Article by Kim Kalliber and Jeannie Briones, Tulalip News staff
TULALIP,WA – For 19-year-old Tulalip Tribal member, Moses Williams, snowboarding is all about sportstmanship, teamwork and fun, and not to mention, speed, cool tricks and no limitations on style.
Moses is a member of the First Nations Snowboarding Team (FNST) of Tulalip. FNST Tulalip is an off-shoot of FNST Canada, and was selected as the first U.S. team to represent the Nations. What began with staff at the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club seeking ways to keep kids engaged in sports, has grown into a 50+ member team in their second year of competition snowboarding.
FNST Tulalip operates in three divisions: High Performance, Jr. Elite and Beginner. Moses, a six-year snowboarding veteran, is one of 19 members competing as the High Performance Team. The competition will take place January 27-28 at Mount Hood, Oregon. Winners of this competition may be eligible for the National competition in Denver, Colorado.
“You have to be on the High Performance Team to be able to compete. You have to be good enough to ride on your toes, heels, and go off jump,” said Moses, who competed in the Nationals last year.
Boarders may compete in any of three styles: slope, which consist of tricks in the air, on rails, and boxes; boarder cross, which is speed racing; and half pipe, which they can perform tricks on. Moses plans to compete in the boarder cross and slope style snowboarding categories.
Moses also devotes his time as a coach for the team, helping fellow teammates achieve their goals. “I like helping and teaching the younger kids to get better at snowboarding,” said Moses.
FNST, an international team of athletes training to compete in the Olympic Games, is the only snowboarding team operated solely by Native Americans. For more information about FNST, visit http://www.fnriders.com/
Jeannie Briones: 360-716-4188; jbriones@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov