Lara Mussell Savage is a two time world champion in

Ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) * ''Ultimate'' (Pet Shop Boys album) *''Ultimate!'', an album by The Yardbirds *''The Ultimate (Bryan Adams Album)'', a compilatio ...

, earning a gold medal in both 2000 and 2004, as well as bronze medals in 1998 and 2008. Leading up 2010, Lara was a part of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) as Project Manager for Aboriginal Sport and Youth, and helped run the Air Canada PGA Tour. Adding to her resume, in 2015 Mussell Savage became an ambassador for viaSport’s Gender Equity #LevelTheField campaign promoting gender equity in sport and became a Trustee for the British Columbia (BC) Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. Mussell Savage is also a member and elected Councillor of

Skwah First Nation The Skwah First Nation or Skwah Band ( hur, Sqwehá or Sqwa) is a band government of the Sto:lo people in the area of the City of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. It should not be confused with the Skway First Nation The Skway First Nation, ...

, and was awarded the

Tom Longboat Thomas Charles Longboat (4 July 18869 January 1949, Iroquois name: Cogwagee) was an Onondaga distance runner from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario and, for much of his career, the dominant long-distance runner. He was known as the ...

Award as Canada’s Female Aboriginal Athlete of the Year in 2005. Lara Mussell Savage was raised on the

territory in

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...

. and completed her bachelor's degree (BKin - Sport Management) at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

and master's degree (MBA) at Simon Fraser University. Since her retirement from Ultimate in 2008, Lara has continued to be an active advocate for Indigenous sport. Mussell Savage was inducted into the Chilliwack Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for her achievements in and contribution to sport and is the first female and first Indigenous inductee. Mussell Savage currently resides in Chilliwack, BC, on the Skwah Reserve, with her husband, Kirk Savage (also a World Champion Ultimate athlete and hall of famer), and their two children.

Early life and education

Lara Mussell Savage was raised in the Skwah First Nation of Stόlō territory in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. As an amateur athlete she competed in several sports such as

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

, and

. Lara graduated from the

as a Wesbrook Scholar with a degree in

Human Kinetics Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, an ...

, Leisure & Sport Management (2001) and recently completed her MBA at Simon Fraser University (2019). Her father is Sxela':wtxw till, the late Chief Roy Mussell and her grandmother was the first female Chief of Skwah First Nation, elected in 1959. Her cousin, Kaila Mussell, was the first professional female saddle-bronc rider in North America.

Career

Mussell Savage was first exposed to Ultimate in 1992, when she was in her senior year of high school. During university, Mussell Savage and her classmates entered a team in the Vancouver Ultimate League and later went on the play for the University of British Columbia varsity-club team. In 1997, Mussell Savage took the next step in her career by joining a national team that played in both American and Canadian tournaments. In 1998, her team went on to win the national club championship, earning the chance to represent Canada at the World Championship in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. She went on to help Canada achieve a bronze medal in 1998, and a gold medal in 2000. As one of the national team captains, Mussell Savage lead the undefeated team to their second gold medal in 2004. She went on to win a bronze medal once more in 2008. After her 2008 season Mussell Savage required neck surgery, which eventually ended her athletic career. Since retirement she has been involved with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, serving on the

organizing committee A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers. In some unions, the orga ...

(VANOC) as Project Manager for Aboriginal Sport and Youth. Mussell Savage has helped run the Air Canada PGA TOUR Championship in British Columbia, and has also been employed by the

in their athletics department. Since 2010, she has been a part of the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council
ISPARC
and Chef de Mission for the Aboriginal Team BC and has become an ambassador for ViaSport’
#LeveltheField campaign
promoting gender equity in sport. Mussell Savage currently sits on the board trustees for the BC Sports Hall of Fame and was recently featured in th
Women in Sport Spotlight
ViaSport BC’s monthly series featuring inspirational female athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and leaders in British Columbia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mussell Savage, Lara Ultimate (sport) players First Nations sportspeople Year of birth missing (living people) Living people