Sports Archives - Page 46 of 54

Ravens on Decks: The Art of Trickster Skateboards

Cristina Olds, Indian Country Today Media Network

A couple of innovative young artists are melding the ancient tradition of formline drawing with the hip canvas of skateboard decks. “The demand for Native art skateboards was made very clear by the popularity of my early hand-painted decks,” Rico Lanáat’ Worl (Tlingit/Athabascan) of Trickster Company said in a recent interview.

Worl painted decks for himself and his family first, but soon saw the need for an affordable line of manufactured boards sporting his digitized designs. He also paints custom artboards, and says his clientele are split fairly evenly between skaters who actually ride the boards and collectors who hang them on their walls.

“I started painting on decks just for fun, just for myself,” Worl said. “It continues to be my canvas of choice while I study the old masters and the new masters of formline design, in the rich history of Tlingit and Athabascan art.” Flowing two dimensional formline designs featuring northwestern coastal sea creatures and other symbols have adorned totem poles and house posts for thousands of years.

Three box boards by Trickster Skateboards.

The clan crest of Worl’s family is the sockeye salmon, which he recreated on his first deck. “We only manufacture designs if our relatives give us permission,” he explained, and the Tlingit culture property includes land, names, songs, stories, crests and more. To respect the clan protocol, Worl focuses on general designs including the eagle and the raven, or abstracts.

“My formline style takes after the Northern Tlingit style which varies as you go from Yakutat to Washington and across tribes, and the style is more bold, with heavier lines and is slightly blockier.” He especially loves the complexity of box designs, as well as the Chilkat weaving influences.

Trickster skateboards, Chilkat pattern.

Artist Ronnie Fairbanks also designs skateboards for Trickster Company (tricksterskateboards.com) when not teaching Native art carving in Craig, Alaska. “My style is a cross between Tlingit and Tsimshian styles, since I was taught by Tsimshian carver Eli Milton,” Fairbanks said. When designing skateboards, he strives for balance over the entire area. “I have spent a lot of time drawing formline and I always try to think of unique ways to fill the space.”

Worl is the arts director at Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, Alaska, and is currently visiting the Santa Fe Indian Market with a collection of archival art from SHI to promote the development of a northwest costal arts market.

Trickster Company issued a limited edition rocker snowboard deck last winter and plans to release another this year in collaboration with Chugach Flyer Snowboards who produce the manufactured boards.

Raven skateboard by Ronnie Fairbanks.

Trickster skateboards. Photo by Klas Stolpe of the Juneau Empire.

Artist Rico Worl with Warrior skateboard. Photo by Klas Stolpe of the Juneau Empire.

Redskins Killers: 5 Publications That Won’t Use ‘Redskins’ Name

Source: ICTMN

Last week there was a wave (albeit a small one) of renowned publications to declare they will henceforth no longer run the pejorative ‘Redskins’ whenever they cover anything related to the Washington team – though Mother Jones did state they reserve the right to resurrect the racist epithet if it’s in a quote. Indian Country Today Media Network will provide updates as other publications join the no-more-Redskins chorus.

Photo courtesy Slate.com

Editor David Plotz wrote in an editorial August 8 that Slate will no longer run ‘Redskins’ in prose and decried the name as “dated.” Plotz wrote: “So while the name Redskins is only a bit offensive, it’s extremely tacky and dated—like an old aunt who still talks about ‘colored people’ or limps her wrist to suggest someone’s gay.”

Photo courtesy Motherjones.com

One day after Slate’s announcement to henceforth purge the Redskins name from their magazine, Mother Jones followed suit and declared the name “an absolute embarrassment.” Though Mother Jones journalist Ian Gordon did state that should they cover Redskins owner Dan Snyder, they may have to resurrect the name again: “There is a chance, however, that the term will end up back on our pages,” he wrote. “We certainly won’t strike it from a quote. And if we end up writing a post or two about how Snyder still hasn’t changed the name, despite increasing scrutiny, we reserve the right to use it again—if only to highlight how incredibly out-of-touch and backward the Washington football team’s owner truly is.”

Photo courtesy Newrepublic.com

These days it’s not uncommon for announcements to come via tweet. Editor of The New Republic Franklin Foer, in admiration of Slate Editor David Plotz’s position against using the Redskins name, tweeted August 8 that The New Republic, likewise, will cease all uses of the name and that they will make it official by changing their publication’s stylebook.

