The last hurrah for the Radnor High School Red Raider, an American Indian mascot, may be the parting photos contained in the school’s 2013 yearbook. As of June 11, the Red Raider has graduated to the history books.
According to MainLineMediaNews.com, RHS Principal Mark Schellenger announced a mascot change to the Radnor Township School Board policy committee Tuesday. Going forward, the school’s sports teams will be known simply as the Raiders, without an accompanying mascot. Schellenger said the decision to end the mascot’s tenure was “a great example of student involvement.”
“There will be no mascot,” said Schellenger. “No character of an Indian on our sidelines. The Red Raider is graduated, while at the same time we will maintain the tradition of the Radnor Raiders.”
It appears the community at large was not involved in the decision, as the school’s students were. MainLineMediaNews.com reports that Board Member Charles Madden wished the larger community, including alumni, had been consulted before a decision about the mascot was made.
“This has been an issue for quite a long time and we’ve pushed it off,” said Madden. “It’s bigger than the school community. It’s bigger than the high school.”
One outsider who was involved in the process was Villanova University sociology professor Rick Eckstein. In addition to speaking with students about the “cultural insensitivity of having a Native American for a mascot,” Eckstein spoke at a board policy meeting in February about the matter.
Schools in New York and Idaho recently had to halt plans to change their “Redskins” mascots after community outrage at the decisions which were made without consultation.
The Chicago Blackhawks are currently tangling with the Boston Bruins in a so-far thrilling Stanley Cup Finals clash between the two Original Six clubs. The first two games have been fast, tense, exciting, both going to overtime, with each team claming a victory. Game 3 is tonight in Boston (8 p.m./ET, NBCSN; check local listings to confirm coverage in your area) and it should be another fun night of hockey.
Through all the championship chatter, though, one interesting question seems to be going unanswered–or even asked: Why isn’t Chicago taking heat for their Indian logo and name like the Washington Pigskins do? The club is in the spotlight again, after winning the 2010 Stanley Cup, so that famous Blackhawks logo is everywhere right now. But they seem to get a pass. Is some Native imagery okay? Who decides?
One commentor, however, is taking a look at this lack of controversy. Today, CBS Chicago’s Tim Baffoe posted the column “Should the Blackhawks Ditch Their Indian Head Logo?”
“[Why] isn’t the Indian head logo more often a topic of conversation when it comes to offensive sports imagery? Why isn’t the organization in the Stanley Cup Final almost ever asked to justify it,” asks Baffoe.
He answers his questions, in part, by writing, “The Hawks don’t use a caricature or slur that other teams have come under fire for. In fact, there is almost zero Native American ‘stuff’ used by the organization other than just their very famous logo. I don’t mind the Blackhawks Indian head logo. Hell, I’d say it looks pretty badass.”
For those unfamiliar with the history of the Blackhawks name, here’s a quick history via The New York Times: “The Blackhawks’ founder was Maj. Frederic McLaughlin, whose family owned Manor House Coffee, a popular brand in the first half of the 20th century. McLaughlin named the team after the Blackhawk division, a unit he helped lead as an officer in the Army. It was formed during World War I, but the war ended before the unit, or McLaughlin, saw action. The unit was named for a Sauk and Fox American Indian leader who fought against the United States government in the War of 1812 and in 1832.” (For more on Chief Black Hawk, click here.) The team’s immmensly popular Blackhawks Indian head logo was created by Irene Castle, wife of McLaughlin, in 1926 at the team’s inception into the NHL.
Read Baffoe’s column by clicking here. And please share your thoughts on the Blackhawks logo with ICTMN by commenting below.
In a recent online column, Forbes sports business reporter Tom Van Riper made the case for why Dan Snyder will never change the name of his Washington Pigksins NFL franchise: Money.
Analysis from Brand Keys, a research firm that measures consumer attitudes toward sports teams and athletes, indicates the team enjoys strong fan loyalty that’s based primarily on “history and tradition.” (Related: Before Judging NFL’s Redskins Name, Consider the ‘Racist’ Who Chose It) In other words, Washington fans buy a lot of team-licensed gear, even when the club isn’t successful.
