Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald Marysville-Pilchuck wide receiver Chris Jones catches a long touchdown pass in front of Glacier Peak’s Austin Hines during Friday night’s game.
Source: The Herald
Championship week in high school football did not disappoint, with close games deciding Wesco 4A and the Cascade Conference, and Marysville Pilchuck steamrolling their way into the state playoffs. See Herald photos from MP’s and Lakewood’s victories in our photo gallery and catch up on all the action in our stories below:
Last year, five Native runners from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota made a trip to the Big Apple as part of Team One Spirit. Their mission was to complete the 2012 IMG New York City Marathon and raise money for a youth center in their community. But when Super-storm Sandy struck at the end of October, the race was cancelled.
That disappointment didn’t stop the “Lakota Five,” as they later became known, from trying again. This year, Team One Spirit returned to NYC to finish what they started.
Nupa White Plum finished with the best time, completing the 26.2-mile course in 3 hours, 21 minutes, 17 seconds; Alex Wilson’s time was 3 hours, 41 minutes and 51 seconds; Kelsey Good Lance finished in 3 hours, 57 minutes, 7 seconds; and Amanda Carlow, the team’s only female runner, finished in 4 hours, 38 minutes and 20 seconds.
The fifth member, Jeffrey Turning Heart, Jr., suffered a knee injury at Mile 9, but he completed the race, finishing in 6 hours, 43 minutes, and 26 seconds.
Jeri Baker founder of Team One Spirit was overjoyed with the team’s finish. “This is just the beginning of something big,” Baker said. “These runners have become role models in their community; an inspiration for young Native youth, who now look to running with a sense of excitement and pride.”
Team One Spirit in Central Park, left to right, Alex Wilson, Nupa White Plume, Jeff Turning Heart, Amanda Carlow and Kelsey Good Lance
“There are those who say it was reckless, selfish and plain stupid, but in the end, this was a 22-year-old dream that came true for me,” Heart said.
The mission of this year’s run was to raise copy8,000. At the conclusion of the race, they exceeded that goal with donations still coming in. These five Lakota runners have brought a new sense of pride to the Pine Ridge community and, perhaps, a renewed interest in running to the entire reservation.
“Running is in an important part of our community,” said Dale Pine, the team’s coach. “We need it to help the youth stay fit, fight off diabetes and give them something to strive for…I know we are really making progress because before we left [for New York City] Team One Spirit hosted a Halloween run for the youth; and despite the cold weather, and snow on the ground, we had over 50 kids out there running.”
Montana State University News Service Some of the women from the 1904 Fort Shaw basketball team. Pictured in the front row, are Genie Butch, Belle Johnson, and Emma Sansaver. In the back row, from left, are Nettie Wirth, Katie Snell, Minnie Burton and Sarah Mitchell.
Tip-off to basketball season is right around the corner. Shoni and Jude Schimmel are back at the University of Louisville, poised for another run at the national championships. Two years ago, Tahnee Robinson became the first Native American woman to be drafted by the WNBA and last spring, Angel Goodrich became the second. Indian girls are playing at many schools across the country and basketball reigns supreme throughout Indian country.
But Indian women and basketball are not as new as many think. In 1904 the women’s basketball team at Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School in Montana were world champions.
This arch at the site of the Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School proclaims the team as World Champions. (Jack McNeel)
Basketball was in its infancy, but rez ball was born.
James Naismith invented the game just 13 years earlier, so it truly was a new sport. Even during those 13 years it had evolved to something more resembling the game today. The clock didn’t stop, so the scores were lower and field goals only counted for one point, but the young women ran the full court as they do today. The uniforms could better be described as bloomers and the ball was slightly larger back then.
The History Museum in Great Falls, Montana contains a display of items and photos from the 1904 Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School basketball team including uniforms. (Jack McNeel)
The young women on the Fort Shaw team came from seven tribes throughout Montana and Idaho. Some of the girls had played shinny or double ball, but had likely never played this new sport. Their first game was against a high school boy’s team in Great Falls. The young ladies rode 40 miles in horse drawn wagons to play that game, winning and actually doubling the score of the boy’s team.
That was just the beginning. They beat the men’s teams at the University of Montana and Montana State by scores of 25-1 and 22-0. At halftime they entertained with songs on the mandolin and violin, recited poetry, sang and did Native dances. Teams didn’t want to play them.
