by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Taya Gouley, 18, is an enrolled Skokomish tribal member. She is also part Navajo.
“I’m Ashihii (Salt) born for the Skokomish people,” said Taya. “My maternal grandparents are Bitahni (Folded Arms) and my paternal grandparents are Skokomish.”
“My Indian name, given to me by my grandma, is Asdzaal tsooii meaning light colored hair woman,” said Taya. “My parents are Durinda and Alex Gouley and we live in Shelton, Washington.”
“I attended Shelton High School and played basketball and softball there all four years,” said Taya. “I’m 5’4 and currently a senior in high school and it’s been devastating to deal with this year being cut short along with my senior softball season.”
Taya was a three-year varsity player, the last two being captain, and she was the point guard/shooting guard. She scored over 500 career points.
During her junior season, she averaged 10.6 pts per game, and was named the team MVP, and All-league Honorable Mention of the 3A South Sound Conference.
She averaged 12 pts per game her senior season and was again named team MVP, and selected to the All-league Second Team of the 3A South Sound Conference. Her highest scoring game senior season was 27 points.
Taya was a four-year varsity softball player and she was the team captain her junior and senior seasons. She played shortstop but also played in the outfield and was a pitcher.
During her sophomore season, she was All-league Honorable Mention, junior year she was All-League Second Team, and this senior year was cut short.
Taya was an academic honor student with a 3.6 GPA as a senior in high school. She was also a part of Shelton High School’s National Honor Society.
“I plan on attending Lower Columbia College (LCC) and have been invited to be a part of the women’s basketball team,” said Taya. “I will transferring to a four-year after my two years at LCC.”
“The Skokomish community is small but we are close knit and always looking out for one another,” said Taya. “Growing up in my community has taught me how to have a good work ethic and work well with others. I’ve had an internship with my tribe for the past four summers working with the Department of Natural Resources and the Youth Summer Recreation Program. I’ve also helped out in the kitchen and help set up for holiday parties and our annual elders picnic.”
“I would love to come back and work for my community at our tribes clinic after college. I’m interested in becoming a nurse like my grandmother was. I am a certified nursing assistant right now and want to keep moving forward on this career path,” added Taya.
“Tiffany Twiddy was Shelton High School’s girls basketball coach my junior year,” said Taya. “She was a positive influence for me because she was one of my most encouraging coaches and expected a lot out of her players. She always believed I could do bigger things. She is now a basketball coach at Capital HS and a PE teacher.”
Tiffany Twiddy is also from the Skokomish tribe. She said: “Taya is a really special player for me personally as a coach and will always be one of those kids that sticks out for me. I first remember watching Taya in the Saturday youth leagues in Shelton as a kid. She would just get steals and score and steals and score, it was fun to watch.”
“When Taya was a high school freshman, I coached against her in the ‘Skok Who Let the Dogs Out’ tournament,” said Coach Tiffany. “I was really impressed with her three-point range for her size. Being similar to her as a player I knew the work ethic and countless hours that went into being able to shoot that well consistently and deep from three-point range being a smaller guard.”
“While coaching her at Shelton HS, Taya did all the intangibles right,” said Coach Tiffany. “She was a hard worker in class and her teachers had really positive things to say about her always. She was and is a leader and role model to younger native kids. Her work ethic in practice was 100 percent dialed in focused all of the time. She took care of business. I admired her quiet leadership just doing things correctly and letting her game speak for itself. In terms of on the court success she was high percentage from the three-point line and crafty getting to the rim. She had deep range with an ability to create space and shoot over people.”
“She carried her team her senior year and was the athlete to stop on the floor. I can’t say enough positive things about the athlete and person Taya is on and off the court. I am really proud of her and look forward to her contributions to her tribe and the world as she goes to college and starts the next phase of her journey,” added Coach Tiffany.
“Aurora Gouley is my older cousin and was my assistant high school softball coach these past two years,” said Taya. “I looked up to Aurora because she also played softball and went to college. I always enjoyed going to her games. People would see my last name and immediately ask if I was related to Aurora because of how well we played. She is an assistant coach for Shelton High School.”
Aurora Gouley is a Skokomish tribal member and assistant softball coach at Shelton High for the past few years. She is also Taya’s cousin. She said: “Taya is a very talented senior standout from SHS. Taya has been a pleasure to coach on all aspects. She has always had such a raw talent but she has the drive to continue to put in extra work. With that, she has become a great leader on the court and field. She’s received all conference recognition for both basketball and softball. Watching her as a freshman grow into such a talented athlete has really made me and her family extremely proud.”
“Taya is just as dedicated in the classroom as she is on the field and court. Her respect for the game has really given her an edge, not only sports itself but to her future as well. Throughout high school, she was able to take a Running Start CNA program that gave her some college credits as well,” added Aurora.
