\u201cWe\u2019re sending our youths to compete in sports, but also for fellowship with Canadian tribes,\u201d said Tribal Council member Prisllena Rabbit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSharing our cultures, and experiencing the games together makes us all stronger as Native peoples.\u201d<\/p>\n
Girls basketball coach Britteny Whiteman said the competition\u2019s tough, but she believes her team has a good chance to go deep into the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be up against some advanced college-level players, but our practices have been going well, and the girls are working as a team,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Leslie Lang, 19, of Towaoc, said she\u2019s excited about the trip to a different country, her first.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a little nervous for the competition, but once I\u2019m on the court with my teammates, we focus on the game and just work together,\u201d she said. \u201cThe key to our success is staying positive, and really just be there to enjoy the moment and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ute Mountain Ute competitor Timber Manning, 15, says she\u2019s excited about exploring another part of the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be going to Niagara Falls, and I want to make new friends. Explaining some of the Ute culture and traditions we have here is part of it too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sense of pride during the opening ceremonies is inspiring and a lifelong memory, coach Whiteman said. \u201cIt\u2019s just like the Olympics \u2013 big crowds and ceremonies where each tribe is represented.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2002, Whiteman\u2019s team brought home a bronze medal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big thing is that our kids are representing our tribe, state and country,\u201d she said. \u201cOf course the goal is to earn a medal and make the podium. I\u2019ll be taking mine for them to pass around and get motivated!\u201d<\/p>\n
Ute Mountain Ute competitors are: Tamea Casey (swimming), Talia Casey, Mannie Wall and Kolton Begay (archery), Kerwin Tom (wrestling), Tiffiny Mills and Malia Begay (volleyball), and Leslie Lang, Timber Manning Iryana Dale, Kateri Bancroft, Roman Montoya, Tyler Morris and Lonnie Dutchie Jr. (basketball), and Trinity Lopez and John White (track).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWe\u2019re sending our youths to compete in sports, but also for fellowship with Canadian tribes,\u201d said Tribal Council member Prisllena Rabbit. \u201cSharing our cultures, and experiencing the games together makes us all stronger as Native peoples.\u201d Girls basketball coach Britteny Whiteman said the competition\u2019s tough, but she believes her team has a good chance to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,561,29,2343],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-69580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-native-american","tag-newsletter","tag-sports-group"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69580"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=69580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}