A granite monument below the arch contains a photo and the name of each team member along with a steel basketball. (Jack McNeel)
The 1904 World’s Fair was held in St. Louis, Missouri. Fort Shaw Indian School Superintendent Fred C. Campbell arranged for the team and other Fort Shaw students to attend and live in tipis at the Indian Exhibit. They performed dozens of times showing their basketball talent as well as musical talents to raise money for the trip.
Missouri had put together an all-star team—their coach studied Fort Shaw and spent the summer preparing for them. They thought they were ready. It was a best of three series. The score in the first game was 24-2 in favor of Fort Shaw. Missouri requested a several week delay before the second game—the final score of which was 17-6, again in favor of Fort Shaw. They were declared world champions.
Fort Shaw was to close as a boarding school in 1910. The basketball team members went their separate ways, but their story continues to be told. PBS produced a movie called, Playing for the World. In 2004, Happy Jack Feder wrote a book called Shoot, Minnie, Shoot! Another movie was produced with that same title. In 2008, Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith produced another book titled Full-Court Quest: The Girls from Fort Shaw Indian School Basketball Champions of the World.
Paulette Jordan, Coeur d’Alene tribal member, played the role of Minnie Burton in the video. Jordan was a basketball player through four years of college at the University of Washington so the role came naturally. Minnie Burton was also an Idaho resident and a member of the Lemhi Shoshone Tribe.
“There was a lot of pride in playing the role of Minnie,” Jordan said. “I felt a strong relationship to Minnie who was a leader on the team. She was a natural, tall like me, and strong. She was a full-blood Indian. They were not just winners, but gracious about it. They kept winning and every time the hate became less… began transforming into respect. I believe that team had influence on the popularity of basketball into tribal culture that lasts to this day.”
The Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School no longer stands, although a couple of small stone buildings still occupy the site—but the basketball team has not been forgotten. A large steel arch has been erected with the words: 1904 World Champions. Beneath the arch is large granite stone with a steel basketball mounted on top with a photograph of the 10 young women on the team and the names of each player engraved in the stone. It’s a wonderful tribute to an incredible team that shocked the world in 1904.
Two Denver-based groups are set to protest against the Washington Redskins refusal to change its name and mascot.
Members of the American Indian Movement and Idle No More in Colorado will call on the football team to change its name at the Broncos-Redskins game on Sunday.
Protestors at Lambeau Field in Green Bay last month. (Associated Press)
Members of the group say that the name is “racist” and “an insult to all indigenous peoples.” They are also telling all Colorado news and sports journalists to banish the so-called ‘R’ word from their reporting; asking that local press such as The Denver Post and NBC’s KUSA to call them “the team from Washington, D.C.”
Both groups say that most American Indians consider the word to have a long racist history in the U.S.
In a news release, the group invited “all people of goodwill” to protest at the football game. Protestors will gather at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. No location or time information has been announced.
MARYSVILLE — Payton Comenote scored five touchdowns and Aryk Miranda had 15 tackles, three interceptions, two touchdown passes and one touchdown run for Tulalip Heritage in the win. Tailback Robert Miles Jr. added two touchdowns for Tulalip.
At Marysville Pilchuck H.S.
Crescent 0 0 0 0 — 0
Tulalip Heritage 28 20 20 14 — 82
Records–Tulalip Heritage 1-2 league, 2-3 overall. Crescent not reported.
Two Washington, D.C., radio stations have silenced the Oneida Indian Nation.
According to a news release, CBS stations WJFK and WPGC will not air the Nation’s new radio ad, called “Legacy,” which is part of the “Change the Mascot” campaign. A representative from CBS said that the increased discussion around the Washington football team’s name was the reason for pulling the ad.
“Based on the amount of on-air debate, adding paid commercials from one side is not something that we think is beneficial for this discussion and for our audience,” Steve Swenson, senior vice president of CBS Radio Washington wrote in an e-mail that was provided by the Oneida Nation to The Washington Post.