“Meanwhile,” writes, Van Riper, “Forbes assigns copy31 million of the Redskins’ copy.6 billion valuation (making the Pigskins the third most valuable NFL franchise) to its brand strength, behind only the Cowboys and Patriots. … when you’re minting money even in down years, as the Redskins do, you don’t have much interest in trying to find out [how much the team’s name adds to its value]. A fresh round of merchandise sales tied to a new identity isn’t worth the risk.”
Two members of Congress, Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) and Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota) have issued responses to the June 5 letter sent by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the league’s position on the Washington, D.C. franchise’s use of the name “Redskins.” Goodell wrote in his letter that the term, considered offensive–racist–by many Native Americans, has a “positive meaning.” (Read Goodell’s entire letter here.)
Congressman Faleomavaega responded to the letter with the following statement:
Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa)
“Mr. Goodell has completely missed the point regarding the Washington franchise’s name. In his recent letter, he acknowledges the NFL’s ‘responsibility to exemplify […] values of diversity and inclusion.’ Yet in the same letter he fails to assume any responsibility for the racism that the Washington franchise’s name continues to promote. You cannot have it both ways. Whether good intentioned or not, the fact of the matter is that the term ‘Redskin’ is a racial slur that disparages Native Americans. It is time for the NFL to stop making excuses for itself and fully embrace its so-called commitment to diversity.”
Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus Congresswoman McCollum issued the following response:
“Unfortunately, NFL Commissioner Goodell’s letter is another attempt to justify a racial slur on behalf of Dan Snyder and other NFL owners who appear to be only concerned with earning ever larger profits, even if it means exploiting a racist stereotype of Native Americans. For the head of a multi-billion dollar sports league to embrace the twisted logic that ‘Redskin’ actually ‘stands for strength, courage, pride, and respect’ is a statement of absurdity.
“Would Roger Goodell and Dan Snyder actually travel to a Native American community and greet a group tribal members by saying, ‘Hey, what’s up redskin?’ I think not. (“Hey, what’s up redskin” is >a quote from materials provided to my office by the NFL, along with the claim that “Redskins” is a “term of endearment” among Native Americans.)
“Indian children, families and elders are Americans, and just like all racial, ethnic, or religious groups, they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, not as a demeaning caricature or mascot. That shouldn’t be too much to ask of the NFL.”
Mark Mulligan / The Herald Returning Everett AquaSox player Jamodrick McGruder throws from second base during a drill at Everett Memorial Stadium during the team’s first practice of the season Tuesday afternoon.
By Nick Patterson, The Herald
EVERETT — Meet the new Frogs, same as the old Frogs — at least more than usual.
The 2013 Everett AquaSox took the field for the first time Tuesday afternoon in preparation for the upcoming Northwest League season, conducting their initial practice at a rainy Everett Memorial Stadium. And moreso than in a typical season, there was a familiar feel about the players on the diamond.
“I think it’s good,” said second baseman Jamodrick McGruder, part of the large contingent of players who have experienced Everett previously. “A lot of us have already had this season, so it will be good experience-wise. Guys know what to do and I think we should come out and be pretty strong.
“It’s kind of an older team, which is good,” McGruder added. “We don’t have a lot of young guys. A lot of the guys were at extended spring training, so we should be very experienced and very well put together.”
Usually the AquaSox almost completely turn over their roster from year to year. Last year, there was just one player who opened the season with the team who played in Everett the previous year, and Marcus Littlewood was in the process of converting from shortstop to catcher.
But Tuesday afternoon there were nine players on the field who appeared last season for Everett, which finished 46-30 and won the West Division’s first-half title. Those nine include five who spent all of last season with the Sox. Second baseman Jamodrick McGruder, who led the league in stolen bases with 30, and outfielder Alfredo Morales were everyday players for Everett. Pitcher Steven Ewing made 12 starts and finished third on the team in innings pitched; outfielder Michael Faulkner finished second on the team in steals with 15; and reliever Mark Bordonaro was a regular presence out of the bullpen.
