by Victor and Max Masayesva are Hopi and Ojibwe junior and freshman hockey players respectively at Lakeland Union High School, Minocqua Wisconsin. Their mom is Irene Folstrom. She is from the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Dad is Brett Masayesva. He is Hopi from Kykotsmovi, Arizona.
Victor’s Ojibwe name is Ozhaawashko-giizhick and refers to the blue part of the sky as day comes. Max’s Ojibwe name is Chi Gigoo and means big fish.
Lakeland Union HS varsity hockey is 16-4. Victor plays right wing. Max and another goalie share starts.
“As Hopi, we are known for working hard,” said Victor. “Our dad worked on his family farm daily, which was very strenuous work. He developed a strong work ethic that he carried through medical school and he stressed work ethics on my brothers and me. I think of myself as a hard worker that has helped me develop as a hockey player.”
“Some core values I follow by is being humble and working hard,” said Max. “Following those values makes me a better person and athlete.”
“I’ve been in the National Honor Society, and Honor Roll for all three years,” said Victor. “I lettered in hockey and track since freshman year, started on varsity hockey since my freshman year, was named 1st team all conference in cross country as a junior, 2nd team all conference in cross country my sophomore year, played varsity football as a freshman, and was voted most valuable runner my sophomore and junior year.”
“Some accomplishments I have had in athletics have been making Team Wisconsin, playing for a 2003 age level AAA hockey team while I am a 2004, having a .938 save percentage through the games I have played this year, and making it to multiple state tournaments through my youth hockey years,” said Max.
“One major piece of advice I would give to others in order to be a successful student athlete is repetition,” said Victor. “Whether it’s in the classroom or on the ice, you need to constantly repeat and work on your craft. By doing this, you will be the student athlete you want to be.”
“Finding a time to focus on school only and finding time to focus on sports only has made me been pretty successful in school and in sports so far this year,” said Max.
“I’m planning on doing well in my high school career and seeing where that takes me and see what opportunities I could get. If the chance to play college hockey is there I would take it but I would rather go to a good college for a degree than go to juniors,” added Max.
Dad Brett Masayesva talked about his older son Victor and his academic and athletic directions: “Victor is a junior at Lakeland Union HS. He has had an amazing athletic and academic career thus far. He was named to the national honor society this year. He is taking several AP courses this year and has his sights set on college. He is participating in the information technology academy. He had aspirations to pursue a career in medicine, but is now considering business.”
“Athletically, he was the top runner for Lakeland’s cross-country team and was named first team Great Northern Conference all conference. Despite his cross-country success, he plans on playing football next fall. He was the offensive player of the year in both his 7th and 8th grade years. Scored 6 touchdowns in a single game during middle school and felt embarrassed in the process. His cross-country coach will be disappointed, but the football coach is ecstatic,” added Brett.
“Victor is having an amazing season this hockey season as a forward,” said Brett. “He is one of the top point leaders in the conference and the state. The team is having an amazing year. He has also earned honorable mention honors in track last year as a sophomore and freshman, but is considering playing golf this spring instead. Needless to say he is an amazing athlete.”
“Victor is an impressive young man. Ask anyone who knows him and they will all say he is a hard worker, intelligent, and always respectful and polite. He has successfully maintained a full plate during high school. He will do great things in the years to come,” added Brett.
Dad Brett Masayesva also talked about his other son Max with hockey, football and academics: “Max is a young man of few words, but his actions speak volumes. He is a hockey goaltender; a position often blamed for a loss and rarely credited for a win. The skaters can and often make mistakes multiple times during a game; the goalies are expected to be perfect. The standards this unique breed of athlete hold themselves to are extremely high and must be maintained to support the team.”
“Max has been a leader by example throughout his years as a goalie and running back in football. He has always been the reliable person in net even when his team struggles which has always been settling for his teammates. He never blames anyone when he gets scored on. Never gives up no matter the deficit. Never claims credit for a win. He has won accolades at the state level for his play and was named to Team Wisconsin in 2016 establishing him as one of the best goalies in the state for his age group.”
“This year, his freshman year, has proven to be a test of his character. He isn’t the starting goalie. He is playing behind an amazing goalie that is a junior. The team has had an incredible year thus far. Max has continued to make the most of his playing time and continued to excel. His save percentage is among the best in the state according to Wisconsin prep hockey. He understands that playing time must be earned as an underclassman. He continues to works hard in practice even knowing he won’t play the next game,” added Brett.
“What I am most proud of is his academic performance,” said Brett. “He has a 3.6 GPA and knows that could be better. We expect a lot from him academically since he is a very bright kid. Expecting anything less would be a disservice to him. He is now applying to the Information Technology Academy that is a program affiliated with UW Madison. This program is intended to encourage high school students to pursue degrees in the tech fields. If accepted and successfully completed, students receive a full four-year scholarship to UW Madison.”
“The athletics aside, Max is looking to the future. He will most certainly leave his athletic mark at Lakeland Union HS during his time, but he has the inherent gifts to do so much more than that well beyond the high school years,” added Brett.
Mom Irene Folstrom talked about both of her sons: “Even though I am from northern Minnesota, I didn’t know anything about hockey before signing them up 10 years ago. In fact, I had never even been to a hockey game before. I grew up playing basketball in the winter and as far as I was concerned, my boys would play basketball in the winter, too.
They started playing when they were 6 and 7 years old which is considered ‘late’ for hockey in Minnesota.”
“It was kind of a fluke how this game became such a huge part of our lives. It had been a really cold week in October or November and so cold that school had been cancelled a couple of days and I was at home with them. We were going crazy after being stuck indoors for several days and I was running out of things to do to keep them occupied. I decided it was a good time for them to learn how to ice skate so we went to Play it Again Sports in Bemidji, MN and bought used hockey skates for all three of us,” added Irene.
“I love skating and was hopeful one of them would perhaps be interested in figure skating,” said Irene. “After we laced up our skates and I got them situated on those metal skate trainer bars, they both started whining about not wanting to go out onto the ice and complaining about being cold. I gave them both a big shove at the same time into the middle of the rink. Off they went. I was expecting them to have meltdowns, but it was as if being out on the ice, gliding on the ice, brought a sort of calm to them. When they got out to the middle and my shove started to wear off and they slowed down to a stop, they both looked back at me with this look of love on their faces. Like they had just fallen in love. Huge smiles. I pushed them each one more time and then we ditched the metal skate trainer bars. The next day, I was buying hockey equipment and signing them up for youth hockey in Bemidji. They have been in love ever since.”
“Victor and Max are gifted athletes, but they are even better young men. They are natural born leaders who set the bar high for themselves. They are kind, they are generous, they know their place in the world, and they work hard. Victor was inducted into the National Honor Society this past fall and they both do very well academically. To be honest, their achievements thus far have really blown me away…and what’s exciting is that they are just getting started. I’m lucky to be their mother. They are my proudest achievement and they are my biggest contribution to the world in this life and their little brother Brady too, of course. He plays hockey too,” added Irene.
I love these boys! And as a hockey mom to a child with three parents, I am curious as to why you’d post a picture completely discluding their mother?