“It is unfortunate and un-American that the station permits the team to slander Native Americans on the public airwaves with the use of the r-word, but doesn’t permit Native Americans to use the same airwaves to object to the use of a racial slur,” Oneida Indian Nation Representative Ray Halbritter said in a news release. “We will not be silent mascots. This issue is not going away, as evidenced by the growing and diverse support this effort gains by the day.”
WJFK or 106.7 The Fan is the same radio station that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell used to say that it was important to “listen” to fans of differing points of view about whether the team’s name was offensive. The station bills itself as an “unbiased” and “unfiltered” station for D.C. sports fans that “never holds back.”
The ad, that was scheduled to run this weekend, queried the history of the Redskins name saying that the original owner, Preston Marshall, chose to use a racial slur as the team’s name. The ad also questioned what legacy Snyder would leave.
“By changing his team’s name Mr. Snyder can create a better historical legacy for himself — one of tolerance and mutual respect, not of racial epithets,” Halbritter says in the ad. “Native Americans do not want their people to be hurt by such painful epithets. We just want to be treated as what we all are: Americans.”
“The issue has been heavily debated on WJFK where we can provide a good balance of discussion, opinions and context to the issue through our programming,” Swenson said by e-mail to The Post. “Our audience has reacted positively to that presentation, and we will continue to approach the situation keeping in-line with our audiences’ expectations.”
A poster image that went viral because of its controversial references to sports mascots: New York Jews, San Francisco Chinamen and Cleveland Indians, has caused some media confusion.
According to Slate, news media reported that the poster was “new” and was released recently by the National Congress of American Indians because of the Redskins name change controversy.
But an NCAI source told ICTMN that those reports are inaccurate. The poster, shown above, is not a new one. It was originally published and distributed by the NCAI more than a decade ago. The organization said that what’s “new” is that people are finally paying attention to the Redskins controversy and have merely “stumbled upon” the image during their reporting.
The image, as seen above, shows that there is a double standard between the stereotypical Native American mascots like the Cleveland Indians and other racial epithets. The quote on the poster reads, ”No race, creed or religion should endure the ridicule faced by the Native Americans today.”
The NCAI says that they have been working to shed light on offensive and racist sports team mascots for decades. Jacqueline Pata, Executive Director for the NCAI, pointed out that the original poster was developed in the 1990s, but published by the advertising firm Devito/Verdi in 2001.
Pata told Slate magazine, which has denounced the so-called ‘R’ word that “Those kinds of racial images aren’t even acceptable today.” In other words, the ‘racial equality ad” is not something that the organization would have put out recently because of its tendency to offend and be misconstrued as their response to the current name change controversy.
The organization has instead asked the public to focus on its 29-page report called “Ending the Legacy of Racism in Sports & the Era of Harmful ‘Indian’ Sports Mascots.” ICTMN reported that the report was released last week.
Jefferson Keel, the president of the NCAI, has publicly stated that the word Redskins is a racial slur to the Native American community as is very offensive.
“[That name] originated in the bounty paid for Native body parts and human flesh. It does not honor Native people in any way, and has no place in modern American society,” he explained in a news release.
During halftime of the Sunday Night Football game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, NBC announcer Bob Costas took the microphone and delivered a talk on how he believes the Redskins’ name is an “insult” and a “slur.”
Costas began by saying he didn’t believe anyone in the Redskins organization had any ill-will towards Native Americans, which we doubt few people would argue. Then Costas discussed the difference between the Redskins’ name and other teams like the Braves, Chiefs and Warriors, and closed by making it clear: He believes the Redskins should change their name.
Here is the full transcript of his speech:With Washington playing Dallas here tonight, it seems like an appropriate time to acknowledge the ongoing controversy about the name “Redskins.”
Let’s start here. There is no reason to believe that owner Daniel Snyder, or any official or player from his team, harbors animus toward Native Americans or wishes to disrespect them. This is undoubtedly also true of the vast majority of those who don’t think twice about the longstanding moniker. And in fact, as best can be determined, even a majority of Native Americans say they are not offended.
But, having stipulated that, there’s still a distinction to be made. Objections to names like “Braves,” “Chiefs,” “Warriors,” and the like strike many of us as political correctness run amok. These nicknames honor, rather than demean. They are pretty much the same as “Vikings,” “Patriots,” or even “Cowboys.” And names like “Blackhawks,” “Seminoles,” and “Chippewas,” while potentially more problematic, can still be okay provided the symbols are appropriately respectful – which is where the Cleveland Indians with the combination of their name and “Chief Wahoo” logo have sometimes run into trouble.
