by By Dan Ninham
History will be made at Bowler HS in Bowler, WI after this next school year. A student-athlete will earn 16 varsity letters in her athletic career.
Tynea Johnson, 17, is an enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. She is a direct descendant of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians.
Tynea is a senior at Bowler HS in Bowler, WI. Her parents are Scott, Menominee tribal member, and Jerilyn, Stockbridge-Munsee tribal member. The family lives in Bowler, WI.
Her athletic accomplishments started early. She was named the Middle School Female Athlete of the Year. In high school she was named Volleyball-Best Defensive Player, Basketball-Best Offensive Player and Team Captain, Softball-Golden Glove and participated in Track & Field.
“After the completion of my senior year I will have been awarded 16 varsity letters with four each in volleyball, basketball, softball and track and field, as well as receive four, 4-year participant awards in each sport,” said Tynea.
“One of the most important core values both the Menominee Tribe and Stockbridge-Munsee Community have instilled in me is the importance of family,” said Tynea. “In my community, family is the foundation of all that we do. When someone is hurting, we extend our hands to help and our ears to listen. When someone accomplished a goal, there are congratulations provided from all. When we head out into the world to chase our dreams, we always know we can reach out to our community family when we hit a road block and they will be there to offer advice or guidance.”
“This is a top down approach. When something happens in my community the first person you see reaching out is our Tribal President. If she cannot help, she works hard to pull together the right people to remedy the situation,” added Tynea.
“When I am a part of a team, that team becomes and is treated like my family,” said Tynea. “The success of our team depends on the bond that our family builds. They do not call me ‘Mama T’ for nothing. I work very hard to be a positive role model for the underclassmen and I take the time to help them out as much as I can. This is both on and off the court or field, in hopes that they too will mentor and guide other underclassmen. When issues arise, we call for a family meeting and we work through those issues, clearing the air before our next game or practice.”
“My older brothers influenced me to become a student-athlete,” said Tynea. “It was their competitiveness with each other and their friends that first sparked my interest. A wealth of talent in football, basketball, soccer and baseball, two of them worked really hard at all they did and one had an unbelievable natural talent in every sport he tried. Watching them compete and seeing how the underclassman and elementary students looked up to them made me want to be just like them, except I challenged myself to be better than them.”
“I also had one very inspirational coach named Ray Murphy, who coached middle school basketball,” said Tynea. “I will always remember him telling me, ‘if half of the other players on the team worked as hard as you and had half the heart you do, we would never lose a game.’ It is his words that I hear in my head when I want to give up, and those words are the reason I always give 110% each and every time I hit the court or practice field.”
“One other aspect that keeps me working hard is the commendations I have and continue to receive from other coaches, officials and spectators from competing venues,” said Tynea. “Their words of encouragement sometimes mean the most to me, it feels good to know that win or lose, my hard work, leadership and sportsmanship is noticed.”
“One thing many people do not know about me is that I am a special needs student,” said Tynea. “Being diagnosed with a seizure disorder at a young age has provided numerous setbacks for me academically, but I have not let that slow me down. Yes, I have to work two times harder than other kids my age, and I am probably more stressed than most, but I use athletics as a release.”
“Never let anyone tell you, you cannot do something,” said Tynea. “When you hear those words, working hard is all you have left.”
Photo Credit: Thomas Kazik II, Mohican News