“I can see her excel in the college level with her hard work and dedication,” said Aurora. “She is a role model to native youth and she continues to make our Skokomish community proud.”
“One of my favorite softball teams was my club team, TC Saints, coached by Nichole Schroeder,” said Taya. “She was also a coach who believed in me and expected nothing less than 100%. She is a University of Texas Austin graduate softball manager.”
“I’m thankful for all the coaches that have helped instill in me the core values of respect, discipline, and accountability,” said Taya.
“My parents Alex and Durinda Gouley have been and always will be my number one supporters,” said Taya. “My positive influence throughout my life has come from my parents because they’ve shown me how to work hard no matter what. Family is the most important thing in my life.”
“Every practice and game I had, I always pushed myself to get better and stronger,” said Taya. “I went to my community center’s weight room to work out or run outside of practices. Now that I can’t get into gyms, I’ve been consistently running and do body weight work outs to stay in shape. I know that I need to work on getting bigger and faster for playing sports at the next level in college.”
“My mental toughness and decisiveness was where I needed to improve,” said Taya. “From a young age I was always told to shoot more. Although I knew I could shoot, I always preferred to move the ball and pass to teammates. My shooting skill and work ethic got me noticed at a youth camp and invited to join an AAU team called ‘90Ten’ when I was in the 6th grade. It wasn’t until my junior year I had changed my mindset and become my HS team’s leading scorer. My first basketball game of my senior season was against our county rival. We were losing by over 15 points at the half and I had not scored any points. During the second half I came out looking to get us back in the game and a need to do something. I scored 24 points in the second half and we came back and won the game.”
“I have always had a calm and collected spirit to me,” said Taya. “When I was pitching in the circle, even from 12U, I was always unbothered by the opposing team or errors made by my team. I also didn’t crave the basketball when I was younger like I should have, but I did become more competitive as I grew older. I usually didn’t and don’t let pressure get to me, and when it does, I don’t let it show.”
“Before a game I always try to play with a clear mind, only focusing on this one game and what I need to do,” said Taya. “I think about how I’m playing for my family because of all their support and countless sacrifices they have made for me to play the sports I love. I also think about how I wished my grandparents could have been in the stands for my senior season, but I know they’re watching me from above.”
“It’s been hard during the pandemic having to isolate in my home away from the world,” said Taya. “People haven’t had to adjust not being able to go to the gym, the field, or going out with friends and family like this before. I’m still staying physically active everyday for the wellness of my body as well as trying to eat as healthy as I can. I’ve been able to take it easy at the same time, I’m usually always on the go with school and sports. Spending time like this with my family has been really important and I have also been making sure to stay in touch and check up on my friends through social media. All in all though it has been a nice break for my mind and body.”
“It is because of my parents, I am so culturally rich,” said Taya. “I come from the Skokomish and Navajo Nation and it is a huge blessing. I’m thankful to be able to participate in both of my cultures. Visiting Arizona is always one of my favorite vacations I take with my parents and siblings every summer. We go down there because that is where my mom is from. It’s her birthplace and my second home.”
“Two summers ago I was fortunate enough to have my ‘coming of age ceremony’. The ceremony lasted four days and each day I was expected to run and grind corn because doing so would set me up to develop endurance and become a hard worker. I was constantly surrounded by aunts, female cousins, and grandmas, and each of whom imparted a word of wisdom to me about being a strong woman,” added Taya.
“My Skokomish culture has molded me into a strong woman,” said Taya. “During the summer of 2018, I went on my first Canoe Journey. The Canoe Journey is a renewed Native American tradition that dozens of tribes participate in every year. Tribes come from up and down the Pacific Northwest coast from Canada all the way down to Northern California. Tribes travel on the water in canoes for several days to several weeks to make it to a common destination. A different tribe hosts each year. Once all canoes have arrived, protocol begins. Protocol is where the different tribes gather to perform their traditional songs and dances in front of everybody else.”
“This journey was physically and mentally one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I pulled in the canoe about nine hours a day for a week. We paddled to Puyallup, WA that summer. They hosted around 100 tribes. It was extremely difficult because you couldn’t stop paddling whenever you wanted to. The tribe had two full canoes on this journey and we took turns rotating between our canoe and support boat for a little break. Aching muscles and fatigue were something I had to push through after the first two days on the trip. I felt like quitting, but I dug deep within myself to keep going,” added Taya.
“I am who I am today because of my family and heritage,” said Taya.
Photo Credit: Alex Gouley
Senior season Taya made 57 3fg’s, and she set a Shelton HS record with seven ‘3’s’ versus Yelm HS while also scoring seven in three different games. She also made 56 ‘3’s’ her junior season. Check out this video clip of her three-point shooting record: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/10493981/5e41ebe615f60d0788d9d611