Photo courtesy Washingtoncitypaper.com

In early October 2012, the Washington City Paper provided their readers an opportunity to rename the Washington Redskins so as to avoid using the “racist nickname.” Their readers finally voted on a new name: “the Washington Pigskins.”

Photo courtesy Kansascity.com

In response to a reader who declared it a trivial policy for the Kansas City Star not to run ‘Redskins’ in their paper, Public Editor Derek Donovan reiterated the Star’s long-held policy with a blistering public response: “… I see no compelling reason for any publisher to reprint an egregiously offensive term as a casual matter of course.”

Sun Devil Women’s Basketball to Honor No. 21 Jersey of Hall of Famer Ryneldi Becenti on Dec. 21

Courtesy: Sun Devil Athletics

TEMPE, Ariz. – Ryneldi Becenti, a member of the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame who twice earned honorable mention All-America notice as a member of the Sun Devil women’s basketball team, will have her No. 21 jersey honored and displayed from the rafters of Wells Fargo Arena on Sat., Dec. 21 when the Sun Devils host the University of Miami, Sun Devil head coach Charli Turner Thorne announced on Monday.

“As we started to evaluate the stars of our distinguished past, it quickly became apparent that no player was more celebrated or had more of an impact – both in her community and within our own Sun Devil community – than Ryneldi Becenti,” said Turner Thorne. “While already in our Hall of Fame for her achievements as a student-athlete, we felt a program-specific tribute like this was fitting for a special individual whose influence went beyond the basketball court.

“The incredible work ethic and desire that led her to our program galvanized the Native American community. Her outstanding contributions as a Sun Devil enhanced her legendary status and remain an inspiration for many. I am so proud to be announcing that we will be hanging Ryneldi Becenti’s No. 21 jersey from the rafters of Wells Fargo Arena on Dec. 21. We hope all our fans and basketball enthusiasts alike will mark the date in their calendars to come out and help us pay tribute to this Sun Devil icon.”

Becenti was a two-time honorable mention All-America honoree while also becoming one of only three Sun Devils (at the time) to earn All-Pac-10 first-team honors twice in a career.

Following two successful seasons at Scottsdale Community College, Becenti joined ASU where her outstanding all-around play was pivotal in helping the Sun Devils earn a NCAA Tournament berth in 1992, the program’s first tournament invite since 1983.

By the conclusion of her two-year Sun Devil career, Becenti would accumulate 396 career assists, which at the time represented the second-highest career total in program history. Her career average of 7.1 assists per game remains a Pac-12 record to this day, while her 17-assist outing vs. Marquette in 1992 still sits atop the team’s list for most assists in a single game. With 15 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a Jan. 25, 1992, game against Oregon State, Becenti became the first player in school history to record a triple-double and was the lone player in the NCAA – men or women – to record the feat that season.

Becenti’s enormous popularity in the community and the Navajo Nation received national acclaim in March 1993, when she was featured in a Sports Illustrated article written by award-winning journalist Gary Smith.

As a member the 1993 USA team at the World University Games, Becenti became the first Native American female to earn a medal at the event. She would also go on to earn the distinction of becoming the first Native American to play in the WNBA as a member of the hometown Phoenix Mercury.

In 1996, she became the first woman inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame adding to her list of enshrinements, which includes the Scottsdale Community College Hall of Fame, Arizona State University Hall of Fame and the Arizona High School Sports Hall of Fame.

A native of Fort Defiance, Ariz., Becenti earned high school All-America honors playing for Window Rock High School. Her stellar play continued at Scottsdale Community College where she earned junior college All-American recognition.

Marysville Youth Football preps for season

Lauren SalcedoMembers of the Marysville Youth Football Association’s Junior Black Chargers get warmed up during practice on Thursday, Aug. 1. — Lauren Salcedo
Members of the Marysville Youth Football Association’s Junior Black Chargers get warmed up during practice on Thursday, Aug. 1.

Lauren Salcedo, Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Youth Football League began practicing the week of July 29, and the nearly 250 local players will spend each weekday practicing until school starts, as just a small part of what makes the league one of the most competitive in the area.

