Lauren Schad, Cheyenne River Lakota, was recently inducted into the 2023 North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame

By Dan Ninham, contributing writer

Lauren Schad, Cheyenne River Lakota, was inducted into the 2023 North American Indigenous
Athletics Hall of Fame (NAIAHF). Her profile is here: https://www.naiahf.org/team/lauren-
schad

“I am so humbled and honored to accept my inauguration into the NAIAHF amongst so many
talented individuals,” said Lauren Schad. “Throughout my athletic career I saw these inspiring
indigenous athletes and I strived to carry a legacy such as theirs. Despite there being challenges
every step of the way, community is what propelled me forward. I’m thankful to all of those who
supported me along the way and continue to do so as I enter this next chapter. Pilamaya.”  
Indigenous core values define how elite athletes practice and compete. Lauren said, “Growing up
my mother instilled in us the power of generosity and compassion, in whatever we did. The
balance between confidence in self and the heart of humility was grounded in the framework of
success.”

“Without these core values, volleyball would have remained, ‘just another game,’ but with these
teachings I was able to find further meaning behind what it meant to represent my community
and how we share that with those coming after us,” added Lauren. 
Leading by Example

Elite athletes share words on how followers can achieve their life journey goals by their example.
Their journey is a guide for others including challenges and successes.

“Love what you do,” said Lauren. “Continue to find new ways to fall in love with the same
game, the same passion, the same subject, the same art … whatever it is never stop building and
learning. There will always be times of frustration and hardship. There will be people that don’t
believe in you and ones that put you in a box. Don’t listen to them. Continue to find your, ‘Why’
and let it drive you.”

“I would have quit in high school, college, and professionally if I allowed myself to be consumed
by other’s opinions of me. The only person we owe anything to, is ourselves. Our time, our
capacities, our health. Lastly, stay true to who you are. The more you ground yourself in where
you came from the easier it is to find support and strength during those hard times,” added
Lauren. 

Mentors Guide Elite Athletes

Mentors help guide elite athletes on their journey. Lauren talked about her mentors:
“My main mentors consisted of family, counselors, coaches, and other athletes. First and
foremost, my first mentors were always my parents. Without them, pushing me, taking me to
practice, allowing me to explore we wouldn’t have even been here. They saw me grow, they saw
me excel, and they learned along the way as I did to find the solutions to help me get to where I
needed to be.” 

Lauren is the youngest daughter, with two older sisters Taylor and RaeAnne of parents Ralph
and Laura Schad. Mom Laura has worked in tribal communities for over 30 years, both in the
Northern Plains and Southwest.
 
“I have really tried to instill being a good relative giving of yourself to others, approaching life
with humility and being proud of where they were from,” said mom Laura. “All of my jobs over
the past 30+ years included quite a bit of travel to tribal areas in the Southwest and Northern
Plans. In the summer months, we would pack up and drive to different areas where my work
took me.”

“I always involved the girls to provide community service to others: cooking holiday meals,
delivering supplies to animal shelters, and delivering holiday stockings. It was in no way
glamorous and in most cases it was hard work,” added Laura.

“During one of her small breaks at college, I picked Lauren up and we traveled to Tuba City Jr.
High (AZ),” said Laura. “We stopped at a school where my work had donated school supplies.
One of the coaches noticed Lauren right away and her height demands attention. The girls’
volleyball team was having their first meeting that day and they asked if she would speak to
those trying out for the team. Lauren didn’t hesitate and shared her high school and collegiate
story, and always reinforcing the importance of balancing academics and athletics.”
“Afterward, the coach asked her if she had time to spend to go over drills with them because they
had never coached volleyball before and they wanted to ‘pick her brain’ on providing good
training techniques to help the team along. We returned to the school later in the day and she was given a rolling whiteboard to draw out some of the drills she suggested. I think this was the first time that a coach wanted some dedicated time with her to make them a better coach!” added Laura.
 
“Anytime Lauren returned to South Dakota in the summer for her short college breaks, she
always provided time for camps,” said Laura. “Her sister Taylor enlisted her to do her first one in
Rosebud and that kicked off a decade of providing camps.”

“Covid certainly impacted her in person camps, but even then she ended up developing a small
series of videos on drills, training techniques and words of support for a cancelled camp for an
eastern tribe so even a pandemic didn’t stop her supporting others,” added Laura.
“Secondly, my high school counselor and my coach were two individuals that supported me and
saw potential in me as a young athlete and student that I didn’t see in myself a lot of the time.