A number of teams, mostly in the college ranks, have changed their names in response to objections. The Stanford Cardinal and the Dartmouth Big Green were each once the Indians; the St. John’s Redmen have become the Red Storm, and the Miami of Ohio Redskins – that’s right, Redskins – are now the Red Hawks.
Still, the NFL franchise that represents the nation’s capital has maintained its name. But think for a moment about the term “Redskins,” and how it truly differs from all the others. Ask yourself what the equivalent would be, if directed toward African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, or members of any other ethnic group.
When considered that way, “Redskins” can’t possibly honor a heritage, or noble character trait, nor can it possibly be considered a neutral term. It’s an insult, a slur, no matter how benign the present-day intent. It is fair to say that for a long time now, and certainly in 2013, no offense has been intended. But, if you take a step back, isn’t it clear to see how offense “might” legitimately be taken?
Shoni Schimmel, a 5-foot-9, senior guard for the Louisville women’s basketball program is one of 25 players that have been named to the 2013-14 preseason `Wade Watch’ list of candidates for the prestigious award.
The Mission, OR., native is coming off a sensational junior season where she averaged 14.2 points and 3.6 assists per game. She was named the Oklahoma City Regional Most Outstanding Player for her stellar performances in Louisville’s NCAA tournament run.
Schimmel won a gold medal over the summer with the United States team in the World University Games.
The preseason list is composed of top NCAA Division I women’s basketball players who best embody Wade’s spirit from 18 different institutions and seven conferences. A committee of coaches, administrators and media from across the United States compiled the list using the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team, and overall playing ability.
The Lady Cards will start their 2013-14 season on Saturday Nov. 9 at the KFC Yum! Center against Loyola Chicago.
WASHINGTON – In an interview with the Associated Press, President Obama joined the growing chorus of Americans calling for the Washington NFL Team to consider changing its name.
The President noted that the team name is offensive to a “sizeable group of people.” Obama also affirmed the “real and legitimate concerns” of Native peoples – and many others – calling for the team to drop the “R” word.
“President Obama’s remarks underscore the fact that has become increasingly obvious – the Washington franchise is on the wrong side of history,”
said NCAI President Jefferson Keel in a statement responding to the President’s remarks of support.
“The “R” word is a racial slur, deeply offensive to Native Americans. It originated in the bounty paid for Native body parts and human flesh. It does not honor Native peoples in any way and has no place in modern American society.”
“It’s 2013. It’s time for leadership at the Washington team to heed the growing chorus – from high school students to Commissioner Goodell, and now the President of the United States – and close the chapter on this offensive name,”
added NCAI Executive Director Jacqueline Pata.
Background on the 45 Year Effort to Urge the Washington Team to “Drop the R Word”
Removing the name and caricatures associated with the Washington football team and other denigrating sports teams and mascots has long been the position of NCAI, the nation’s oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of the nation’s 566 tribal governments and the over 5.2 million Native peoples.
In a soon to be released background paper on the era of racist “Indian” sports mascots, the organization underscores the importance of dropping the “R” word and provides contemporary and historical background on the need to end the era of harmful and racist mascots. Among the key insights from the paper:
The Washington team’s name is part of the racist legacy of the franchise, most prominently represented by former owner George Preston Marshall’s hard fought campaign against racial integration.
Native organizations and tribal nations have undertaken a sustained 45 year campaign to get Washington to change the name – since the team’s name was registered as a trademark.
President Obama joins the DC Mayor and City Council, leaders in Congress, and state governments around the country who have called for an end to racist “Indian” mascots.
There is a growing sense from the NFL itself that considering a name change is warranted. This year alone, Rodger Goodell has noted that “if one person is offended we have to listen” and has responded to racial language by Riley Cooper (who used the “N word”) by calling it “obviously wrong, insensitive, and unacceptable.” Also, former Washington Hall of Famers Art Monk and Darrell Green said a name change “deserves and warrants conversation” because it is offensive to Native peoples.
There is a diverse and growing chorus of organizations standing against the racist name and sporting teams (from high school to college) dropping the “R” word.