“The league in Marysville is great,” said Kevin Gallo, head coach of the Senior Black Chargers. “It is so competitive. Marysville always has a team in the championship every year.”

Gallo noted that M-P’s quarterback Jake Luton went through the program when he was younger, and his younger brother is currently competing.

“We have a lot of the players from both Marysville-Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell who started out with Marysville Youth Football,” he said. “There are so many kids in the area who have a lot of talent, and there is a lot of great coaching out here. I think the coaches know that Marysville is known for being competitive so they really step their game up. Marysville has set a tone, so if you’re going to coach you know you are going to have to put a championship team on the field.”

Each year, more and more kids sign up for MYFL, and the program continues to grow. This year, the league has one Pee-Wee team, three 8-9 year-old teams, three junior teams and two senior teams.

“Marysville really teaches the kids how to play the game, and they focus a lot on sportsmanship,” said Donny Giles, assistant coach for the junior team. “Competitive teams always make people turn their heads and look at the league. We have 250 kids and everyone can play the whole year. We make sure that no matter what the score is, we are making sure that the other team knows we are there to play a game.”

The league is a feeder organization for both Marysville-Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell high schools, so the teams wear either a Tomahawk or Charger helmet and jersey.

“It’s important for us to be representing the schools in our city,” said Giles, who noted that the equipment for each player was purchased through funds raised by the Powder Puff football game.

“Without the Powder Puff game, there would be no equipment,” said Gallo. “They have new helmets, new pads, new jerseys. It’s amazing.”

Gallo also mentioned that for kids who have not signed up for MYFL this season, the Marysville Stealth Organization hosts a winter arena football league.

“It runs from February to May, and you can tell the kids who are playing for both football leagues,” he said. “It keeps the game fresh in their mind.”

For more information on Marysville Youth Football, visit www.marysvilleyouthfootball.com.

John Kitzhaber set to veto bill allowing Native American mascots in Oregon

Molalla High School is one of the schools that still has a Native American mascot. Under Senate Bill 215, the school would be able to keep the mascot if a local tribe approved it. But Gov. John Kitzhaber is expected to veto the bill. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian)

Christian Gaston, The Oregonian

Gov. John Kitzhaber intends to issue a rare veto over a culturally sensitive bill passed by his fellow Democrats amid split testimony from Native Americans.

Senate Bill 215 installs a loophole in a ban implemented by Kitzhaber’s Board of Education, which decided last year to eliminate the use of all tribal mascots at high schools, such as the Banks Braves or Molalla Indians. The mascots, the board found, negatively impact Native American students.

Kitzhaber said he was willing to support a bill allowing schools to adopt the names of tribes, similar to college sports rules, but the bill the Legislature delivered offered too broad an exemption, letting schools keep generic names if a local tribe approved.

“We worked hard to let them know our concerns and the governor doesn’t think the bill gets there,” said Kitzhaber spokesman Tim Raphael.

While a trio of Republicans introduced the mascot legislation, the bill attracted many Democratic votes, passing the House and the Senate by broad enough margins to override a veto.

Even so, Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, said he doesn’t think the Legislature would beat back Kitzhaber’s veto. Instead, he’s hoping the governor will reconsider, and is preparing for the next session.

“I’m just hoping at this point, I don’t know what else I can do,” said Kruse, a chief sponsor of the bill. “The reality of a veto override is non-existent, I know that. So we’d just do another bill.”

The renewed debate over Native American mascots in Oregon this year kicked up at the same time as the owners of the Cleveland Indians rebuffed fresh calls to dump the team’s mascot — the grinning, red-faced “Chief Wahoo.”

In 2012, the Oregon Board of Education established a strict statewide ban giving 15 schools until 2017 to change their mascots or lose state funding.

Many of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes didn’t formally weigh into the debate. Those that did were split.

The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians supported the mascot ban. Two tribes, The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde both sought the modified policy encompassed in the legislation: let mascots remain only if a local tribe approved. The Coquille Indian Tribe supported the board’s ban, but changed its position, supporting SB 215 during the Legislative session.

Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, who chairs the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee, said lawmakers relied on input from local tribes. “It’s emotional on both sides for the tribes and the Oregon tribes wanted this bill, so we passed the bill that they said they supported,” Hass said.

