by By Dan Ninham, contributing writer
Asalia White-Williams is from the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Chippewa and is Ojibwe and Potawatomi. She competed on the Team Wisconsin track team in the North American Indigenous Games 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
White-Williams will be a senior at Martin Luther High School in Greendale, WI.
“Someone that inspired me to be an athlete was my dad,” said White-Williams. “He was talented in the many sports that he played growing up, and I wanted to see if I had what it took to be a great athlete just like him by running track.”
“Asalia is a very committed young lady, with school and sports,” said Anthony Williams, Asalia’s dad. “She’s a 4.0 student going into her senior year at Martin Luther High School in Milwaukee Wisconsin. She trains every single morning with private trainers then makes it to practice in the evening for the Milwaukee Mustangs.”
“She brings to the table leadership, a lot of the kids look up to her. They see her great work ethic and love for the sport. She’s been a captain for her high school team for two years now. A perfect role model for the up and coming kids. Her goals is to run D1 track next year. Whether it’s from a scholarship or as a walk on,” added Williams.
NAIG ’23 athletes have had top performances leading up to representing their state or provinces in international competition. White-Williams said: “My top athletic accomplishments are making it far into the track seasons, including making it to the 2023 WIAA State Track & Field Championships this year.”
Academic performances connect with athletic performances too. “My top academic accomplishments are being able to maintain a 3.9 GPA throughout high school, and being able to take honor roll classes,” said White-Williams.
White-Williams results at NAIG ’23 included taking first place in the 19U 100m dash, the 200m dash, and the 400m dash.
Elite athletes hold their indigenous core values in high regard. The values define how they practice and compete. White-Williams said: “My indigenous core values relate a lot to having respect, trust, and awareness within oneself. It is important that I am to be humble and honor myself as I continue to run.”
To compete at an international competition is a highlight in itself.
“My highlight of being at the 2023 NAIG was being able to experience the presence of so many Native American athletes on the track,” said White-Williams. “It felt comforting being able to see my culture in Canada.”
Traveling out of the country means representing your tribe and state making lifetime memories. Oftentimes, the older athlete will be out of the age group when the next NAIG comes around.
“Being able to have an opportunity to represent Forest County Potawatomi and Wisconsin all at once is a big jump for me,” said White-Williams. “This means that I have the opportunity and courage to represent a big college as I continue to run track. It makes me feel honored and willing for the future.”
White-Williams NAIG ’23 and Team Wisconsin coaches were Candace Thompson and Randall Blackdeer. She talked about her coaches and said: “They helped me have a positive experience by telling me that I definitely have what it takes to win, and that I have to just go out there and leave it all on the track.”
Candace Thompson was the track coach at the North American Indigenous Games 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She talked about her star athlete and said, “Asalia had many positive attributes, which were confidence, determination and humility. She displayed them numerous times during the encounters we had during practices but it really came to light during the competition.”
“While she was nervous, she still showed confidence. Her determination while getting prepared shifted to other athletes as they started to follow her. And even though she won gold in every event she competed in, she never once boasted. She complimented other athletes and showed true leadership qualities,” added Coach Thompson.
Randall Blackdeer, was one of the athletics coaches for Team Wisconsin at NAIG 2023. He said, “Asalia brought a sense of focus to the team. Yes, part of the reason the athletes were there was for the experience and meet native youth from across the US and Canada, but they also came there to perform. She’s a leader who showed her team what we came to the athletics competition to do.”
