|
State title thrills reservation
By The Associated Press
Condensed by Native Village
Wind River Indian
Reservation, Wyoming:
The Wyoming Indian High School Chiefs recently
defeated the Lusk High School Tigers to win the Class 2A
Wyoming State High School Basketball Championship.
And a community grieving the loss of two of its elders once again had a
reason to smile.
The Wind River Indian Reservation is home to the Eastern
Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes.
In the week before regionals, the Chiefs' Melvin Villa
lost his grandfather, Joe Oldman. Teammate Mylan Glenmore
also lost his grandmother, Gladys Moss.
"It was real tough times for the whole community,
because they weren't just Mylan's and Melvin's family
members," Wyoming Indian coach Craig Ferris said. "They
were elders in the community, and that's a big thing in
our community. To lose people like that really hits hard. It doesn't
just hit the family, it hits everybody."
Villa collapsed on the court
after the game and later broke down when talking about
his grandfather.
"He passed away the day before regionals," Villa said.
"So I did this for him. I took it hard because he used
to go to my games. ... I did it for him. My dad just said that me and (Glenmore) got the power
now and we had to use it. He knows that both of them are
watching us."
 What they, and the thousands of Wyoming Indian fans in
attendance, saw was a team overcoming tragedy and coming
together with one purpose - bringing the state title
back to the reservation.
"When we have games it's a community," said
elementary school principal Owen St. Clair. "They take these players as their own kids. And when we win a state championship, the whole
community wins a state championship. You can just see
that with the overwhelming support from our community.
It's a big deal."
It was also a big deal for the countless other Chiefs
who played in the state tournament but never won a
championship.
John Underwood played at Wyoming Indian from 1979-82. Now in a wheelchair as a
result of an accident, Underwood watched his son Lorenzo accept his
championship medal after the game.
Moments later, Lorenzo
waded through the crowd and placed the medal around his
father's neck.
"I almost broke down and cried," John said.
" ...It means a lot because my dad, he's gone now, he always
hoped I would get a championship too. So for (Lorenzo)
to get one for his grandma and grandpa means a lot. I'm
just proud of him and the team and what they did."
Lorenzo, who nearly quit the team two years ago, was
just glad that his dad was able to share in the moment.
"I'm just thankful that my dad is still here with me,"
Lorenzo said. "I enjoy it when he's here because we went
through a tough time last year. But now he's feeling
good and I'm feeling good, so it's great to have him at
my games so he can watch me."
Mylan Glenmore shared similar emotions.
"This [win] is for my grandma," Glenmore said. "That's why I
did it. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be playing,
because she pushed me a lot to go out for all sports,
even if I didn't excel in them."
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/03/11/news/wyoming/21-prepstatetitle.txtv
Previous Next
Volume 3
Native Village Home Page
NATIVE VILLAGE website was created for youth, educators,
families, and friends who wish to celebrate the rich, diverse
cultures of The Americas' First Peoples. We offer readers two
monthly publications: NATIVE VILLAGE Youth and Education News
and NATIVE VILLAGE Opportunities and Websites. Each issue
shares today's happenings in Indian country.
Unless otherwise noted, articles are written in full by the
credited author.
Native Village is responsible for format changes. Articles may
also include additional photos, art, and graphics which enhance
the visual appeal and and adds new dimensions to the articles.
Each is free or credited by right-clicking the picture, a page posting, or appears with the original article. Our hopes are to make the news as
informative, educational, enjoyable as possible.
NATIVE VILLAGE also houses website libraries and learning
circles to enrich all lives on Turtle Island.
Please visit, and sign up for our update reminders. We are
always glad to make new friends!
www.nativevillage.org
Native Village is a supporter of the Link Center Foundation:
www.linkcenterfoundation.org
|