Kitzhaber said it went too far. He wanted the bill modeled after National Collegiate Athletic Association rules, which banned the use of Native American mascots during tournaments in 2005.

NCAA rules let Florida State University keep the Seminoles name for its sports teams after reaching an agreement with the Seminole Nation of Florida.

Brenda Frank, who chaired the Oregon Board of Education when it adopted the ban, said any Native American mascot could hurt a Native American child’s self esteem.

“I still go back to how offensive is that? How is that fair to other tribal people who find that offensive?” said Frank, a member of the Klamath Tribe. “I just don’t think that there is anything that can justify racism.”

Frank said the board took into consideration the concerns of school administrators when it passed the ban, including the cost of replacing uniforms and other materials.

“As uniforms cycle down, they would eventually all be replaced and that’s a cost that districts would pay for anyway,” Frank said.

Kruse still worries about the cost of change at Roseburg High School, which he attended. The school long ago modified its logo in deference to the local tribe, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians.

“In the case of the Roseburg Indians and the Cow Creek Band, everybody’s happy with it,” he told The Oregonian in February.

But it wasn’t that the tribe had asked for the change, and its response illustrates the different ways tribes feel about this issue.

Susan Ferris, a spokeswoman for the Cow Creek Band said students from Roseburg approached the tribe roughly 15 years ago and asked whether the mascot, then a Native American warrior, should be changed. Ferris said tribal leaders told the students to do what they thought was right. The district adopted a new mascot: a feather.

The Cow Creek Band kept out of the mascot debate in Salem this year.

“The Cow Creek stance, historically, seems to be ‘do what you think is right regardless of us.'” Ferris said.

Feeling our pain: Seattle named most miserable sports city in America

Forbes Magazine has named Seattle America's most miserable sports city for our lack of titles and loss of the Sonics. (AP image) — Forbes Magazine has named Seattle America’s most miserable sports city for our lack of titles and loss of the Sonics. (AP image)

BY JOSH KERNS on July 31, 2013

MyNorthwest.com

Whether it’s a decade of futility from the Mariners, the failed efforts to bring the NBA back to town or last season’s heart-breaking, season-ending Seahawks playoff loss in the final minutes to Atlanta, Seattle sports fans know misery. And now Forbes is making sure the rest of the country feels our pain, naming Seattle the most miserable sports city in America.

The annual ranking isn’t solely about absolute futility, Forbes says. Coming up short in the playoffs can cause even greater agony, like the Seahawks’ 2005 Super Bowl loss to Pittsburgh.

Writer Tom Van Riper came up with the list based on a misery index, giving the most misery points for the worst records in pro-sports championship round play. That includes the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and NHL Finals. Teams then get fewer points for futility in preceding playoff rounds. All told, only major U.S. sports towns with at least 75 cumulative NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL seasons are eligible.

Close, but no cigar isn’t the only criteria. Van Riper also gives points for championship droughts, adding points based on how long it’s been since the last title (Seattle’s last was the Sonics in 1979, as the WNBA isn’t counted in his rankings.)

The index also gives bonus points for cities that lost a team to relocation. We certainly know how painful that is with the Sonics move to Oklahoma City.

The new rankings could spark plenty of arguments from fans in other cities who’ve certainly suffered more than their fair share. Atlanta comes in just behind Seattle, thanks to a regular pattern of playoff disappointment from the Braves, the Falcons frequent playoff losses and the city losing its NHL franchise twice.

Fans in Phoenix have experienced plenty of playoff pain with the NBA Suns making it to nine western conference finals and two NBA Finals without a title. In Buffalo, the faithful have suffered four Super Bowl losses by the Bills while the NHL Sabres have yet to win the Stanley Cup despite making the playoffs 29 times since 1973.

As they say, misery loves company. So I guess we can take some comfort knowing we’re not alone. And with Super Bowl hopes so high for the Seahawks, maybe we’ll get off the list by this time next year. Or at the very least, we can solidify our spot atop the index. We certainly spend plenty of time there. Seattle was most miserable in 2011, slipping to number two a year ago before reclaiming the top spot.

