Choctaw Nation Labor Day Youth Fitness Challenge
Nita (bear), chukfi (rabbit), ossi (eagle)! Stretch, stretch, stretch!
Bear crawls, bunny hops, and flapping arms like eagle wings warmed up 78 youth and prepared them for a challenge designed to develop physical, mental, and spiritual fitness.
The Youth Fitness Challenge — also known as the Chief’s Fitness Challenge — has taken place at the annual Choctaw Nation Labor Day Festival in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, for many years. This was the first year the Chahta Foundation headed it up.
“The focus of the challenge is to connect youth with healthy habits,” says Seth Fairchild, Executive Director of the Chahta Foundation. “We’re trying to engage them through competition.”
Divided into three age groups, youth tackled a 40-yard dash, an obstacle course, and tested their vertical jump with a box jump. Partway through the event, everyone took a break for snacks and Gatorade.
Choctaw tribal member and volunteer Cordell Zalenski offered words of encouragement and inspiration for the youth to finish the challenge, and to run strong in the challenges they face in life. Cordell is a CPA for Walmart, and lives the example of a hardworking and motivated life.
“We’re really trying to get them to buy into the idea that you are in control of your destiny,” Seth says. “You can influence where you are in your life.”
After the break, the youth finished strong, culminating in a final challenge: A tug-of-war competition between the older kids and younger ones. Perhaps because they didn’t think they stood a chance of winning, the younger ones tried all the harder.
“It’s cool to think about how the younger kids probably weren’t expecting to win, but they did,” Seth says. “It gave them the idea that you can overcome things you think you can’t. There are mental mindset shifts you can make to come from a more empowered place.”
The youth challenge is an event open to all kids 8 -18 years old, though the majority came from Jones Academy, and represented several tribes. Using the Choctaw language during the warm-up allowed those students to experience our culture, and for Choctaw youth to connect with theirs.
“They need to understand that we are Chahta!” says Chief Gary Batton. “By being Chahta, they can be athletic like a tushka and proud of the use of their language. Going back to our roots will make us healthy — physically, mentally, and spiritually.”
“Recognizing the three biggest values of the Choctaw Nation — faith, family, and culture — we opened with prayer, and the keynote speaker used Bible verses,” Seth adds. “That’s always a great thing to be able to share our faith.”
All youth attending the Labor Day festival are welcome to register the day of the event, and we hope to see many again next year for this fun challenge.
“Those kids are competitive, they want to win,” Seth says. “The tug-of-war is the moment when you see the kids really pushing themselves, giving 100% effort. That can translate to day-to-day lives, not only the sports side of it.”
Yakoke, thank you to our event volunteers and tribal leadership for valuing this event and acknowledging the importance of incorporating our youth and culture into the Labor Day festival!
Credit: Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer
