Lara Mussell Savage facts for kids
Lara Mussell Savage is a world champion in Ultimate. She won gold medals in 2000 and 2004. She also earned bronze medals in 1998 and 2008. Before 2010, Lara worked for the team that organized the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. She helped with sports programs for Indigenous youth. She also helped manage big golf tournaments. In 2015, Lara became a supporter for a campaign called #LevelTheField. This campaign helps make sports fair for everyone, especially girls and women. She also joined the board for the British Columbia (BC) Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.
Lara is a member of the Skwah First Nation. She has been a leader for her nation since 2014. First, she was an elected Councillor. Then, in 2020, she was elected Chief. In 2005, Lara won the National Tom Longboat Award. This award recognized her as Canada’s top female Indigenous athlete.
She grew up on the Skwah First Nation territory in Chilliwack and in Vancouver. She studied sports management at the University of British Columbia. She also earned her master's degree at Simon Fraser University. Since she stopped playing Ultimate in 2008, Lara has continued to support Indigenous sports. In 2016, she was added to the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame. She was the first female and first Indigenous person to be honored there. Lara now lives in Chilliwack, BC, on the Skwah Reserve. She lives with her husband, Kirk Savage, and their two children. Kirk is also a World Champion Ultimate player and in the Hall of Fame.
Early Life and Education
Lara Mussell Savage grew up in the Skwah First Nation. This is part of the Stόlō territory in Chilliwack, British Columbia. As a young person, she played many sports. These included track & field, golf, basketball, curling, and gymnastics. Later, she started playing Ultimate. Lara graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2001. She earned a degree in sports management. She also completed her master's degree in 2019. Her father was the late Chief Roy Mussell. Her grandmother was the first female Chief of Skwah First Nation. She was elected in 1959. Lara's cousin, Kaila Mussell, was the first professional female saddle-bronc rider.
Career in Sports
Lara Mussell Savage first learned about Ultimate in 1992. She was in her last year of high school. During university, Lara and her friends started an Ultimate team. She later played for the University of British Columbia's team. As team captain, Lara helped her team win three National University Ultimate Championship titles. In 1997, Lara joined a team from Vancouver called Goo. This team played in tournaments in Canada and the United States. In 1998, her team won the national championships. This meant they could represent Canada at the World Ultimate Championships in Minnesota. She helped Canada win a bronze medal in 1998. Then, they won a gold medal in 2000. In 2004, Lara was one of the national team captains. She led her team to their second gold medal without losing a game. She won another bronze medal in 2008.
After her 2008 season, Lara needed neck surgery. This surgery ended her playing career. Since then, she has continued to work in sports management. A big highlight was working for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She was part of the organizing committee. She managed programs for Indigenous sport and youth. Lara also helped run the Air Canada PGA TOUR Championship in British Columbia. She also worked in the athletics department at the University of British Columbia. Since 2010, she has been part of the Indigenous Sport Council (ISPARC). She also led Team BC at the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in 2014, 2017, and 2020. She became a supporter for ViaSport’s #LeveltheField campaign. This campaign helps make sports fair for everyone. Lara is currently on the Board of Trustees for the BC Sports Hall of Fame. She was also featured in the Women in Sport Spotlight. This series shows inspiring female athletes and leaders in British Columbia. In 2018, Lara became one of the athletes featured in the Indigenous Sport Gallery. This gallery is in the BC Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.
In 2022, Lara was asked to work with the Four Host First Nations. These are the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She also worked with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees. This team explored a plan for British Columbia to host the 2030 Winter Games. This plan was led by Indigenous nations. The bid did not go forward because it did not get enough support. But this Indigenous-led project was very important. It showed a new way to host big games. It also showed how to work together in a spirit of respect and healing. In 2023, Lara Mussell Savage was named one of the "23 Influential Canadian Women in Sport to Watch in 2023."