Forbes most miserable sports cities:

1. Seattle

2. Atlanta

3. Phoenix

4. Buffalo

5. San Diego

6. Cleveland

7. Kansas City

8. Houston

9. Washington, DC

10. Denver

NWIC’s big athletics fundraiser tees off soon

Golfers will have a chance to win Seattle Seahawks tickets with sideline passes

Last year’s Northwest Indian College Big Drive for Education Golf Scramble garnered $19,000 and this year’s goal is to raise $25,000. Photo courtesy of NWIC

Source: NWIC

On Friday September 6, Northwest Indian College (NWIC) Foundation will host the 11^th Annual Big Drive for Education Golf Scramble, the college’s biggest annual athletics fundraiser that supports student athletes and athletic programs.

The scramble will begin with a 1 p.m. shotgun start, in which all golfers tee off at different holes at the same time. The event will take place at the Sudden Valley Golf & Country Club on Lake Whatcom in Bellingham.

Last year’s event garnered more than $19,000 and this year’s goal is to raise $25,000. The Golf Scramble provides financial resources, such as athletic scholarships, for NWIC student athletes, and supports the development of the college’s health and fitness programs.

NWIC sports include: women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, co-ed softball, cross country, canoeing, tennis, and golf.

Registration rates are $800 for teams of four golfers or $200 for individual registrants who would like to be placed on teams. Costs include registration, carts, green fees, range balls, dinner and raffle tickets.

This year’s Golf Scramble will include a silent auction and a raffle with prizes that include Seattle Seahawks tickets with sideline passes. Players will also have an opportunity to win the “hole-in-one” car.

Winning teams will receive the President’s cup trophy and NWIC Golf Scramble jackets. There will be a jackets awarded to the top women’s team as well as medals to the winners of the side games.

Sponsorship opportunities for this year’s Golf Scramble are:

Premiere: $10,000

Reserved table and seating for eight at golf awards banquet
Name listing and logo in promotional literature
Golf registration for two teams of four (eight golfers)
Signage with logo at the event
Honorable mention throughout the event

Soaring Eagle: $5,000

Reserved table and seating for eight at golf awards banquet
Name listing and logo in promotional literature
Golf registration for two teams of four (eight golfers)
Signage with logo at the event
Honorable mention throughout the event

Hawk: $2,500

Reserved table and seating for four at golf awards banquet
Name listing in promotional literature
Golf registration for one team (four golfers)
Signage at the event
Honorable mention throughout the event

Birdie: $1,250

Reserved table and seating for eight at golf awards banquet
Name listing and in promotional literature
Golf registration for on team (four golfers)
Signage at the event
Honorable mention throughout the event

Tee Sponsors

$500: Name listed in promotional materials, signage at tee and green
$250: Signage at tee and green
$150: Signage at tee OR green

For sponsorship and registration information or for questions, email mariahd@nwic.edu or call (360)392-4217.

Fun time at UNM

Begay Foundation unites kids with Lobo women

By Ken Sickenger / Journal Staff Writer on Jul. 23, 2013

Lobo freshman Lauren Newman, center, shares a smile with Keshaun Christian, right, Wicanhpi-Winyan Echohawk, center left, and Jesslyn Sandoval during a passing drill at Monday’s basketball clinic. (adria malcolm/for the journal)

We’re going to need another bus.

Notah Begay III Foundation personnel came to that realization early Monday as they prepared to travel from San Felipe Pueblo to the University of New Mexico.

NB3F had arranged to send a group of Native American youngsters to UNM for a two-hour clinic with the Lobo women’s basketball team.

The turnout exceeded expectations.

“We expected around 30 kids and ended up with 90,” said Stephanie Gabbert, the foundation’s director of soccer. “We had to arrange an extra bus, but that’s a good thing. The more kids we expose to something like this the better.”

The clinic provided many of the youngsters a first look at UNM and its basketball facilities. They rotated through various basketball and nutrition stations operated by Lobo players.

Enthusiasm ran high on both sides.

“It’s awesome,” said 13-year-old Evan Valencia. “(UNM players) got us running and they’ve been really nice. We’ve never had anything like this before. It’s fun.”

Monday’s clinic served to further the mission of NB3F. Established by Albuquerque golfer Notah Begay III, the foundation seeks to combat childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes among Native Americans by promoting education and active lifestyle choices.

The foundation’s website, nb3foundation.org, cites numerous studies reporting that childhood obesity and diabetes are more common among Native Americans than any other ethnic group.

