"Wonders of America" – Rez Ball and Stickball

The Soccer World Cup is history and especially German sportsfans are lost in transition: No sports (soccer) and a rainy, cool summer – what to do? On the contrary, last weekend was an exiting and memorable one for Native Americans in the United States: First, the Iroquois National Lacrosse team finished 3rd in the World Championship in Denver/CO and, second, Shoni „Showtime“ Schimmel from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Pendleton/Oregon exceeded all expectations in the WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix and was voted MVP (most valuable player).

Especially native people are excited about the Schimmel sisters. Shoni (see pic, © Native News Online) and Jude demonstrated the basketball world that „Rez Ball“ is for real. Powwow dancing, which became popular again in the last years, is one thing to be proud of in the Indian community, „Rez Ball“ – short for Reservation Basketball – is even more important. Shoni Schimmel once explained the „indian way“ to play basketball to the media as follows: it's fast movement and rapid passing with high scores – or at least lots of attempted shots – combined with aggressive defense which tries to induce turnovers through pressing and half-court traps.

The Schimmel sisters stunned the basketball world first in 2013 when they led the University Louisville into the College Basketball Final Four. Jude is still playing in Louisville, Shoni turned Pro this spring. In Atlanta – one of the professional teams of the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) – she was never a starter, but – thanks to the support of Native American sports fans – was voted into the All-Star Game team. In this specific game she demonstrated why she is nicknamed "Showtime": She scored 29 points (seven 3-pointers!) and was voted best player of the game (highlights of the WNBA All-Star game on www.wnba.com).

Shoni is not the only Native American playing in the WNBA. Angel Goodrich (Cherokee) plays for Tulsa Shock, and next year Shoni’s sister Judy is also expected to be drafted by a WNBA team. There are more girls and boys from the „rez“ making headlines in College Basketball or in the D-League (Development League of the famous NBA), just watch out for names like Tesha Buck (Prairie Island), Shauna Long (Standing Rock), Abby Scott (Confererated Tribes of Warm Springs), Keli Warrior (Ponca) or Lakota Beatty (Lakota/Gros Ventre/Caddo) or, in the boys category, Ben Strong (Chippewa) and Damen Bell-Holter (Haida), both D-League, Grienntys Chief Kickingstallionsims Jr. (Navajo), Preston Wynne (Spokane), Bronson Koenig (Ho-Chunk) or Seth Youngblood (Cherokee).

Hockey and Lacrosse are the National Sports in Canada, but Lacrosse is also big in the the United States. This year Canada won the World Cup, the American team finished second. However, most attention in the World Championship in Denver this July was attracted by the Iroquois Nationals. In 1990 the Federation of Interational Lacrosse (FIL) accepted the Iroquois as a member, to date the only tribe permitted to compete in a sport internationally. For the first time in 2014 the Iroquois Nationals finished 3rd – and the whole Lacrosse world payed deference to the "Haudenosaunee", as the Irquois call themselves.

Lacrosse is a sports of Native American origin, mostly practiced in a variation called „stickball“. This traditional, rougher version of Lacrosse currently undergoes a revival, especially in Oklahoma. In the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur as well as in the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequa (see pics) stickball games as well as demonstrations can be watched. Jeremy Wallace (guy on the pic) produced his own sticks, works as a stickball instructor and plays in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma stickball team.

The Haudenosaunee – the Six Nations of the Iroquois League, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora – are well known for their world-class Lacrosse players, e.g. the Thompson Brothers, Lyle, Jeremy, Jerome and Miles. Lyle and Miles were awared with the Tewaraaton Trophy, College Lacrosse's equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, the two older brothers are pro players. To learn more about Lacrosse and the importance especially for Haudenosaunee there are two films interesting to watch: „The Medicine Game“ by Lukas Korver (http://themedicinegame.com, the story of the Thompson brothers) and the movie „Crooked Arrows“ (http://crookedarrows.com).

If you see the bigger picture, America is not all about American Football and baseball (and, most recently, soccer) and not only about white and black. Stick ball and rez ball are two other fascinating sports...