The four who had shorter stints with Everett last season were pitcher Jose Valdivia, outfielder James Zamarripa and catchers Christian Carmichael and Carlton Tanabe.
“We’ve got guys who have that experience, know the league, know what it takes to win ballgames, and won’t be shocked by pro baseball right away,” second-year Everett manager Rob Mummau said. “I think we’ll have a good start.
“I expect those guys to succeed at a high level, and hopefully they’re not here too long and get to move up eventually,” Mummau added. “But I definitely expect a lot out of them.”
Everett’s initial roster doesn’t have any prospects generating a large amount scouting community buzz, like pitcher Victor Sanchez generated last season. However, there are a number of players who bear watching.
Mummau singled out infielder Martin Peguero and outfielder Phillips Castillo as newcomers to watch. Both are 19-year-olds from the Dominican Republic who had moderate success with Pulaski of the rookie Appalachian League last year.
Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Carmichael and 19-year-old Zamarripa are the highest draft picks on the initial roster, being selected by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth rounds in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
As for the pitching staff, it’s largely an experienced group.
“It’s different from last year’s staff,” Everett pitching coach Rich Dorman said. “This year we’ve got a lot of guys from extended spring training, last year we had a lot of guys from college (who were selected in the 2012 draft). It’s a big year for a lot of these guys because they’ve been in the organization for a while.”
But while it may be an older staff, the Sox will be leaning heavily on the youngsters in the rotation. The team’s two youngest pitchers, 19-year-old Dominican right-hander Rigoberto Garcia and 19-year-old Dutch right-hander Lars Huijer, are scheduled to start the team’s first two games in Spokane on Friday and Saturday. Dorman said the towering Garcia, who’s listed at 6-foot-5 but looks taller, is one of the best prospects on the staff.
The remainder of the rotation to begin the season includes Brazilian right-hander Thyago Vieira, the right-handed Ewing and Venezuelan right-hander Ricardo Pereira.
Dorman said there is no designated closer and the Sox bullpen will fill that role by committee.
Everett’s roster is not complete. The Sox will see college players from last week’s draft trickle in after they sign contracts. Pitcher Tyler Olson, the Mariners’ seventh-round pick, already has arrived while first baseman Justin Seager, Seattle’s 12th rounder and the younger brother of Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, was expected to report shortly.
Everett gets a rehearsal tonight when the Sox take on the Pacific International League’s Everett Merchants in the 10th annual Everett Cup exhibition game. The Merchants, a team comprised primarily of community college and small college players with local ties, upset the Sox twice in the previous nine meetings. The Sox won last year’s contest 5-2.
EVERETT — One of the annual signs of the approaching summer is here.
The first batch of this year’s installment of the Everett AquaSox arrived in town Monday, and not only does it indicate summer is right around the corner, it also signals the imminent beginning of the 2013 Northwest League season.
The AquaSox are preparing to kick off their 19th year as the Seattle Mariners’ affiliate in the short-season single-A Northwest League. Last season the Sox finished 46-30 and won the West Division’s first-half title. Everett was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Vancouver in two straight games. Rob Mummau, who managed the Sox last season, is back for his second season at the helm.
The Sox will conduct their first workout this afternoon at Everett Memorial Stadium. They’ll get a chance to experience the stadium under the lights Wednesday when they take on the Everett Merchants of the Pacific International League in the 10th annual Everett Cup exhibition game. The 76-game season begins Friday at Spokane.
The players who arrived Monday consisted primarily of those who spent the past two months at the Mariners’ extended spring training in Peoria, Ariz. That included eight who spent time with the Sox last season. Infielder Jamodrick McGruder, who led the league in stolen bases last season with 30, is back for another stint with the team. Others on the initial roster who spent all of last season with Everett include outfielders Alfredo Morales and Michael Faulkner, and pitchers Steven Ewing and Mark Bordonaro.
