by By Dan Ninham
The coronavirus pandemic halted the end of winter and early spring athletic seasons. Although there were no spring practices or games, higher-level student athletes realized they needed to stay in top shape and condition.
Jamison Besaw is an enrolled member of the Menominee Indian Tribe and is also a member of the Bear Clan. His Menominee name is Kenew Mequon and translates to Golden Eagle Feather. His parents are Josh and Lindsay Besaw and they live in Keshena, Wisconsin on the Menominee Indian Reservation.
“My primary sport is baseball although I also play basketball and run cross country,” said Jamison. “I play baseball for Menominee Indian High School, but when that’s over my summer ball is played with Menominee’s Legion team and my travel team Cavaiani Baseball out of Appleton.”
“Freshman year for the Menominee Eagles I earned the Most Improved Player award. Sophomore year saw much improvement and I earned the Coaches Award. Junior season was looking promising until it was sadly cut short by Covid-19,” added Jamison.
“My tribal core values play a huge part in who I am as a student athlete,” said Jamison. “Respect should be given to everyone. This includes opposing players, coaches, fans, etc. I always try to keep in mind that whether I am and whatever I do, I am not only representing myself but my family, community, and the Menominee Tribe. So I must show those watching who we are.”
“Wayne Wilber had a significant impact on who I am as a student athlete,” said Jamison. “Wayne coaches Menominee’s Babe Ruth baseball team and Team Wisconsin’s North American Indigenous Games baseball team. He teaches me anything I want to know. Probably the most important of these teachings is humility and how to be a better sport.”
“Some of my favorite attributes about Jamison, you will be hard pressed to find someone who works as hard as he does,” said Coach Wayne Wilber. “He is not afraid to put in the work to get better. No matter what time we had practice, how hot it was, whether it was raining, he would be there and he would be working hard. Giving 100% in drills, and pushing other players to give their best effort is another attribute. He is a leader in our basic two-year Babe Ruth Program.”
“As coaches we have developed a system where the older players teach the younger players how we do things. We have a process for starting from the basics on how we want things done and it helps having the older players teach the younger players the way we play and Jamison surely did his part as a leader,” added Wayne.
“Specifically with pitching, he would be showing the younger pitchers how to do things,” said Wayne. “He would be working with them on the wind-up and stretch while pitching to hand placement for throwing different pitches. He is a quiet leader on the field, he lets his play do his talking, but make no mistake, he is a competitor.”
“One of my favorite memories of Jamison is the last Babe Ruth game he played,” said Wayne. “In our tournament our pitching rules state you get 100 pitches and we played in the semi-finals and had to win to advance so we needed him to start and be efficient, hoping we could get through the game without using him too much. We got an early lead and were able to save him for 45 pitches for the championship game. He threw lights out for those 45 pitches in the championship, kept us in the game by getting through almost four innings. He didn’t want to quit, he wanted to keep pitching and no doubt he would have finished the game if wasn’t for the 100-pitch rule.”
“Overall, Jamison is a great kid, is very respectful, an honor roll student, loves the game, loves his teammates and plays the game the way it is supposed to be played. I’ve enjoyed coaching him and look forward to coaching him again next summer for the 2021 North American Indigenous Games, where he should be our #1 pitcher for Team Wisconsin.
“Aaron Waukau also plays a big part in who I am as a student athlete and who I strive to be,” said Jamison. “Aaron coached my junior varsity basketball team at Menominee Indian High School and he taught us the importance of hard work and how it translates to success on the court and in life. He preaches the fact that you can’t expect to see improvement without putting in the hard work.”
“Jamison has always been a great kid as long as I’ve known him,” said Aaron Waukau. “Works extremely hard in baseball but most importantly in his academics. He’s been putting consistent work in for baseball year round. He understood after his sophomore year that he would need to put in work year round and that means no off-season. Even though his junior season got cancelled from Covid, that didn’t stop him from staying consistent. Fortunately he was still able to play summer ball with his traveling team and have some major success with colleges calling him.”
“What I like most about Jamison is he never complains, he asks what can he do better and always makes positive results. I’m very proud of Jamison and I hope he stays true to himself and keeps proving the doubters wrong,” added Aaron.
“I’m very thankful for these coaches and many more on the reservation who are extremely valuable to not just the athletes but the community as well,” added Jamison.
“Physically my baseball training is year round,” said Jamison. “I compete in spring and summer, but off-season is just as important if not more so. Training includes throwing weighted balls, using resistance bands, and doing various exercises while also running to stay in shape.”
“In my mind there’s always more to learn,” said Jamison.” I try picking up anything that’s valuable from anyone or anything. Nobody knows everything and there’s always room for improvement.”
“A big part of my spirituality has to do with balance,” said Jamison. “Being a student athlete means trying to find the right kind of balance for success.”
“An emotional strategy I use is simply to talk myself through things,” said Jamison. “If I’m frustrated at myself or others I’ll tell myself to calm down and chill out.”
“I’m looking forward to the 2021 baseball season,” said Jamison.
Photo Credit: Lindsay Besaw
