Vincent Schilling - Native Athletes in Action

2007 by Vincent Schilling

Cover design: Warren Jefferson
Interior design: Gwynelle Dismukes
Photo credits on

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, except for brief quotations in reviews, without written permission from the publisher.

Published in the United States by
7th Generation, an imprint of Book Publishing Co.
P.O. Box 99
Summertown, TN 38483
1-888-260-8458

Printed in Canada

ISBN 978-0-9779183-0-0

14 13 12 11 10 09 7 6 5 4 3 2

Schilling, Vincent.

Native athletes in action! / Vincent Schilling.

p. cm. -- (Native trailblazers)

ISBN 978-0-9779183-0-0

1. Indian athletes--Biography--Juvenile literature. 2. Indians of North America--Sports--Juvenile literature. I. Title.

GV697.A1S415 2007
796.0922--dc22

2007006434

I would like to dedicate this book to two
people: my father, Ray Schilling, who taught me
kindness, compassion, and honesty, and to my
beautiful wife, Delores, without whom I could
not have accomplished this much.

RICHARD DIONNE (Sioux)
CBA Basketball Champion

CHERI BECERRA-MADSEN (Omaha)
Wheelchair Racing Olympian, World Record Holder

CORY WITHERILL (Navajo)
Indy Race Car Driver

ALWYN MORRIS (Mohawk)
Olympic Gold Medalist in Kayaking

NAOMI LANG (Karuk)
Ice Dancer, Olympian, Figure Skater

BEAU KEMP (Choctaw and Chickasaw)
Baseball Player

SHELLY HRUSKA (Mtis)
Ringette Team Canada

JORDIN TOOTOO (Inuit)
National Hockey League

MIKE EDWARDS (Cherokee)
Bowler, PBA Champion

ROSS ANDERSON (Cheyenne/Arapaho, Mescalero Apache)
Downhill Speed Skier

STEPHANIE MURATA (Osage)
National Wrestling Champion

JIM THORPE (Sauk and Fox)
Olympian/Football/Baseball

DELBY POWLESS (Mohawk)
Lacrosse Champion

This book has been a fantastic journey for me, as well as a great gift. I spoke with amazing athletes who were full of enthusiasm and humility. Their accomplishments have been impressive. I feel honored to have transcribed their lifes efforts. (I hope I have done all of you justice.)

I would like to thank Warren Jefferson, Jerry Hutchens, Gwynelle Dismukes, and Bob Holzapfel, who led me through the publishing process with kind words, constructive criticism and friendly advice. Thank you so much. I would also like to thank Henry Martin for his moral support and use of his resources. Thank you to those who have shown their loving support: Mary Schilling, Sharon Anderson, Mary and Parker Keller. And once again, thanks to a group of incredibly talented athletes whose lives will help shape and improve the lives and aspirations of a new generation of athletes.

These stories you are about to read illustrate how to make a dream come true, and still stay connected to the family and heritage that are part of your inner strength. In every case, these dreams were nurtured by family, friends, or coaches, or a combination of supporters. Delby Powless credits his coach, Paul Wehrum, with putting him on the right track at a time when he was distracted by partying. Beau Kemp followed in his fathers footsteps and got his motivation from his desire to please his dad. The majority of people in this book had tremendous support from their families, whether they were adopted or with their natural parents.

Each of these stories begins with a dream, a vision, a desire. And each athlete set goals and proceeded to achieve them one by one, step by step. Despite obstacles, setbacks, and resistance, these men and women kept going in the direction of their hearts desire. Each of them chose NOT to be a victimof circumstance or discriminationbut a victor in the game of life. Sports was the avenue that allowed them to succeed in that choice, but these same inner qualities can be applied to any path a person decides to follow.

For all, a major source of their inner strength has been their Native heritage. This connection was powerfully demonstrated by Alwyn Morris when he bowed his head and raised an eagle feather on the Olympic platform as a symbol of his Native roots and the spiritual messenger that had visited him during his training.

Often, there were many difficulties to be overcome, proving success is the embodiment of talent and perseverance. Cory Witherill showed incredible perseverance in the face of multiple serious injuries to win his spot in the Indy 500 championship race. Mike Edwards came back from a devastating loss that might have ended another bowlers career, risking his reputation to push beyond his failure and achieve a crowning victory. And then there is Cheri Becerra-Madsen, who triumphed over a triple set of obstacles. As she explains it, Im not only a Native, Im also a woman, and in a wheelchair. Cherie became an Olympic and Paralympic medal winner, and world record-holder in her field.

All of these athletes have used their success to be a force for good in their own communities. Almost everyone here has an organization, program, or affiliation that promotes opportunities for Native youth, or has opened the door for Native people in a sport where there were no people of color at all. In giving back, these athletes have made their success complete, for they are nurturing a new generation with the potential to achieve even more.

Sports itself offers many benefits. The physical activity involved can help thwart issues of obesity, diabetes, and other health-related problems that currently face Native and non-Native youth alike. The guidance, direction, and self-discipline provided by sports can help raise self-esteem, and steady progress toward a chosen goal can be an ongoing source of empowerment. Time spent in athletics means less time spent in bored isolation or destructive behaviors, and local sports events create opportunities for social interaction and bonding among families and neighbors.

People of all colors and genders, ages and occupations can be motivated and guided by these stories. I hope they will open you up to new possibilities for your life, or give you added motivation to continue on your chosen path. Whatever the case, I encourage you to dream an amazing dream for yourself and then go out and live it.