Emily Miller
Arizona State University Women’s Lacrosse Team

Native Vision Journal
No words can really describe how rewarding my experience was teaching lacrosse to the children on the White River Reservation. For three days US Lacrosse gave me the opportunity to go up to the white mountains of Arizona to volunteer for the organization Native Vision. I went with the intentions of teaching lacrosse and life skills, but never did I think that in return the campers would serve as inspiration and encouragement to me in my own personal life.

The Arrival
When we arrived to the reservation we were told that there was going to be a welcome ceremony. All the professional athletes (aka coaches) lined up in the hallway outside the gymnasium where all the campers, chaperones, and volunteers were eagerly awaiting our entrance. Then we entered one-by-one as the MC announced our names and our backgrounds relating to the sport we would be coaching. As I entered, there I was in front of hundreds of kids getting cheers and a round-of-applause. I didn’t know any of these kids but they were so excited to see me and my fellow athletes. They were on their feet shouting and praising us because in their eyes we were the best of the best. At that moment I was lifted up. I was on cloud nine and was feeling like a celebrity. In some odd way I was self actualizing the fact that, yeah, I should be proud of myself for all the hard work and time I have investing in lacrosse. The verbal affirmation felt so good and really got me excited to hit the field and start coaching.

Skills and Drills
Like every other kid, skills and drills can grow to become mundane after awhile. As part of the USL coaching group, we had to start off with teaching the basics. We broke them into small groups and had them rotate between stations including; catching/passing, cradling/stick skills, shooting, and groundballs. The kids were excited to finally pick up the sticks and learn some new skills. I’d say after about 5 minutes I heard, "Can we just play already". Haha they were so eager to get in an actual game and score. The basic drills felt like they had drug on after teaching cradling 4 times in a row but, we knew that these basics were necessary if we wanted to progress these kids into a scrimmage scenario.

Organized Chaos
These kids were your typical day campers; some overly excited that they would hustle to every station, some whose parents forced them to sign up, some who were shy, some who were athletic, and some who were not so athletic. The dynamic of the group was quite entertaining if you ask me. A modge-podge of organized chaos is what we looked like. At the beginning of the skills and drills we asked, "Who has played lacrosse before"? Several hands went up which was a promising sign. These kids were the aspiring lacrosse athletes who you could obviously tell enjoyed the game and better yet had returned to Native Vision for another summer camp.

Native Vision
Native Vision is the organization that puts on these summer camps for the Native American communities. They alternate their camps between several different reservations throughout the United States. They bring together partnering organizations like the NFL players association, USL, and Nike. They promote life skills and lessons like staying in school, seeking a higher education, making the most of every opportunity, living a healthy lifestyle, and being a leader. The entire tone of the camp was inspiring for coaches and campers alike. Through sports our goals as coaches was to reach these kids and to demonstrate to them that with hard work and dedication they too could become a professional in their field of choice.

High-Fives Rock!
My favorite part of camp was when we finally started breaking the kids into teams. My team, I’ll have you know, was undefeated. We also came back from a 3 point deficit in our first game. The reason for our comeback victory?….. HIGH FIVES! We were, Team Terminator, a rather masculine name for a team mostly comprised of 9 and 10 year old girls. Whatever, we were Team Terminator and we relished in the fact that we were playing teams with lame names like Team Bacon, or the Tigers. LAME! Team Terminator had every intention of starting off with a bang, and then…. We actually started playing. Things didn’t start off as planned. In a matter of maybe 5 minutes Team Lame Name scored three quick goals on us. Our team started losing interest and it was obvious that already they had defeat written across their faces. We needed a goal and we needed one fast. FINALLY Team Terminator put a point on the board. "That’s what I am talking about", I shouted. "Give me a high-five"!! As I gave the shooter a high-five, I felt the need to line up Team Terminator and insisted that everyone held out their hands so I could run by and give everyone a high-five. The girl who scored ran down the row of her teammates and made sure to high-five everyone in line. Whoa! Who knew high-fives rocked that much?!? The kids immediately began to perk-up and from that moment on, high-fives would become Team Terminator’s secret weapon. These kids loved giving and receiving high-fives. In fact, our team’s main goal was to score so that the shooter could run down the line of fellow players and get high-fived. I found myself jumping and cheering and high-fiving like it was a NCAA championship game! I was inspired, the kids were inspired, and Team Terminator would become the group of kids that I would spend most of my time with for the rest of camp.

Team Terminator
Through Team Terminator I was able to grow close to several campers. After our scrimmages we went to lunch and I was lucky enough to sit with several of the young girls from that team. We waited in the lunch line together, ate our meals together, and spent some time just chatting about family and school. One girl, Aliyah, gave me a tour of the school. As we went throughout the facility she would show me where basketball was and volleyball and track etc. etc. As we passed by every sport location she would demonstrate the sport. For instance, on the basketball courts she would shoot a free-throw, and in the volleyball facility, she would start serving. Aliyah was very athletic and you could tell she has played many sports. I asked her, "You are so good at sports, why did you choose lacrosse"? She responded, "Because all of the other sports are too easy". I laughed and she just smiled. Aliyah taught me a lot throughout camp. She really made me want to be a better role-model and really got me to thinking about how blessed I truly am.

Mr. Inspirational
After lunch we were given some time to chat with the kids and talk about lacrosse and what it means to us. We also were able to touch on how we got to where we are now, some of the struggles we faced, and we were able to instill those life lessons that Native Vision is based on. Neal Powless, a former professional MLL player spoke to the kids about the history of lacrosse. He told the kids that it was a Native sport and that he too was a Native. He was able to relate to the kids and tell them pretty much, if I can do it, you can too. He touched on higher education and how important it is. He also mentioned some of the struggles he has faced in getting to where he is now. Neal was able to give these kids hope. He also inspired me as a younger player/coach. We were able to get the wheels spinning in the campers heads and you could tell that some of them really took to what we were saying. I don’t know the impact I will have on these kids, and I never will. The great part about volunteering for Native Vision is that it’s a 100% guarantee that I made a difference.

I Hate Goodbyes
The last day we were able to work with the kids for only about 1.5 hours and then we had to get back on the bus and head home. The coaches celebrated lacrosse with the kids by participating in a mixed scrimmage, players and coaches. The kids really enjoyed ganging up on us and challenging us with their new skills that they had learned the past few days. Like any other coach, we get addicted to seeing our kids progress and get better over time. Watching these kids cradle, pass, catch, dodge, and score was rewarding beyond belief. To watch high-fives, cheering, and smiling just reassured me that what we came to do here on the reservation was beyond teaching those lacrosse basics. It was about giving these kids hope and something to be proud of. We were there to reach those kids and to build them up and give them the love and verbal affirmation they needed. When were done playing, we gave all the kids a new stick and ball to take home to keep practicing. We awarded some of the top players who worked hard throughout the entire camp and who deserved some special credit.

All in All
Overall like I said before, it is hard to describe the rewards derived from this experience. I went with the intention of teaching and encouraging the kids, but I feel like I was the one who came out encouraged the most. The campers reminded me of how lacrosse has impacted my life and that even just throwing the ball around for fun can bring great rewards. Being on the reservation made me realize again how blessed I am and how fortunate even having the opportunity to participate in sports is something should not be taken for granted. I would without a doubt love to continue to volunteer for Native Vision and fingers crossed that I will be able to see the same kids next year.

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