by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Rozalind Strong is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Her parents are Christopher and Sheena Strong. The family lives in Dunseith, ND.
“I play basketball for Dunseith High School,” said Rozalind. “I’ve been on varsity since the end of my 7th grade year. Since then I have received All-District my 9th and 10th grade years, and received All-Region my 10th grade year.”
The seven grandfathers teachings are taught in the culture class at Dunseith HS. The teachings help guide people to lead a good life. Rozalind shared three of her teachings that applied to basketball: “Respect – I gave all the respect to my coaches and teammates, whether it was a game or practice. I never once smarted off with a coach and I was always willing to do everything I was told. I always wanted to be coachable because if you’re not coachable you couldn’t get any better. Wisdom – I always wanted to know more and more about the game of basketball. Without learning new stuff and gaining new knowledge, I would be stuck at where I am now and I wanted to succeed and dream big. Love – Without the love and encouragement from my family, I wouldn’t be how I am today. The endless love I get from all of them is amazing.”
“My dad is my biggest influence,” said Rozalind. “In the fourth grade I never wanted to play basketball but he made me, and I soon fell in love with the game. He always has me in the gym working out, running or practicing new moves.”
“Rozalind watches her little brother and sister and she teaches them about basketball,” said dad Christopher. “She has a lot of respect for people. She is constantly wanting to improve her game by always wanting to be in the gym.”
“I would never be the athlete I am today without my mom,” said Rozalind. “She is one of my biggest supporters and always believed in me, no matter what I was doing.”
“Rozalind was born on September 6, 2003 and lived in Fargo, ND until 2007 when we moved back to our hometown in Dunseith, ND,” said mom Sheena Strong. “Rozalind was an only child to the age of seven. She had a lot of attention, was very happy, and intelligent due to a lot of one-on-one with her childcare program, baby-sitters and family.”
“Rozalind has been taking care of her siblings since the age of 13 during the summers and after school,” said Sheena. “She tends to be the lady in charge at home while her parents work at their jobs. She is a very responsible, trustworthy, helpful and respectful young lady. She guides, motivates and inspires her brother Remington and sister Mercedez to be more. She lost her best friend Alexis Amyotte at the age of 11 to Long QT Syndrome and it was devastating for her, but has since made her appreciate the little things in life and live life to the fullest going after her dreams with realization that life may be short. She aspires to attend a Division 1 college, attend medical school and obtain a degree in Anesthesiology tentatively.”
“From the time she was very young she has always been outgoing, smiling, happy and confident. She has natural athleticism and ability. Prior to any sports activities she is expected to have excellent grades that she does without question. She knows that more than anything she needs to have a solid education so she may be independent. She has been a ‘student of the quarter’, maintains a 3.98 GPA, and has earned many certificates, awards and trophies,” added Sheena.
“We have always told her that if she joins any sport that she will give it her all, not be allowed to quit the sport once she has joined, and maintain her GPA, which she agrees to,” said Sheena. “She is an all-around leader and team player hands down with exceptional critical thinking skills and communication skills. She loves to lead on the basketball court. As her parents she had always been told to have respect for her coaches, teammates, opponents and referees. She needs to walk away and brush it off if she doesn’t agree with a call. She also encourages her teammates constantly on and off the court. Rozalind wants her teammates to excel and go as far as possible and never quits trying. She is consistent and dedicated with putting in the time and practice it takes to be a great athlete. She is always willing to lend a hand or just an ear for listening to anyone.”
“Her parents and grandparents are very supportive of her passion and will do whatever they could to help her achieve her goals,” said Sheena. “Rozalind loves basketball. It has become an integral part of her life and she wouldn’t have it any other way. She plays in season with the Dunseith Dragons of Dunseith ND and during the summer plays with ND Attack that is a state-wide age related basketball program.”
“Rozalind is the epitome of all the great things most parents and grandparents wish their child and grandchild could be. She is truly a gift to behold,” added Sheena.
“My grandparents also have a huge impact on me,” said Rozalind. “They both made me set goals and I’m reaching them day-by-day. If I didn’t have my grandparents I wouldn’t be doing all the things I do especially going to all these AAU and basketball tournaments. My grandma hasn’t missed one of my games unless she really had to. She said I was the highlight of her life.”
