by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
This is a story of a young high school student-athlete that is multi-athletic. One season goes into the next season and all complement each other to make her the best she can be today to be better tomorrow.
Josie Aitken has trained from age 5 to 10 under Grandmaster Cindy Brandt to gain her TaeKwonDo Junior Blackbelt. She also began playing recreational soccer under the Bemidji youth soccer program at age 5 to current age 15. Her coach Dan Gannon has been influential in her training and development that carries over to her hard work on the Bemidji Girls JV soccer team.
Josie’s cousin Rob Aitken urged Josie to try hockey in 8th grade so she learned how to skate and has been gaining skills and love for hockey ever since. Spring of 2019 Josie qualified for sections in track for Bemidji High School running the 4×100 relay.
Josephine ‘Josie’ Aitken is a 5-4, sophomore, right wing for Bemidji Girls Hockey and she attends Bemidji High School. The team’s record season is 7-10.
“My first hockey goal was recently against International Falls,” said Josephine. “My teammate passed it to me about where the circle is in front of the net. Everyone was yelling at me to shoot, so I looked and I shot to the right and it slipped passed the goalie.”
“My second goal was three days later and it was against River Lakes. We were in their zone and the left wing passed it back up to our defense. She (our defender) did a slap shot and it bounced off of the goalie and I shoved it into the net with my back hand,” added Josephine.
“My tribe is Leech Lake and I am from Cass Lake,” said Josephine. “My mother’s tribe is Ho-chunk out in Winnebago. We live in Cass Lake. My dad is the late Larry Aitken and he’s Leech Lake Ojibwe.”
Josephine talked about her family tribal background: “My mother’s tribe is Ho-chunk and in Ho-Chunk, Winnebago means ‘people with the big voice.’ Which comes in handy, especially when it’s loud in the rink and it’s hard for your teammates to hear you. It’s also good for when you need to be loud in speaking up for what you believe in off of the ice. My mother tells me to never be afraid to use your voice. My father’s tribe is Leech Lake/Ojibwe. The Ojibwe are known for being resourceful and tenacious. Being tenacious on and off the ice is almost a necessity to becoming a good player. The resourcefulness helps with quick thinking when you’re cornered or the other team gets a break away, and you have to think fast. It also helps just for life in general, to never give up, no matter how hard the circumstances.”
“I also ran varsity for track my freshman year,” said Josephine.
“Hockey Day MN was probably the most fun experience I’ve had,” said Josephine. “My favorite part was when we were tied with Woodbury in the second period, and one of my teammates got a breakaway and scored. We ended up holding the other team until the end of the game.”
“When I was younger, my mom and father always encouraged me and always pushed me to do my best. They weren’t too hard on me but hard enough so that I wouldn’t slack. My father always wanted the best for my sisters and me because he always said his life was tough when he was my age, and he didn’t want that to be the case for his girls. I have to give a lot of credit to my mother especially now. She’s doing absolutely amazing for parenting a 15 year old. Even after losing her husband and my father in October of 2018. Both of my parents did a lot for me and my sisters and I am so thankful for everything they have done and are doing for me,” added Josephine.
“People who have positively influenced me as a student athlete are my older siblings, Ann and Athena,” said Josephine. “They positively influenced me by coming to support me at my games, when they can, and by giving me advice and constructive criticism. Both have been in sports so they have an understanding of what goes on in a student athlete’s life. Ann’s Husband, Taylor Humphrey, was the one who got me into hockey. I am forever grateful for all of my family that supports me and positively encourages me to keep playing sports.”
Ann Aitkin-Humphrey talked about her younger sister: “Josephine has developed her skills as a young adult and athlete for many years now. She has followed in both of her big sisters footsteps by joining Tae Kwon Do and having the privilege of earning her junior blackbelt with Grand Master Cindy. Tae Kwon Do has helped all of us develop skills like self-discipline, courage, and an indomitable spirit. In Josie’s experience, she went through this experience as an only child because of the 12 year age gap between myself and Josie, and a 15 year age gap between our oldest sister Athena and Josie. Josie earned her junior black belt when her older sisters were away at college. We supported her when we were able and it made for good opportunities for her to be able to travel to Fargo and Duluth without costing much or having to think about lodging. The sports she traveled for were Soccer and Tae Kwon Do.”
“Josie has a keen take to any sport that she plays, she started soccer when she was very young and has excelled ever since. Our father and mother were big supporters of us girls being in organized sports. They made it possible for us to focus school and sports while also managing to always be in our cheering section,” added Ann.
“For Josie, it has been a different upbringing than what myself and my sister had, because a stroke paused our father’s life for a while in March of 2015,” said Ann. “Josie was in 5th grade, a vulnerable age where a girl just needs her father. She had a lot of growing yet to do, and during this tumultuous time in our lives she used sports as a positive outlet and was able to channel her emotions into sport. She focused her energy on being positive on the field, and picking up new skills and working them in her backyard during the summer season.”
“With our father’s health in slow decline and my mother becoming the primary care provider, Athena and myself stepped in to make sure Josie lived some normal and didn’t miss any games,” said Ann. “Athena has experience as a 3-time national rugby coach, and I have a minor in coaching from college so we were there to make sure that she felt good while playing sports and that she was getting a positive experience even while on the road.”