The rest of the roster is expected to be filled by college players selected by the Mariners in last week’s amateur draft. The first of those joined the team Monday as pitcher Tyler Olson, a seventh-round pick out of Gonzaga University, arrived. First baseman Justin Seager, the younger brother of Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager who was taken in the 12th round out as a junior out of UNC Charlotte, is expected to join the team later this week. Others will trickle in after signing with the Mariners.
Everett finds itself in a new division this season. With Yakima relocating to Hillsboro this year, the league has reconfigured into North and South Divisions. Everett is in the North Division with Spokane, Tri-City and Vancouver. The South Division contains Boise, Eugene, Hillsboro and Salem-Keizer.
Everett is also hosting the league’s all-star game on Aug. 6. This is just the second all-star game in league history, with the previous one taking place in Spokane in 2004 to commemorate the league’s 50th anniversary. The all-star game will be an annual event going forward.
It’s official: Jesse Smith, Mohawk from Six Nations, has qualified for the U.S. Open, the second major golf tournament of the season.
Smith, 33, who has golfed professionally for seven years, played his way into the U.S.’s national championship by finishing in the top four at a sectional qualifying round staged at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York on June 3. This will be Smith’s first appearance in a major–and in a PGA Tour event. The last Native American to compete at the U.S. Open was Jeff Curl, Wintu, son of former PGA Tour player Rod Curl, according to Stephen Tooshkenig, the president of ST Golf, which works with Native golfers to develop their game.
According to ST Golf, Smith has traveled the globe searching for a spot on the world’s biggest golf stage, the PGA Tour. He has competed on the Canadian Tour, Nationwide Tour, and international events. A humble golfer from New Hampshire, Smith has firm family roots planted in Ohsweken/Six Nations (“I actually lived up there last year with them while I played the Canadian (PGA) Tour,” Smith recently told Golfweek.). He has assisted with ST Golf golf clinics which develops the golfer from top to bottom. As a professional golfer Smith has been focused on helping Indian country reach new levels through his drive and dedication to the game of golf.
And as Smith has strengthened his ties to his Six Nations roots, he’s also reached out to a major Native golfing star: Notah Begay, Navajo/San Felipe/Isleta, a four-time PGA Tour winner. (Related: Tiger Woods to Join Notah Begay III for NB3 Foundation Challenge)
According to Golfweek, Smith called Begay last year. “Prepared to leave a voice mail, Smith was stunned when Begay answered the call and not only listened to a tale of frustration from a struggling professional, but offered advice. They’ve become friends, and when the news of what happened in Purchase made the rounds, one of the first calls to Smith was from Begay.”
Through this excitement, Smith is enjoying it all. “It really is a great feeling,” he said. “A bit overwhelming, but I’m dealing with that now and it’s all positives.”
The 113th U.S. Open Championship begins Thursday, June 13, at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Smith’s scheduled starting time is 2:42 p.m./ET. Follow the action online at USOpen.com. ESPN and NBC will split the coverage on the tournament’s opening day; check your local listings for details.
Vincent Schilling, Indian Country Today Media Network
Remember these ladies!? ICTMN takes a look back at the Conversations With Champions series, including a sit-down with the sensational Sisters. Read more at https://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/06/09/eight-native-basketball-players-you-need-know-better-149785
After the incredible, unprecedented run through the 2013 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament that Shoni and Jude Schimmel, Umatilla, led the Louisville Cardinals on, ICTMN reached out to some of the most amazing and historically important Native hoops players to get their thoughts on the state of Native basketball, how to succeed in life and where they’re headed next–including from the Sisters themselves. “Let’s give them somethintg to talk about!,” we promised. And so we kicked off a Conversations With Champions series, sitting down with eight basketball trailblazers, champions and builders for some one-on-ones. Here is a recap of the series, in case you missed any of the engaging discussions. These are men and women you need to know.
