SPORTS
Sports and the accompanying dynamics help us to develop in allfour quadrants of the Medicine Wheel. Physically, sports help us to stay healthy and provide an outlet for our body to function in a good way. Mentally, they make our brains sharp and improve our decision-making ability. Emotionally, they teach us how to face great loss or disappointment. Spiritually, they show us that win or lose, we all play
together. Being physically active has always been
a big part of Indigenous cultures, past and present.
Our ancestors practised sports such as lacrosse and long
distance running. Eastern Woodlands First Nations played lacrosse.
In Cherokee, the lacrosse game was called, “da-nah-wah’uwsdi,” which translates as “little war.” And in Mohawk it was called “Tewaarathon,” meaning “little brother of war.” In many Indigenous communities prior to the arrival of horses, individuals would act as messengers, carrying news. Sometimes they would run for weeks to carry news across Indian Country. In fact, some grandmothers from the Northern California tribes tell stories of runners who would become so immersed in running that they would enter a meditative state and could run through time.
The short-term benefits of playing sports include increased
self-esteem, increased ability to deal with mental and emotional
challenges, a release for stress, and strengthening of the muscles.
Long-term benefits of physical activity include preventing life-
threatening diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and some types of
cancer. Sports can also teach us how to make good decisions and
how to work together as a team. As you play more sports, you
discover how to think on your feet and you gain the strength to
overcome challenges, both on the field and off.
Participating in athletics gives you more energy and a greater
incentive to live a healthy lifestyle. Sports can also aid in
developing a sense of community, healthy friendships, and
healthy competition. Playing sports helps instill life lessons that
are essential for the growth and development of a human being.
These excellent lessons include, but are not limited to, self-
discipline, responsibility, confidence, sacrifice, perseverance, hard
work, and accountability.
An appropriate level of physical activity can have far-reaching
positive effects on the health and mental development of young
people. A healthy body and healthy mind are important; regular
exercise can give young people better control, and equip them to
overcome depression, anxiety, and other disorders. Young people
who are involved in sports and physical activity are more likely to
be successful in staying away from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
The myth that athletes are not as strong in the classroom has
been shown to be false according to a World Health Organization
research study that found “Youth that are more physically active
demonstrate higher academic performance at school.” (WHO.
Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health Physical
Activity and Health, 2013)
Billy Mills, an iconic track and field athlete of our time and winner
of an Olympic gold medal, talks about the power of sports in
helping our young people fulfill their destinies. He utilized sports
as an avenue for success and a guiding force to help him steer
clear of bad decisions. In his interview for this manual, he shares
his story behind the story:
“What I took from sport: it’s the journey and not the destination that empowers us. . . .It’s the daily decisions that we make in our lives, not just the talent we possess that choreographs our destiny. It was the daily decisions I made to train.”
(Mills, B. Interview, 2013)
Sometimes our young people may feel that they are not meant to
be athletes or that they just aren’t athletic. There are those youth
who feel they are not big enough to play football or hockey. This
is simply not true. Theo Fleury was told all his life that he was too
small to play in the NHL. Yet he didn’t let that stop him; instead
he used those words to his advantage as motivation to improve.
He shared in his interview:
The reason I had success was because I worked harder than
anybody else, because I worked as hard as I did. I overcame
the obstacle of everyone telling me I was too small. They
[sports scouts] don’t always look at what’s inside of you and
sometimes that’s hard to detect, what’s inside of someone.
You just persevere, persevere, persevere. I was always the first
guy on the ice and the last to leave . . . and that’s how I really
overcame my size, was my enthusiasm and love for the game.”
(Fleury, T. Interview, 2013)
Playing sports involves not just winning, but also losing. Without
the heartbreak of losses, there would be no motivation to
improve, and we would never know how to truly appreciate
winning. If we do not give it our best we will never really know
what we could have accomplished. Waneek Horn-Miller, another
Olympic gold medalist, put it perfectly in her interview for this
manual, “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life thinking I could
have done that but I chose to give up. We come from 500 years
of ancestors that had that same stubborn streak in them. They
just refused to give up. You have to remember that blood runs in
our veins.” (Horn-Miller, W., Interview, 2013)
The iconic Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox Native American, is
considered to be one of the greatest athletes in the world. He
had a unique method of mentally preparing for competition:
Among the athletes competing in the 1912 Olympic Games
in Stockholm Sweden, Thorpe had his own way of preparing
for the games that was unlike the preparation of his peers
who were busy doing physical exercises as they travelled
across the Atlantic Ocean on a gigantic ship headed for the
games. Thorpe’s way was to engage in a mental exercise. He
placed a little pebble a certain distance away from him, and
for long periods of time he concentrated his attention on
that little pebble. Then he would place the pebble further
away from him, where he would do the same thing, and so
forth. In doing so, he was visualizing himself performing with
his best effort and accomplishing his dreams. Mr. Thorpe
was exercising his willpower.
(Lane Jr., P. Personal communication, 2013)
Willpower is the engine that advances your potentiality in
all domains of human learning. The more you exercise your
willpower, the stronger your engine will be. Willpower is a
necessary force in sports.
Five Practical Ways to be a Good Athlete
1. Practise, practise, practise.
2. Remember that there is no “I” in team.
3. Don’t let winning go to your head and don’t let losing go
to your heart.
4. Sports are 10% physical and 90% mental.
5. You can always improve your performance.