The Santa Ana Pueblo-based foundation operates golf and soccer programs for Native American youth. NB3F also coordinates a variety of summer camps to introduce youngsters to other sports and activities.

With that in mind, Gabbert reached out to Lobo women’s basketball coach Yvonne Sanchez and men’s soccer coach Jeremy Fishbein. Both quickly agreed to hold clinics.

Lobo men’s soccer players and coaches visited NB3F’s soccer facility at San Felipe last summer and will host a clinic Wednesday. Monday’s women’s basketball clinic was a first-time event and proved a big-hit with the 90 boys and girls who attended. The campers ranged in age from 7 to 13.

Begay, now a network golf commentator for NBC, was unable to attend Monday’s clinic. His brother, Clint Begay, who helps operate NB3F, came away impressed.

“The foundation’s main goal is to get kids active,” he said. “When we can do that and get them outside the reservation, show them something new, that’s a big plus. You can tell by their faces, these kids are happy to be here.”

Lobo players clearly enjoyed the experience, too. Juniors Antiesha Brown and Ebony Walker operated a station emphasizing defense and lateral movement. They also made younsters elevate for high fives and celebrate imaginary three-point-play opportunities.

“Basketball is really good for younger kids,” Brown said, “so you have to make it fun. Eb and I like to do follow-the-leader drills and just be ridiculous to keep the kids entertained. When they have fun, it’s fun for us, too.”

UNM players largely ran Monday’s show because Sanchez and her assistant coaches were out of town recruiting. Women’s basketball vidoegrapher and former player Amy Beggin oversaw the clinic.

“It’s a cool opportunity for our players,” Beggin said, “because they love working with kids. It’s also nice because a lot of these kids have never been to UNM before. This gives them a chance to see it and maybe dream about coming here someday.”

Thirteen-year-old Ilai Sandoval admitted he was nervous about coming to the Davalos Center. Sandoval has been participating in NB3F activities for a year and now serves as a youth assistant.

“Everyone was happy we got to come here,” he said. “My cousin’s been asking me, ‘When’s the camp? When’s the camp?’ A lot of kids couldn’t wait.

“I was a little nervous because I’ve never been here before but it’s nice. I bet everyone will want to come back (Wednesday) for soccer.”

Flag raised for North American Indigenous Games 2014

BY KERRY BENJOE,

LEADER-POST JULY 23, 2013

The City of Regina made history when it raised the 2014 North American Indigenous Games flag on Monday.

For the first time in the games’ history, the host city raised the organization’s flag at city hall, also proclaiming this week NAIG Week.

“It’s a historic occasion for the host society to be able to raise (the NAIG) flag and create that awareness to the broader community that the games are one year away,” Regina 2014 NAIG CEO Glen Pratt said. “It’s also a real opportunity to ensure that our partnership with the City of Regina is working for everybody.”

Next year, an estimated 6,000 coaches and athletes will call Regina home for a week. NAIG organizers are gearing up to make it the best games in history.

“In the past, the games have chosen their own themes,” Pratt said. “We want to put on the best games that we could for our athletes to experience, and one of the ways to do that was to raise the bar, so the board has chosen the theme Raising the Bar.”

NAIG Week kicked off with a pipe ceremony that included Mayor Michael Fougere, a grand entry, powwow dance performances and an official flag-raising ceremony in the city hall courtyard.

The flag now flies

alongside the Metis flag, the Treaty 4 flag, the municipal flag, the Saskatchewan provincial flag and the Canadian flag.

Fougere said it was important to celebrate the games and to show the rest of the province as well as everyone in North America that Regina is ready for the games.

“Our First Nation and Metis community are very integral to our society and we wanted to show that the City of Regina and our citizens are prepared for this,” he said. “This is a coming together of different cultures, different traditions of indigenous people from across North America. This is very unique for us. We have not seen this before.”

During NAIG Week, Regina youths will have a chance to find out more about the games.

“We have created NAIG sports spots,” Pratt said. “It is an opportunity to teach our inner-city youth about the 15 sports involved with the games to get them trying them out, interested in them and just exposing them to all the sports so they have a better understanding of the sports available to them.”

He said in order to put on the games, about 3,000 volunteers will be needed. A volunteer drive is scheduled to take place this fall.

