by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
For the 32nd consecutive year, Wings of America will sponsor a team of the fastest Native American runners to compete at the US Cross Country Championships. Eight young men and eight young women will be competing on January 18, 2020 in the junior age division race in San Diego, CA.
Wings team members attended a multi-day training camp in Albuquerque, NM between Christmas and New Year’s Day to supplement their knowledge of elite conditioning techniques and foster unity before traveling for competition.
Runners were selected for their Wings team based on their performance at post-season races including Nike Cross Regionals and Footlocker Regionals.
One of the Wings runners is Jasmine Turtle-Morales. “I am 18 years old and am a senior at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, NM,” said Jasmine.
“My parents are Caesar Morales and Aysha Turtle,” said Jasmine. “I was adopted from foster care when I was eight years old. I know through my foster care file that I am Mescalero Apache, Hopi, and Cochiti pueblo. My parents were divorced and my mom is White and my dad is Mexican.”
“It is difficult for me to define how tribal values define me,” said Jasmine. “I am one of those kids who has lost touch with my culture due to adoption. I think it is important to talk about this because there are many kids like me out there. We end up in foster care then get adopted by non-native people who either can’t or won’t help us connect to our culture and community. I am fortunate to have been adopted by parents who value the culture I belong to. However, without a family member or friend to provide an inside line to my tribes of birth it is very difficult to reconnect. Oftentimes, I feel like an outsider when around other Native American people. I don’t know how to act or respond in a way that feels natural.”
“My parents started me running to help get me off the medication the state had put me on in foster care,” said Jasmine. “I started off slow but realized I had a natural ability the more I did it. Running increased my confidence and helped motivate me to do well in school. I had started way behind and was very academically challenged. When I felt stupid and less than others, my mom would always tell me it was like being in a race where everyone got to start first and I had to wait until they were way out then and then catch up. She says that is what I have had to do with my studies. I still feel I am behind but always work to catch up.”
“I have had some great coaches along the way,” said Jasmine. “My first were Carl and Lucille Brasher. They had high standards and expected me to meet them both in running and in my character.”
“My high school coach is an amazing man,” said Jasmine. “His name is Chokri Dhaouadi. He makes our team feel like a family. He has guided me like I am his daughter.”
“Jasmine has had a great impact in the team since freshmen year,” said Coach Chokri. “It was very easy for me to help her because our relation area was father-daughter relationship. Jasmine loves running and she does anything I asked her at practice. She loves her teammates. She is a very proud Native American and she wants to be a role model for native kids and all girls in our state.”
“In school I have had the fortune to have an advocate teacher named Mr. John Gonzales,” said Jasmine. “He has guided me through high school. I have never missed a practice or meet due to failing grades thanks to his care and concern for me. He is a great man. He keeps cups of noodles and granola bars in his room for me to snack on during the school day. I feel I owe him a lot of credit for helping me though high school.”
“Wings of America is a place where I can feel free to reconnect with Native people,” said Jasmine. “I feel proud in my representation. I enjoy running as a team. Though Wings can’t connect me back with my tribe it is a door that opens possibilities for me. I train by running a lot and following some prepared work outs. I would like to run a personal best at nationals. My goal for the 6K is under 22 minutes.”
“After our state meet this year an older man sitting in the bleachers motioned for me to come over. He was Native. He told me how proud of me he was and that he always watched the Native American runners and how kids like me made him so proud. I don’t know who he was but when I run, I want to do well for people like him,” added Jasmine.
“The challenges I have training for nationals is time,” said Jasmine. “I had to spend time with my dad over the holiday and then my mom. It was hard to stay focused when going between two families. It involved a lot of travel and then running in unfamiliar places and different trails and tread mills. I am finally back home and can now train hard on my favorite trails.”
“Jasmine has grown into a tenacious competitor because she can out-work almost anyone,” said Dustin Martin (Dine’), Executive Director, Wings of America. “She’s one of those special runners that truly enjoys the running itself. Even if she wasn’t winning all the time, she’d still need the movement to feel right with the world. I’m confident Jasmine will give her absolute best in San Diego. The trick will be getting her to rest enough in the week leading up to Nationals so that she’s ready to let the sparks fly once the gun goes off.”
Photo Credit: Aysha Turtle.
Lewis and I are so proud of Jasmine. We first met Jasmine while she was in foster care with her current mother and father. They both believed in her, pushed her, set boundaries and limits. Most of all they loved her and showed her true love daily. They expected much and gave more. Jasmine rose to the occasion. It is and has been our great honor to know this young woman and at a distance watch her grow, mature and fly ! She is truly amazing!