My counselor, Tim McGowan and my freshmen coach, Nick Palmer, were my mentors,” added
Lauren. 

High School counselor Tim McGowan said, “Lauren was a mentor in the Cobbler2Cobbler
(C2C) program at Rapid City High School. I was the advisor of that program. During Lauren’s
senior year, we had just built the Freshman House where all freshmen took their core classes. It
was from this wing that we held our C2C mentoring groups.”

There were two components of the mentoring program: social emotional activities and academic
tutoring. “Lauren was great at leading both,” said McGowan. “On tutoring day, there were many
times I was working with students in my office and could not get to the mentors at the start of
their mentoring time. Without fail, Lauren would get the students who needed support into
subject groups. As I arrived at the area, all the students would be at tables working with the
mentors. No one was off task.”

“Lauren has an amazing feel in seeing the whole group and understanding where her support is
needed and with which students,” said McGowan. “She had that same feel in the activity groups
as well. That feel comes from her understanding herself and how her support impacts others.
Because she was strong academically, artistically, and athletically she resonated with everyone.”

“She builds rapport and relationships easily. She has a natural style which people find easy to be
around that comes from her authenticity and she will say her vulnerability … and I agree. She
has a strong sense of who she is. This strength in clear in her advocacy and willingness to use her
voice,” added McGowan.

“I recently spent time with Lauren and all these traits are still there and strong,” said McGowan.
“I may have created a space for Lauren to be a mentor, but she developed what that space looked like and how it could be used to support others.”

Nick Palmer, retired high school English teacher and Lauren’s ninth grade volleyball coach
talked about one of his former star athletes. He said, “At the very beginning of her great
volleyball journey, I knew then she was an incredible talent, and I was thrilled with the
opportunity to coach her. I really wanted to give Lauren a love of the game, but also a desire to
compete and win. I knew with her raw talent she needed to play as much as possible, so I never
took her out of a game the entire season.”

“She was always on the floor. Through this she really did develop as a team leader and a super
competitor. The end result for that season was a very happy one. We won the Black Hills area
ninth grade championship,” added Palmer.

“My newest, yet still just as meaningful mentor, is Jim Warne,” said Lauren. “He was also
inducted into the hall of fame, he has helped me navigate playing pro, my transition from pro to
retired, and has become a home away from home for me. Whether it be in Paris or back in the
Black Hills I can always count on him and his family for the support and guidance needed.” 
Jim Warne holds many active titles including Warrior Society Development, LLC and WSD
Productions Community Engagement Director, University of South Dakota Center for
Disabilities, Oyáte Circle, Sanford School of Medicine and Administrative Affiliate, Circle of
Indigenous Empowerment, Arizona College of Medicine as well as being an aspiring filmmaker
and is currently on the road with film festival screenings.
            
Warne recalled Lauren played collegiate volleyball in San Diego, and he lived near her school,
the University of San Diego. Jim Warne said, “I did not know she was playing during college
and missed her collegiate career. I first met with her and her mom, Laura in San Diego just prior
to her professional volleyball career after graduation at USD. I committed to seeing her play in
person and I got to see her play in Paris, France during her first year of pro volleyball. It was
great to see her play in person. I was at a film festival in Paris for one of my films and my wife
and I were able to see her play.”  
 
“Many athletes that leave home to play either college or pro sports, they get home sick and
consider not going back to play and stay home,” said Warne. “Lauren had similar thoughts after
her first season, I suggested she wait for a while to heal up and take some time to think before
making her decision. I know how hard it is to be away from home, and hurting physically,
mentally, and emotionally. She was just finishing her season; she was tired and rehabbing
injuries and had issues with her first team organization as a rookie pro player.”

“After healing and getting her athletic drive back to compete, she got an opportunity to play for
another professional team in Nautes, France and had a great professional career. She ended up
playing five years and was an all-star pro player. I am so proud of her for representing the people
in a good way and fulfilling her potential as a professional athlete. Now she is moving forward to
a post pro-athlete career as a college graduate, advocate, a role model for our youth and
recognized artist. She is multi-lingual and has literal world experience that she can apply to her
future endeavors.  I look forward to her future and the impact she will make for the oyáte… the
people…  Wopila,” added Warne. 

Many others are also looking forward to where Lauren Schad is continuing her empowered
journey to.