“Josie was tenacious in her drive to be in sports and found it a good escape from watching our father in decline. When she was in 7th or 8th grade she wanted more sports. The soccer season was spring, summer, and fall but she said she wanted more organized sport. So she joined Track and her Winnebago background and slight frame made her an excellent long distance runner, and as she grew more muscle mass has been extremely quick in her running events. She was also looking for something to do in the winter, she tried some volleyball and basketball, but decided it wasn’t for her. I encouraged her to develop other skills, Athena and myself were both in figure skating when we were very young and Josie was not so I took it upon myself to just teach her a new skill. We started by trial and error on figure skates and hockey skates and she ended up taking a liking to hockey skates and was better on her feet. It wasn’t until my husband Taylor started coaching her and giving her skills to try did she decide to join the hockey team!” added Ann.
“In Josie’s freshman year before hockey season our father passed away,” reflected Ann. “Again, Josie took the grief and sadness and turned it into skill development. This was a tough time for Josie and our whole family, but Josie was level headed and positive for her team and for herself. That spring after our father passed away she went to sections in Track as a Freshman, our father would have been very proud as he was a track man himself! This season in Hockey Josie scored her first goal and again in her last game! She is tough and tenacious, and outside of sport she is a supportive auntie to my daughter Cleo. Josie has many friends off the field that would say she is a leader in her group of friends, and always a positive force to be reckoned with. Her hard work in class helped the Ojibwe Language QR codes come to fruition throughout BHS, she has been learning her language and I know our father would be so proud of that. She is consistently growing her skills, and is learning that she has a big voice and it should be heard. I am so proud of my little sister and all that she is becoming for herself, her family, and her people.”
Athena addressed her sister’s coachability: “Josie has been a soccer player since age 8, and only been playing hockey for two years so I think that speaks to her ‘coachability’ as an athlete. She listens well and unlike most players her age, she is able to immediately utilize the information that she’s given by coaches or peers and influence the game she’s in.”
“Josie has always been very personally competitive and thrives in a 1v1 situation where momentum can be gained, especially in attack. She looks to improve herself and her game first and uplift her teammates to get the best from them by offering unconditional support and words of encouragement even when the game is tough. She is always quick to point out the contributions of her teammates and celebrate their small victories in a game, even in a loss,” added Athena.
Taylor Humphrey is a positive influence on his sister-in-law Josephine with hockey: “Josie is my wife’s younger sister, and I have known her just about her whole life. She has always been involved in athletics. She is a very gifted athlete and is performing extremely in all three of her sports, soccer, hockey and track & field. More Importantly she excels in the classroom and has already taken two years of Ojibwe language classes and is she is seeking more through Post Secondary Education.”
“Josie has made us all proud over last three years,” said Taylor. “She began playing hockey with no experience about 3 months before her 8th grade season began. I had mentioned in passing that hockey would be something fun Jo could do in the winter to pass the time, implying that we could get her skates and a stick and hit the outdoor rinks every now and then. It was the first time skating with Jo that we knew she was hooked. We had just tied her skates on for an open skate in Bemidji and before I even got my skates on Jo took a spill and cut her chin, she still has the scar. I told her ‘I played hockey for 10 years and never got a scar.’ She took the joke lightly at the time, but the fall motivated her to keep working.”
“A few months later Josie made the JV team in 8th grade, in Minnesota this is no small feat. Just recently this season Josie has found a knack for the back of the net and has even dressed for Varsity. Josie is going about halfway through 10th grade and we all see the leader she is becoming with the help of her sisters and her Mother Polly who is up at any time from 5 am to 12 am for drop off and pick up. Josie is an outstanding role model for my daughter as well. Josie has taken Cleo skating, swimming, sledding and numerous other activities. I’m so proud that my child has the opportunity to have Josie to look up to and I hope she continues to expand her future through athletics,” added Taylor.
“I play for my little three-year old niece Cleo Humphrey, who just started getting onto the ice,” said Josephine. “She says she loves coming to my games and she can’t wait to start hockey. Another part of why I love to play sports is to show what strong indigenous women can do.”
“A few of my student athlete accomplishments are when I was nominated as a good leader by my coach, and when I made my first goal in hockey just a few days ago, and another one last Friday,” said Josephine. “Also maintaining good grades whilst being in 3 sports. As of now, I’m maintaining a B average.”
“I look at all of my sports and see how they help me improve in each one,” said Josephine. “Track helps with soccer. Hockey helps with keeping me in shape as well as keeping me tough. I stopped doing martial arts when I was about 11 years old. I wasn’t old enough to go on to my black belt. You had to be 16 for that. I was pretty young and impatient so I didn’t want to wait around, but I can see myself getting back into it someday.”
“Sports also help with my mental health. After a hard day, it’s nice to just take your mind off of it for a little bit, and get some of that frustration out,” added Josephine.
“For athletes on and off the ice, I would say, to keep a positive attitude as best you can, and work hard, especially during the off season,” said Josephine. “If you work hard in the off season, that’s when you get better, and it gives you the opportunity to grow. But that doesn’t mean you don’t work hard during the season. My coach says to stick handle at least 15 minutes a day. There’s always room for improvement, no matter what level of skill you’re at. I stay active year round by playing soccer and running track, as well as trying to go to open skate in the summer.”
Photo Credit: Ann Humphrey