More information on Regina 2014 NAIG is available at www.regina2014naig.com.

kbenjoe@leaderpost.com

Native boxers set sights on 2020 Olympics

071113box1 — (Courtesy photo).
TOP: San Carlos Apache boxer Tommy Nosie (left) spars with Nico Martinez of the Menominee Indian Boxing Club of Wisconsin during the 2013 All Indian Boxing Championships in San Carlos, Ariz.

By Quentin Jodie, Navajo Times

The host city of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games has yet to be determined but Greg Parsons is thinking big.

As the promoter of the 2013 All Indian Boxing Championships, Parsons is prophesying that we’ll have a Native American boxer competing in those games.

“I am looking at some of our 15- and 16-year-old kids,” Parsons said. “Some of them competed at the JO (Junior Olympics) this year and they placed real high.”

Of course that conversation depends on what happens to the fate of the boxing climate within the Native American community.

Parson said in years past, the AIBC has attracted as much as 90 fighters back in his heydays. But last year the event only drew in 32 boxers, which featured only four championship bouts.

This year, however, the numbers were a bit healthier as 52 boxers showed up, which was held at the Apache Gold Casino and Resort in San Carlos, Ariz., on July 4-6.

“We need consistency,” Parson said. “Sometimes this event goes away for one year and it comes back another. It’s really about consistency because for some Native kids this is the biggest tournament they look forward to.

“If this is not around they could lose interest for a whole year,” he added. “If we can keep this going I am sure we can get someone to the Olympics. We just need to so support them and send them places and give them the best fights we can. Maybe we can schedule some international bouts.”

071113box2 — Yoruba Moreu Jr., (left) of New Mexico sustains a right hand punch to the head from Jameel Maldonado of Arizona in San Carlos, Ariz.

Parsons said it’s imperative to keep the AIBC event ongoing and in the future he would like for the event to be move to other sites.

“I believe it will be back in San Carlos next year but we would like to spread this around as much as we can,” he said.

At this year’s event, Parsons said they ended up with 54 fights including 17 tournament bouts.

“I think we did pretty good,” he said. “We got teams from Canada, Wisconsin, Oregon, Utah, Washington and South Dakota.”

The Wisconsin team, which was represented by the Menominee Indian Boxing Club, brought in eight fighters ranging from 9 to 14 years old.

“Everyone got a ‘W’ this weekend,” said Jason Komanenkin, who co-serves as the MIBC coach along with Arnold Peters and Gerald Wayka Jr. “We are very happy with the results. We got eight national Native American champions.”

One of those fighters is Leon Peters, who went 2-0 in the 110-pound category in the 11-12 age group.

“My coaches told me what to do,” said Peters, while adding that his right hand is his best punch.

Last December, Peters also went 2-0 and won the National Silver Gloves Championship in Kansas City, Mo., after qualifying in a regional meet in South Dakota.

“I won my first match by a split decision,” Peters said. “I drove him with my right hand and he started running (away from me.) I practically chased him down.”

In his next match, he stopped his opponent with a TKO in the second round to win the title.

“I was proud that I brought the title home to my tribe,” he said.

According to his dad, Arnold Peters, his son prepared for that tournament by sparring with kids older than him.

“He’s big for his age,” Arnold Peters said of his son. “In a lot of tournaments we went to the normal-sized kids would not fight him so we moved him up. He lost a lot of those fights and his spirits was down but I just told him to keep going.”

Besides Leone Peters, the MIBC also got one of its fighters to compete at a national event as Antonio Makhimetas boxed at the 2013 USA Boxing Junior Olympic National Championships in Mobile, Ala., two weeks ago.

“I think he beat the best 145-pounder in the country,” Komanenkin said, “but the judges didn’t think so.”

According to Arnold Peters, they started their gym four months ago as a way to get kids off the streets.

“We got 16 kids in our basement but we’re doing our best to keep the kids off drugs and alcohol,” Peters said.

The former boxing pro said it’s a shame that they have those issues on the reservation but a lot of people in the community are thanking them for the service they provide.

“They like what we’re doing,” he said. “We don’t have much but we’re taking what we have and turning them into champs.”

– See more at: http://www.navajotimes.com/sports/2013/0713/071113box.php#sthash.0xP8IHCi.dpuf