ONE: Cliff Johns, the first Native American to play for legendary NCAA coach Lute Olsen at the University of Arizona, shared his thoughts on how to overcome tough circumstances and succeed in life, what the amazing Jim Valvano taught him and how the Schimmels have inspired him and Indian country.
Cliff Johns
“There were three simple factors about life and basketball that Jimmy Valvano would share with his players and basketball campers. One: Your family. Jimmy would talk about family and how important they are. They are your support system and number one throughout the whole process. You have to love and respect your family and listen to them.
Two: The love for the sport. The passion, the dedication, the blood sweat and tears and how much time you put into it into learning the fundamentals is the second most important part.
Three: Your spirituality. You have to have some sort of spiritual roots and spiritual identity going through this process.
You have to keep these three concepts in mind to be successful in life and successful on the basketball court. I have always kept this in my mind. In paralleling this with the Schimmel sisters, they have all of these qualities. It is obvious through their parents and the support and love that they have. They also have that cultural aspect, which drew a lot of attention.”
TWO: In catching up with Kenny Dobbs, the all-universe dunking star, he discussed the great accomplishments of Native Americans on the hardwood in 2013 and about his own life choices that have led to his success and which drive him to help American Indian youth.
The sky-walking Kenny Dobbs
“Part of the testimony that I share with kids when I go out and do tours and speaking engagements is figuring out what your dream is and what your goal is in life. Whether you believe in God or not, we have a greater purpose instead of just partying it up. There is something that each one of us has a destiny to fulfill. We have all been given a talent to be used for that purpose.
You have to figure out that talent. Maybe you’re not a basketball player or dunker – maybe you write poetry, or sing or make beats, or you are a doctor. Whatever it is, if you have different dreams and talents, the main message is to focus on those things and put energy into it now instead of later on.
I was given a second chance at life. I capitalized on that opportunity. I tell kids, ‘either change your life right now hearing my story and watching these cool dunks’ or later you might remember this message and change your life out of desperation. Make these changes because of inspiration, as opposed to being back against the wall and make the changes out of desperation.”
THREE: University of Kansas star guard Angel Goodrich sat down with ICTMN soon after being drafted into the WNBA, only the second Native American to be so. A contemporary of the Schimmel Sisters, Goodrich is now starring with the Tulsa Shock. Among a wide variety of subjects, the Cherokee hoopster shared on how she has overcome obstacles to succeed.
Goodrich is now a Shock.
“I am teachable. I like to learn new stuff and if it is going to make me better or help me adjust to a different style of play I am willing to learn, listen to others, be a sponge and take everything in. If they’re going to make me better I am willing to do whatever it takes. I think that is how my personality has always been. I want to get better every single day. If someone comes in and wants to teach me something new, I’m down for it no matter what their age is or whoever it is. That taught me how to get where I am.”
FOUR: ICTMN was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with Hall-of-Famer Reyneldi Becenti, who was the first Native American to play in the WNBA and the first woman to be inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame. She discussed her climb to the top, what it takes to succeed as a Native woman hooops player and what her thoughts are about the accomplishments of Native American basketball players today.
Becenti, during her Scottsdale CC days. She’s in that school’s Hall of Fame.
“You cannot teach passion and you cannot teach heart toward the game of basketball. It comes from within you. At a young age I was instilled with a passion to love the game of basketball. I wanted it so much. I was inspired by my parents who played in Indian reservation tournaments. They had passion and heart and loved basketball.
I grew up being a gym rat and at that time I didn’t have a Native American who was out there playing college ball or anything, so that was one of my motivations. When I saw Cheryl Miller playing on the Olympic team, and I saw that she was African-American, she became one of my role models. On top of all this, I thought, maybe I could be the first.
For me, I just had that driving force to accomplish so much. My dad said that I was given talent and I was given the gift of basketball. He told me about peer pressure and that people would be jealous. I was given that push from him. Once I became a good player, I knew I had to push 10 times harder to get where I wanted to get to.”
