LaFloe thinks basketball is good medicine
By Dan Ninham Brook LaFloe comes from seven generations of Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa (Ojibwe) members on her paternal and maternal side but grew up in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. She is an educator and entrepreneur with a passion for revitalizing culture, and facilitating the growth of local Indigenous economies. Her academic background […]
Seelye signs with NJCAA Dawson Community College (MT)
By Dan Ninham Another Cass Lake-Bena HS Panther girls’ basketball player is heading out of state to play college basketball. She and her teammates are first looking forward to the 8A section tournament and a second consecutive run to the Minnesota Class A State Tournament. Krisalyn Seelye is a member of the Leech Lake Band […]
Molly Saboo: Pursuing Her Dream to Compete In College Cross Country
By Dan Ninham Molly Saboo, 18, is a member of the Bay Mills Indian Community located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She is a graduating senior this school year at Onamia Public Schools in Minnesota. She competed for the Mille Lacs Raiders cross country team, a co-op between Onamia and Isle schools. Saboo is […]
Three Generations of Ninham Triathletes in KWESTRONG Triathlon
By Dan Ninham KWESTRONG started in the spring of 2012. Founder Lisa Skjefte talked about the beginning of the indigenous women’s fitness movement with the multi-sports event: “I was on my first long run, and it came to me, gifted like a vision. I could see Native women on the lake all gathered together claiming […]
Isabelle Morin: Senior Soccer Player Achieving at Bemidji State U
By Dan Ninham Isabelle Morin is a member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa and her alma mater was Bemidji High School, Bemidji, MN. She is a senior soccer player for Bemidji State University. Isabelle has been keeping busy with her studies and also works at the American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) as a student front […]
Tre Holmes: Senior Is Leading The Hibbing HS Bluejackets
By Dan Ninham There is a team leader among leaders on and off the basketball court at Hibbing High School in northern Minnesota this season. Tre Holmes, 17, is a senior at Hibbing HS. Tre is the son of Tara Locke. And Tre’s brother, Tyler attends Hibbing Community College. “I am a descendant of the […]
LeRoy Staples Fairbanks IV: Bringing AAU Summer Season to Cass Lake-Bena
By Dan Ninham The wave of top level Minnesota Section 8 basketball talent is continuing to rise at Cass Lake-Bena High School. One of the team leaders is making potential adversity into his strength. LeRoy Staples Fairbanks IV, 16, is from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and his clan is Makwa (Bear). He is […]
Verna Volker: Leading By Example With Native Women Running
By Dan Ninham Verna Volker is from the Navajo Nation. “My clans are Tódích’íi’nii (Bitterwater) nishlíi, Hashtl’ishnii (Mud People) bashishchiin, Ta’neeszahnii (Tangle) dashicheii, and Tó’ áheedlíinii (Water Flows Together) dashinalí,” said Verna. “I am 46 years old,” said Verna. “I live in Minneapolis, but grew up in Northern New Mexico. I have been married for 20 years […]
Daniel Polk: National Class Disc Golfer
By Dan Ninham Everyone may have a hidden talent. Oftentimes someone finds it by chance. Other times it may stay hidden. By continuing to practice the talent efficiently, one may master the gift. Daniel Polk, 41, is a gifted professional disc golfer. He is from the San Carlos Apache, Quechan, and Diné Nations. He, his […]
Chris Jourdain: continuing the Red Lake youth basketball movement
By Dan Ninham The youth basketball movement at the Red Lake Nation travels throughout Indian Country and beyond. Life lessons are learned with wins and losses along the way. One of the aspiring leader’s in the movement on and off the sidelines is Chris Jourdain. Chris Jourdain, 45, is a member of the Red Lake […]
Believing In Native football players at Central Lakes College
by Dan Ninham I Believe In You. In Ojibwe it is “Gidebweyenimin” and in Cherokee it is “-agwohiyu nihi”. These are perhaps the most empowering words someone can say to another person. To have someone say they believe in someone starts with the person believing in oneself. Three young Native men had a different journey […]
Angelo Baca: Runner, Educator and Filmmaker
By Dan Ninham At 39, Angelo Baca (Navajo/Hopi) continues to lace up his running shoes and runs toward the east before sunrise. A three-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Champion in Cross Country, Angelo’s high altitude running began at an early age near his hometown of Blanding, Utah and in the Bears Ears […]