by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Tjay Head is a 2019 First Team East All Nations All-Conference member.
Tjay is a senior running back and linebacker for Lower Brule Tribal School, South Dakota. In a battle of two East Division teams that are 14 miles apart from each other, the #2 seeded East Division Lower Brule Kul Wicasa will be playing the #1 East Division Crow Creek Chieftains in the championship game of the inaugural All Nations Football Conference this Friday, November 8, 2019. The game will be played across the state at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, SD.
Tjay is a member of the Crow Creek Tribe. His father is Clifford Medcalf II, Crow Creek Tribe, and mother is Donna Head, Crow Creek Tribe. Both parents live in Fort Thompson, SD.
“My strength is hyping the team,” said Tjay. I serve as a strong motivator on the field and on the sidelines. I am a flexible player when the coach and the team need it.
“I plan on getting into a college and play for a football program. Playing sports especially football has given me the values of hard work, discipline, never give up attitude and grit which will help me in everything that I go into the future,” added Tjay.
“Through sport, particularly in football, the following Lakota values define me as an athlete. I always try to either practice or impart these values on and off the playing field, as an athlete, a student and a member of the tribe. These four values are: Wotitakuye, or kinship, including my whole team as an extension of my family from the coaching staff to my team mates; Wacintaka, or fortitude, this means facing danger or challenges with courage, strength and confidence. Facing the challenge of the sport of football, Woksape, or wisdom, means being able to incorporate the sacred way of life into one’s own life and to respect and honor all life. Learning varied things from plays, working as a team, protecting each other, respecting opponents and trying to pass this on to others; and, Wacantognaka, the Lakota word for generosity, means to contribute to the well-being of one’s people and all life by sharing and giving freely. Teaching and imparting what I know to the younger generation of players and trying to encourage them to continue playing the sport because of its many benefits.
