Sports
Local students play Blackfoot High School varsity football
Blackfoot High School varsity players Gabe Fasthorse (left) and Clarence George.
By DANA HERNANDEZ
Sho-Ban News
BLACKFOOT — The Blackfoot Bronco’s varsity team played the Skyline Grizzlies on Friday, September 18 where they were defeated with a final score of 3 to 14.
The Broncos are in the 4A High Country league and have an overall record of 3 to 1. Their next home game is this Friday, where they will go against the Preston Indians who have a record of 2 to 1.
Players from the Broncos varsity team are Gabe Fasthorse, a senior who plays defensive lineman; and Clarence George who is a senior who also plays defensive lineman.
Also present during BHS Friday night lights was marching band member, Jeremy Hernandez who plays the sousaphone.
BHS student Jeremy Hernandez plays sousaphone for the marching band.
Bagley plays Highland Freshman football
Highland High School Freshman player Trayson Bagley in the game against Pocatello High
School Thursday, September 17 in Pocatello.
POCATELLO — The Highland High School Boys Freshman football team lost to Pocatello High School 16 to 34 on Thursday, September 17 at Irving Middle School.
Sho-Ban tribal member Trayson Bagley, #72, is one of the Native students playing for the Highland Freshman team.
The next Highland Freshman game is at home on Thursday, September 24 where they play Madison High School.
Trayson Bagley playing defense blocking a Poky player.
Lopez plays Hawthorne 8th grade volleyball
Hawthorne 8th grade volleyball player Mylah Lopez.
POCATELLO — The Hawthorne Hawks 8th grade volleyball team won three straight sets against Irving Middle School Tuesday, September 22.
Shoshone-Bannock Tribal member Mylah Lopez plays for the team.
Fort Hall Recreation launches kickball league
Fort Hall Recreation kickball team Waka Shame defeats Balls to the Fence 12 to 1 on Thursday, September 17 in Fort Hall.
By ROSELYNN YAZZIE
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — Fort Hall Recreation started their fall leagues last week and are featuring kickball for the first time, in addition to outdoor women and co-ed volleyball.
Tadrachel “Sister” Murray, Youth Activities Coordinator, explained with COVID going on they know there are a lot of people at home looking for something to do. They wanted to try something different.
“We hope it grows and becomes successful, because it seems pretty fun,” she said.
Kickball is played every Thursday with eight teams competing. There are eight to 10 players per team and she anticipates the season will go until it gets cold, or by the end of November.
Rules for kickball include, a player is allowed three strikes, foul balls are equal to strikes. The player can be hit by the ball, however, if they’re hit in the head and they’re running they can still take their base.
“Our biggest rule is to have fun out here,” said Murray.
Aaron Martin tags out Courtney Morgan.
The Waka Shame team defeated Balls to the Fence 12-1 during Thursday’s September 18 game.
Sunflower Begay played on the team Balls to the Fence, she played with her children, Ruben, Clara, Leroy and Gabriel.
She said the most challenging part of the game was catching the bouncy ball and having a short team.
Begay said her first game was fun and she hasn’t played since elementary school.
“That’s almost one hundred years ago,” she said laughing.
Stephen Farmer pitches the kickball.
Begay said she decided to play because she was asked and they never had a league like this for a long time.
“It was fun because my kids got to play with me too,” she said.
Local teams compete at Northern Plains Indian Relay; Teton Team, Tissidimit win championship races
Teton Team with rider Miaus Teton won the Northern Plains Indian Relay Championship on Saturday, September 19 in Miles City, Montana.
MILES CITY, Mont. — Local teams traveled to the Northern Plains Indian Relay races where Teton Team with rider Miaus Teton won the championship race on Saturday, September 19 in Miles City, Montana. Teton also won the Chief race championship.
The Fort Hall teams included Teton Team with rider Miaus Teton, Beegup Relay with rider Jamo Chavez and Tissidimit team. Trevor Beasley rode for Two Nations.
Tissidimit team with rider Brailey Tissidimit won the Women’s Relay Championship Saturday, September 19. Tissidimit also won the Maiden Race championship.
Tissidimit team with rider Brailey Tissidimit wins the Women's Relay championship race on
September 19.
Trevor Beasley won first place in the Chief race, Heat 1 on Friday, September 18.
