and creating meaningful opportunities for Indigenous athletes in our sport.

A huge thank you to Olympian and World Champion Justina Di Stasio for joining the camp and sharing her journey in wrestling. Justina spoke about her career competing for Canada around the world, the lessons she has learned through sport, and how proud she is to represent her biracial heritage as an Italian and Norway House Cree Nation Indigenous bi-racial athlete.

From her time as a standout wrestler at Simon Fraser University, to becoming a Senior World Champion and representing Canada at the 2024 Olympic Games, Justina’s story was incredibly inspiring for the next generation of wrestlers. We’re also grateful for the help from her soon-to-be-born baby, who technically joined her for the speech too!

Finally, thank you to the camp clinicians who helped run the sessions:

Nick Zuback, Jacob Torres, Cruz Velasquez, and Payten Smith.

We’re grateful to everyone who helped make this camp such a positive and impactful experience for the athletes.