Lara Mussell Savage facts for kids
Lara Mussell Savage is a Canadian sports champion. She is famous for playing Ultimate, a team sport played with a frisbee. Lara won gold medals at the World Ultimate Championships in 2000 and 2004. She also earned bronze medals in 1998 and 2008.
Lara has worked in sports management for many years. She was a Project Manager for Aboriginal Sport and Youth for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games. In 2015, she became an ambassador for a campaign called #LevelTheField. This campaign promotes fairness for all genders in sports. She is also a Trustee for the British Columbia (BC) Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.
Lara Mussell Savage is a member of the Skwah First Nation. She has served her community as an elected Councillor since 2014. In 2020, she was elected Chief of her nation. In 2005, she received the National Tom Longboat Award. This award recognized her as Canada’s Female Aboriginal Athlete of the Year.
Lara grew up on the Skwah First Nation territory in Chilliwack and in Vancouver. She studied at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. After she stopped playing Ultimate in 2008, Lara continued to support Indigenous sports. In 2016, she was added to the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame. She was the first woman and the first Indigenous person to receive this honor. Today, Lara lives in Chilliwack, BC, with her husband, Kirk Savage, and their two children. Kirk is also a World Champion Ultimate athlete.
Early Life and Education
Lara Mussell Savage grew up in the Skwah First Nation territory. This area is part of the Stó:lō traditional lands in Chilliwack, British Columbia. As a young person, Lara was very active in sports. She competed in many different activities. These included track & field, golf, basketball, curling, gymnastics, and later, Ultimate.
Lara is a highly educated person. She graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2001. There, she earned a degree in Kinesiology, which is the study of human movement. She also studied Leisure & Sport Management. Later, she completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Simon Fraser University in 2019.
Lara comes from a family with strong leadership. Her father was Chief Roy Mussell. Her grandmother was also a leader, becoming the first female Chief of Skwah First Nation in 1959. Lara’s cousin, Kaila Mussell, made history too. She was the first professional female saddle-bronc rider in North America.
Lara's Amazing Sports Career
Lara Mussell Savage first discovered Ultimate in 1992. She was in her final year of high school at the time. While attending university, Lara and her friends formed a team. They joined the Vancouver Ultimate League. Later, she played for the University of British Columbia's main Ultimate team. As team captain, Lara helped her university team win three National University Ultimate Championship titles.
In 1997, Lara joined a touring team from Vancouver called Goo. This team later became known as Prime, and then Traffic. They played in tournaments across both Canada and the United States. In 1998, her team won the Canadian national championships. This win gave them the chance to represent Canada at the World Ultimate Championships in Minnesota. Lara helped Canada win a bronze medal in 1998. Then, in 2000, her team achieved a gold medal.
In 2004, Lara was one of the captains for the national team. She led her team to an amazing undefeated season. They won their second gold medal at the World Championships. She continued to play and won another bronze medal in 2008.
Work After Playing Sports
After her 2008 season, Lara Mussell Savage needed neck surgery. This surgery meant she had to stop playing Ultimate professionally. However, she continued to be very involved in sports. She focused on sport management and leadership roles.
One of her big career moments was working for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She was part of the organizing committee (VANOC). Her role was Project Manager for Aboriginal Sport and Youth. Lara also helped manage the Air Canada PGA TOUR Championship in British Columbia. She also worked in the athletics department at the University of British Columbia.
Since 2010, Lara has been a part of the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (ISPARC). She also served as Chef de Mission for Team BC. This role meant she led the team for the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in 2014, 2017, and for the 2020 program. She is also an ambassador for ViaSport’s #LeveltheField campaign. This campaign works to promote fairness for all genders in sports.
Lara currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the BC Sports Hall of Fame. She was also featured in the Women in Sport Spotlight. This is a series by ViaSport BC that highlights inspiring female athletes and leaders. In 2018, Lara Mussell Savage became one of the athletes featured in the Indigenous Sport Gallery. This gallery is part of the BC Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.
In 2022, Lara was invited to work on a special project. She joined the Four Host First Nations (Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations). She also worked with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee. They were part of the BC 2030 Feasibility Team. Their goal was to explore if British Columbia could host the 2030 Winter Games. This project was led by Indigenous communities. Even though the bid did not go forward, it was a new way to plan big events. It showed how to work together in a spirit of reconciliation. In 2023, Lara Mussell Savage was named one of the "23 Influential Canadian Women in Sport to Watch in 2023."