FIVE: Two-time Continental Basketball Association champion with the Yakama Sun Kings Richard Dionne was about to complete his master’s degree in counseling when ICTMN caught up with the Fort Peck small forward. A truly great player who played his way into a professional contract with the Sun Kings, a childhood dream, Dionne will be inspiring generations of Native youth by becoming a student counselor–another dream of his that he realized through hard work and dedication. Dionne told what it was like to win titles, shared about his personal accomplishments in education and offered what he thinks about the recent successes of Native basketball players.
Dionne: proud Native, master’s degree earner
“I think in any situation, there are going to be barriers [to success for American Indian youth]. It depends on the choices you make. I knew the choices that I had to make to get where I needed to be.
It was also nice having a great support system from my family growing up to include my Mom and Dad growing up, and now my wife, Nettie, and my kids. That is now my motivation, to do better for them each and every day.
A lot of students and a lot of kids growing up probably do not have that support system. They might choose the wrong friends and hang out with the wrong people. The big thing is the choices that we make growing up. Yes, there are all these different obstacles and barriers, but you can choose whether to do that or not.”
SIX: Cofounder of the Native American Basketball Invitational basketball tournament GinaMarie Scarpa was nothing but positivity when she spoke with ICTMN, and the bearer of good news about the upcoming 2013 NABI tournament. While she isn’t a player the way the other of our seven stars are, Scarpa is a major player in helping Native youth succeed through basketball. And in our eyes, that makes her a champion we needed to speak with. Scarpa discussed the state of the NABI, its exciting growth, and her thoughts about the accomplishments of Native American basketball players this year.
Scarpa, with NIGA’s Ernie Stevens Jr
“NABI’s ultimate goal is for the advancement of Native American athletes. Through our tournaments, programs and college fund, NABI is a tool to showcase and create opportunities for our talented youth. Sports are a tool in which we create these opportunities. We want to encourage our Native youth to know they can accomplish anything if they put their minds to it and tap into the power of believing in themselves. We will be there to assist them in their journey.”
SEVEN AND EIGHT: Finally, we caught up with the Sisters themselves, Jude and Shoni Schimmel. These young women thrilled Indian country and are inspiring girls to aspire to follow in their footsteps–on the court and off. The Schimmels sat down with ICTMN to discuss their devotion to basketball, the hype that has engulfed them and what they will do next.
“Shoni: It’s an honor for both Jude and I to be an inspiration to so many people. To represent Native American people just by playing basketball and for us to do something we both love and get so much out of is a privilege.
Jude: It’s fun to do something we love and at the same time affect people positively. It is a privilege and a blessing.”
Richard Walker, Indian Country Today Media Network
My bowling partner’s ball hugged the edge of the lane before curving into the pocket. He started game one with a spare, and followed with a strike and a spare in the next two frames.
My performance? Not so good.
Keep your eye on your mark, my partner reminded me. When I finally got a strike, he gave me a high five and was as happy as if he had gotten it.
My partner, Cosmo Castellano, is the winner of the Pepsi State Bowling Championship. He bowled a 202 high game and a 505 series to win the title in his age group May 19 at Pacific Lanes in Tacoma, Washington.
Some bowlers say he could be the next Earl Anthony, the Professional Bowlers Association Hall of Famer who hailed from Tacoma. Here’s the kicker: Cosmo is 7 years old.
Cosmo, Hawaiian/Filipino/Haida/Tsimshian, is the son of Zachary and Rosita Castellano of Tacoma and a member of the Argel family of Metlakatla, Alaska. Cosmo’s grand-uncle is the late Julian Argel, who served in the Office of Minority Affairs at the University of Washington, directed education and social programs for Native communities in Washington and Alaska, and helped develop curricula for Native education.
Cosmo Castellano autographed the score sheet at Tower Lanes in Tacoma April 28. (Molly Neely-Walker)
Cosmo is a leading youth bowler in Washington state. This year, he won the state Division 3 Classic Masters title; during practice, he bowled a 220, his highest non-league score. Of state Little Juniors League bowlers, he led the list of top 50 bowlers for 26 of 28 weeks of the 2012-13 season, and led in high scratch games (189), high scratch series (471), and high average (33 pins higher than the nearest competitor).
