by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
“Growing up I played pretty much all sports,” said Jayme Sky. “In high school I played eight sports including basketball, volleyball, rugby, track and field, badminton, softball, and hockey. I excelled at badminton, softball and hockey. I won the Athlete of the Year award my senior year.”
Jayme Sky, 33, is from the Cayuga Nation and a member of the Wolf clan. Her Indian name is ‘Ganadawa:s’ meaning Shaking the Town. She lives in Six Nations, Ontario. Her mother is Teresa Sky.
“In the summers I played softball for London Lightning and Guelph Gators,” said Jayme. “While with Guelph we qualified for nationals and placed 2nd.”
“I also was a member of Team Ontario South that competed in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships,” said Jayme. “Competing for the team for six years and raking in five Gold and one Silver medals over the years.”
Jayme started her collegiate career at Fanshawe College playing badminton, where she won the women’s Double Provincial Championship and placed fourth in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. She received a scholarship to play softball at Spartanburg Methodist College (SMC) in South Carolina. Her team won the Region X tournament and qualified for the NJCAA tournament where they placed fifth in the country.
The following year Jayme became a two-sport athlete at Spartanburg Methodist College, playing soccer in the fall season and softball in the spring. The softball season was another successful experience, where Jayme earned NJCAA Region X First Team and the Vicki Corn Memorial Award at SMC. Her team won the Region X tournament again and placed ninth in the country at the national tournament.
After completing two years at Spartanburg Methodist College, Jayme transferred to Syracuse University (SU) to play NCAA DI softball. In her two years there, she was a member of the team that won back-to-back Big East Conference titles. Both years SU qualified for the Women’s College World Series Regional Tournament. She graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education.
After her time at SU, Jayme played a season of softball in Australia and then two seasons in New Zealand. Jayme is a certified teacher and is passionate about coaching and education. She currently volunteers her time coaching a U14 softball team and as an Assistant Coach/Trainer for various hockey teams in the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
“I believe my Haudenosaunee values guided me since the beginning,” said Jayme. “I never really believe I had to play for anyone other than playing for the enjoyment of the game. Given I was put on this earth for a purpose and given the gift, I believe that was part of my path. Imparting my knowledge of skills and experiences are part of passing on the game and of my culture.”
“My influences were a vast group in many different capacities,” said Jayme. “I got a lot out of watching how people played the game, their flow, and IQ. Watching how they performed a skill and then going back and trying to practice that skill myself. That’s how I developed a lot of my skills and love of play.”
“I’ve had a few coaches along my athletic journey who really helped push my game to the next level and Coach Rick Pauly was probably the top,” said Jayme. “He was my coach during my time at SMC in South Carolina. He saw more potential in me than anyone and always pushed me to do more and do better. Coach Pauly was very knowledgeable of the game and passed a lot onto his players to grow their game.”
“I still remember the first time I saw Jayme,” said Rick Pauly, retired softball coach at the University of Georgia, University of South Carolina-Upstate, and Spartanburg Methodist College. “I was a college coach at the time and had traveled to the Brampton area for a travel ball tourney for purposes of recruiting some talented Canadian girls. I walked up to my first field and saw this girl making a diving stab of a hard hit ground ball down the third base line, and she pops up to her knees and throws the runner out. Well, that was the quickest I had ever been convinced about recruiting a softball player. And the rest is history.”
“Jayme Sky came to play for me at Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina. From day one on campus, Jayme was a leader both on and off the field not to mention she was a social butterfly who knew every instructor and administrator at the college. I never appointed team captains for my softball teams rather I let the natural leaders rise to the top because they are easily recognized by their peers as team captains … this was Jayme,” added Rick.
“To this day Jayme makes regular trips back to Spartanburg Methodist to rekindle those friendships,” said Rick. “So, what is really cool is that she finds time to stop and see her old coach on the way.”
“What is most impressive about Jayme is her willingness to give back,” said Rick. “I know she is involved in coaching youth sports and I’m certain she is a great role model for young developing athletes and young developing adolescents. This is the mark of a person that parents want coaching their kids. Regularly, I get emails with pictures of her team’s holding trophies and all the kids have huge smiles … a reflection of Jayme. I also know she has continued to compete herself long after her college days traveling all over the US and Canada playing softball and hockey. I love to tell her she is too old for that stuff because I know she will give me a jab back … lots of fun joking with her. We need a lot more Jayme Sky’s in this world.”
“My family was a big influence in my competitiveness, as we’re a pretty athletic family,” said Jayme. “I grew up with a lot of boys around. In order to play with them you had to step it up to stay in the game. Having said that, it created me into being a better competitor.”
“Physically, if you want to compete then do what you have to do to get yourself to that competitive level,” said Jayme. “If that means you have to work twice as hard as some others, then that’s what you have to do. Taking extra time to work on your skills on your own time, just to set yourself apart from the person next to you.”
“Mentally preparing yourself for the journey should be just as a part of the game as practice,” said Jayme. “Becoming mentally tough to endure the ups and downs of life and sports for the wins and losses, and the mistakes you’re bound to make. Learning that you only have control of yourself is important. Practicing harder than you play in a game is one step towards becoming mentally prepared.”
“Spiritually staying true to yourself and where you come from and who you are is important,” said Jayme. “Being able to identify being Haudenosaunee and giving thanks for the opportunities and experiences I’ve had. Sharing parts of your culture can also be helpful in helping others understand more about you.”
“Emotionally strong is being comfortable with the process,” said Jayme. “Being humble in your successes and defeats are again all within yourself. Knowing that you are enough and mistakes happen and you grow from each mistake, whether it’s yours or someone else.”
“These days, me playing has taken a back burner to coaching the youth within my community,” said Jayme. “My main focus has been coaching a U14 softball team in Six Nations. We’ve come a long way within the time I’ve started coaching them. Mind you it is easy to coach a group of athletes when they already have an athletic inclination. I believe athletes today focus far too much on a specific sport too early. Young athletes lose out on some of the cross-sport skills they would get from playing many sports. Getting youth to understand that it’s not all about the winning, but being able to develop their individual game. Understanding that what’s important now at their current age and how they are going to achieve that.”
“What I hope to pass on to this group are the little things it takes to get better and strive for wanting more while maintaining their youthfulness,” said Jayme.
Photo Credit: Jayme Sky