Grandpa Terry Marion said: “Roz was a well rounded young lady. We have been following her ever since she was in third grade when she became involved in team play. She always showed exceptional leadership ability on and off the court. She was close to 4.0 GPA in studies, was trying to take honors in the academic department and she was without a doubt the team leader on and off the court. Roz was one of the most talented and gifted lady basketball players in the state of North Dakota, she just finished her sophomore year and she had been starting on the A team since 7th grade, full time starter from the eight grade to present.”
“Individually she has accumulated 955 total pts in her career to date, including 7th grade 3pts, 8th grade 134 pts, 9th grade 287 and 10th grade 531. She had 3 to 6 steals a game with many assists as well and she is a very, very good defensive player. Roz has scored 35 and 33 points, and she averaged 21.24 pts per game last season. She has been a starter on the North Dakota Attack AAU team since the 7th grade and has led them in scoring on 90 percent of the games they played. Many of these girls she played with are team leaders on their respective teams and have been to state. This kid can score when she wanted or had too. Most often she will be a team player and leader but when called on she scored. She had a great attitude and was very competitive in all aspects of life,” added Terry.
“One of her best abilities was her ability to accelerate on the court while dribbling and she had very good point guard court savvy,” said Terry. “She played up and not bent lower, thus saw all of the court. In closing I have to admit I am a little biased as her grandfather but more often than not I am harder on her than anyone. She was one of a kind when it came to leadership, sportsmanship, and good attitude. She made all who follow her proud of her accomplishments on or off the court and without a doubt will go far in what ever she pursued in life. She has a desire to win.”
“Roz is a leader on the court and off the court,” said grandma Cynthia Marion. “When she plays she is focused on the whole court and when she gets going she is hard to stop. She has very good grades and tries her best at anything she does. She doesn’t give up ever and she plays her hardest until the bitter end no matter what the outcome. Roz does a lot at her home too and she has lots responsibility and her brother and sister look up to her and they both want to play just like her. She takes them to gym and plays with them and now they both want to play basketball. They both look up to her and I am very proud of her.”
“We were at a tournament when an opponent fell to the floor. She had a brace on her leg and the whole team took off running down the court. Roz stayed to help the girl after she got up and she went flying down the court, got the rebound and put back up for a basket,” said Cynthia.
“Kelly Pierce, my AAU coach, has also impacted me a lot,” said Rozalind. “Ever since the eighth grade when I started playing basketball for ND Attack, he’s been my coach. He always gave me confidence in winning each game and boosted my self-esteem. Without him showing me the right from wrong ways each time we had a workout or practice I would still be playing at a junior high level instead of a varsity level.”
Coach Kelly Pierce, AAU coach, said: “I have had the pleasure of coaching Rozalind Strong the past two summers in the ND Attack program. Rozalind is a very competitive player and brings energy and enthusiasm at a high level each time she takes the court. She is an outstanding offensive player with a skill set that allows her to score in a variety of ways. Defensively she has improved greatly and is extremely versatile. She can defend on the perimeter and in the post.”
“Rozalind is a good leader on and off the court. She understands the game and communicates that knowledge to her teammates. As she continues to play the game, the sky is the limit. She has the talent and desire that it takes to grow her game,” added Coach Kelly.
Dunseith HS Varsity Girls Basketball Coach John Demery talked about his star athlete: “Rozalind is a great leader. She leads by example in practice and she always gives 100 percent on every drill we do whether it a line drill or just shooting free throws. She always wants to get better and that runs off on her teammates. She is always encouraging her teammates in practice and in games and that is a sign of a true leader. Off the court she is a great student I believe she has a 4.0 GPA if not close to it. Off the court I never hear or see a negative thing about her she is a very coachable kid who I am very fortunate to be able to coach.”
Rozalind has a message for young student-athletes: “I think the young student-athletes should first focus on the academics and then the sport. Without the education you can’t play the sport, and the sport never comes first over the academics. In order to play the game you have to have the heart to play. You have to want to put in the time and effort to get where you want to be, nobody else can do it for you. You have to want to do it yourself.”
Photo Credit: Turtle Mountain Star