Rosita said her bowling phenom first rolled a ball down a lane at age 2. She and her husband were bowling and they heard a ball in the lane next to them. It was Cosmo.
The boy started bowling regularly at age 3. His dad, a competitive amateur bowler, started his son with a 6-pound ball his first year, and Cosmo was bowling with a 12-pounder by age 5-and-a-half. Cosmo now bowls three days a week, including six to eight hours on weekends, and competes in tournaments throughout western Washington. Cosmo has topped his dad 201-173 and 188-187.
To handle his 12-pound ball—only four pounds lighter than his dad’s—Cosmo uses a two-handed style similar to his favorite pro bowler, Jason Belmonte, 2009 PBA Rookie of the Year.
Rosita, a reading specialist at Gates High School in Tacoma, said the science of bowling engages her son’s curious mind. He likes the challenge of a spare, figuring out ball speed and amount of spin needed to pick it up. Cosmo likes the challenge of getting a knocking down a split, and once picked up a 6-7-10—easier to pick up because of the 6 pin, but a killer shot nonetheless.
Cosmo enjoys watching other bowlers on the lanes and on TV. His role models: Belmonte; Chris Barnes, the third bowler in PBA history to win Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors in a career; and Osku Palermaa of Finland, who’s bowled more than 50 perfect games.
“He’s made goals for himself,” said Rosita. “As a parent, you can’t ask for anything more for your child than for him to set goals and to self-assess [his progress].” One goal he’s set: A clean game, in which every frame has a strike or spare.
Cosmo has also learned valuable life lessons from the sport. “He had a rough spot in his early 5s,” Rosita said of Cosmo’s sportsmanship. “He’s learned to encourage other bowlers, to be collegial. He still enjoys the game even when he doesn’t bowl well.”
When he won the state championship, Cosmo’s parents asked him, “Do you know what you did? You’re the best bowler in the state,” Rosita said, “It didn’t faze him. It was nice to not see him gloat. He was more concerned about being with his friends.”
Cosmo is indeed a collegial player. When I left a hidden pin standing in a spare attempt, Cosmo said, “That was a sleeper,” and gave me five for a good try.
Cosmo applies the same discipline in school that he does on the lanes. He’s a first-grader at Brookdale Elementary School in Tacoma but participates in the third-grade reading program. He’s received several Bobcat Excellence awards (the bobcat is his school’s mascot) for attendance, courtesy and thoughtfulness. He studies Northwest Native culture through his school district’s Indian Education Program.
The money he and other youth bowlers win is placed by the league in a college tuition savings account, his mother said.
Cosmo and I closed out our third and final game with strikes in the 10th frame, and Cosmo finished in the lead by 37 pins.
I asked, and he shyly gave me his autograph. It’s not the first he’s been asked for. It likely won’t be his last.
For two hours in early April, the largest draw at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino in northeastern Oregon wasn’t at a poker table but on a ballroom’s big screen. The casino, operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, sponsored a viewing party to watch two of the tribes own compete in the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Championship.
Playing for the University of Louisville, sisters Shoni and Jude Schimmel have become heroes to Native Americans and that native pride is resonating throughout not only their 2,800-member tribe but throughout Indian Country. Louisville’s remarkable run ended with a 93-60 heartbreaking loss to the University of Connecticut, but the sisters’ feat and their continued play will serve as an inspiration for generations in Indian Country.
“We are extremely proud of Shoni and Jude Schimmel and deeply appreciative of the recognition they have brought to our people,” said LesMinthorn, the Tribe’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
The sisters’ love of the game is evident when their playing in a national championship game or in a pick up game at home which can include anyone from their four-year-old brother to their mother and father. “On any given day, I think we’re just ready to play ball,” said Shoni, a 5’9” junior guard. “That’s our competitive nature in us. We just want to go out there and win. We just want to have fun and compete.”