First Native American races at Tour de France
By JOHN LEICESTER
AP Sports Writer
LE PECQ, France (AP) — A late draft to the Tour de France, Neilson Powless didn't have time to scramble together a turtle necklace, the spirit animal of his Native American tribe, or paint one of their wampum bead belts on the frame of the bike that he's ridden for three punishing weeks, over 3,300 kilometers (2,000 miles) of roads.
But although unable to carry the Oneida Tribe's symbols with him, the Tour rookie has become a powerful symbol himself as the first tribally recognized Native North American to have raced in the 117-year-old event.
Not only has Powless survived cycling's greatest and most grueling race, he distinguished himself in a crop of exciting young talents who helped set this Tour alight. Crossing the finish in Paris on Sunday will, he hopes, resonate on reservations back in the United States.
“My main hope is that I can be a positive role model for young indigenous kids who have a lot going against them,” Powless, who turned 24 during the race, told The Associated Press. “I think finishing the Tour de France is a testament to years of hard work and dedication to a lifelong dream. Hopefully I can help drive kids to setting their mind to a goal and going after it.”
“It must make it a lot easier when you can see somebody else who is doing it, or has done it,” he adds.
Word of Powless' feats in France has already filtered back to the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin. The tribal chairman, Tehassi Hill, says the cyclist is blazing “a trail of journey, hope and inspiration.”
“Whenever one of our own, from the Oneida community, are in the spotlight, it definitely does not go unnoticed. Neilson's journey and accomplishments I'm sure are spoken of at many gatherings here in Oneida,” Hill told the AP.
“Even during a pandemic, he did not falter or give up on his dreams,” the Oneida leader added. “This is an important message not only to our youth here in Oneida, but to everyone in our community.”
Powless traces his Oneida heritage back to his grandfather, Matthew Powless. The ex-U.S. Army paratrooper lived on the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation in Wisconsin. He coached boxing and occasionally showed off his tribal smoke-dancing skills to his grandson. He died at age 80 in 2015.
“I saw him dance once or twice when I was younger, but I wish I could have watched him more,” says Powless, who grew up in Roseville, California. “He tried to get me into boxing for a few years and I would train at the gym he coached at sometimes when we would visit.”
The good news for American cycling is that Powless saw his future on a bike, instead. His main job at this Tour has been to ride in support of his team leader, veteran Colombian rider Rigoberto Uran. But Powless has also shown off his own strengths, particularly on arduous climbs. On Stage 6, his birthday, he was part of a small group that powered to the front of the race in a fight on the slopes of the Mont Aigoual, with stunning views across southern France. He placed fourth at the top.
“An amazing experience,” he says. “The win would have been nice.”
He distinguished himself again two days later, placing fifth on the brutal Stage 8 of climbing in the Pyrenees.
“This Tour will be a massive point of growth for him,” Jonathan Vaughters, his boss at the EF Pro Cycling team, told the AP. “Where that heads him is still unknown. But he certainly is coming out of the Tour a much better rider than he went in.”
The Tour confirms he is its first Native North American competitor. The cyclist hasn't made a fuss of his heritage. Vaughters says he only found out that Powless is one-quarter Oneida from the rider's dad just days before he took the Tour start on Aug. 29.
Still, when pressed, Powless proudly points out that he has a tribal ID recognizing him as one of the 16,500 Oneida members.
“The tribe has helped me financially with schooling. I have family on the reservation,” he says. “It's not that I just had a blood test one day and decided `Oh, I guess I'm Native American.' It is something I have, like, sort of grown up with and it has been part of my whole life and the tribe recognizes that as well.”
Told just days before the Tour that he was on the team, Powless says he didn't have time to discreetly decorate his bike or source a replacement for the turtle necklace he broke last year.
Still, based on his performances, he'll surely be back and able to fix that at future Tours.
“Normally I would have a painting of the Oneida bead belt, the wampum belt, somewhere on my bike, my garment, my shoe,” he said. “Just something really small, most people wouldn't even really see it. It's just something that I have always tried to keep close to me.”
Recreation News
Baskeball gym open
Basketball gym is now open for shooting around. Masks are required. 10 people maximum.
Last chance for fall league sign ups
Last chance to sign up for Fall leagues! Volleyball and Kickball.
Timbee Hall hours
Timbee Hall closes at 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