Basketball runs in the Schimmel family’s blood. The sisters’ father, Rick, played for one year at Stanford University and their mother, Ceci, a high school basketball coach played ball for Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon. The sisters began playing ball at around four years old in a co-ed basketball tournament for four-to-six year old players. Pushed in particular by their older brother, Shae, the sisters continued to improve their game and were later the subject of a documentary, “Off the Rez” that featured the Schimmel family leaving the reservation in pursuit of more opportunities for the family.
During her highly successful high school basketball career, Shoni opted to wait until after her senior year to choose a college. Unlike most highly sought after recruits, Shoni said she made the decision to wait because she wanted to enjoy being in high school. “I decided to go to the University of Louisville because – through the recruiting process – Coach (Jeff)Walz and staff stayed with me through the whole thing,” said Shoni describing the respect shown to her by Louisville. “They stayed with me and kept interest and didn’t give up on me.”
When Jude was ready to choose a college, she decided to follow her sister. “It’s really rare to get to play a Division I sport with your sister and I wanted to share the experience with her,” said Jude, a 5’6” sophomore guard.
In August 2011, the Louisville women’s basketball team visited the Umatilla Reservation on their way to Canada to play in a tournament. During the three-day visit, the team held a basketball clinic for youth and visited with tribal leaders. The team also visited the tribe’s Tamastslikt Cultural Institute for a tour of the museum and to learn tribal history and legends.
“Everyone wanted to see what the reservation was all about,” said Shoni noting that some teammates thought tribal members still lived in teepees. The trip was unifying for the team and for the sisters. “It was weird to have our immediate family and our basketball team family there,” Shoni said. “But it all came together. It was the best of both worlds.”
For both, the most remarkable moment in this year’s NCAA tournament run was the 82-81 defeat of the defending national champions Baylor Bears. Going in a 24-point underdog in a Sweet 16 match up, the charge was uphill for the fifth-seeded Louisville team. Late in the game, Shoni ran a fast break and defending the basket was 6’8” Britney Griner. Shoni drove the key, dribbled left and with her back to Griner and the hoop – she popped a shot off the glass for two. The shot exemplifies the next level game. Griner didn’t know what happened and she would have to review the film to see what would be the most exciting play of the tournament.
“We worked as a team and it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” Shoni said. “It was very special to all of us and it was amazing to feel like that.” Jude echoed her sister’s sentiments. “It was an incredible feeling and one of the biggest upsets in history,” Jude said.
The sisters’ credit their family for their success and for their strong connection to their tribe. As children, they dressed in traditional regalia handcrafted by their great grandmother and performed the Lord’s Prayer in sign language at local churches. The sisters’ younger family members continue to wear
the regalia as part of their family traditions. The sisters also credit much of their tribal knowledge to their grandmothers and father.
The pair used to dance when they were younger at tribal events such as the tribes’ Fourth of July powwow held at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino. However, the sisters’ college courses and basketball schedule may keep them from attending this year’s powwow.
Both do plan to one day possibly work for their tribe. First, each would like to be in the WNBA or play professionally overseas. However, Shoni, a communications major, and Jude, a sociology major, would like to eventually use their degrees to help Native people on the reservation.
“We both want to give back,” said Jude of returning to the reservation. Shoni also is considering the possibility of opening a restaurant that features traditional Native foods. “I want to make it known that we have our own foods too,” Shoni said. Holding on to their Native heritage is important for both. Jude said she is inspired to succeed by the Native Americans who helped pave the road for the sisters.
The Schimmel sisters will continue to do some paving of their own when the Louisville Cardinals return next year. And because of the Schimmel’s inspiring dedication, a watershed of Native American talented student athletes will begin to flow.
We thank the Creator.
Steve Cadue is Tribal Chairman of the Kickapoo Nation. He can be reached by email at steve.cadue@ktik-nsn.gov.
