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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2004)
Smoke Signals APRIL 15f 2004 Nike Hosts Native Fitness Training Sessions Two-day program last month may be a pilot for the nation. By Ron Kartcn What started out as a one-room training for representatives of maybe 20 Indian health facilities ballooned into "Pride in Movement," a project filling three rooms at Nike headquar ters in Beaverton, employing half a dozen exercise and nutrition facilita tors for more than 80 participants from 25 Tribes. Initially, the fitness program idea was Nellie McConville's concept. McConville (Nez Perce) is Diabetes Coordinator for the Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA). The idea was so good, however, that it quickly spread among local Indian wellness groups, as well as Nike's Sam McCracken, who as Native American Business Manager is Nike's point man for Indian issues. "I always take the approach: any thing I can do for the (Indian) commu nity, I'm for it," said McCracken. In this case, he thinks, the current project could turn into a nationwide model. Nike already was on the case with this one. At the end of last year, Nike initiated an agreement with the In dian Health Services to create pro grams consistent with the agency's Health PromotionDisease Prevention (HPDP) model. When this idea came up, McCracken said, "nothing more exemplified" the IIPDP model. The program starts with the cur rent status of diabetes among Indians. As Kerri Lopez (Tolowa) said, "We have an epidemic in Indian Country." Lopez is Project Director of the West ern Tribal Diabetes Project of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Heath Board and is spearheading the "Pride in Movement" project. "Pride in Movement" put attendees through cardio, strength and flexibil ity clinics along with sessions on nu trition, kids games and a brainstorm ing session to get the wheels turning about how to take the program suc cessfully back to the Tribes. "This is a process," said Nike's Flex ibility Trainer Margo Kellison about the exercises, but the point worked as well for the entire program. "It takes time. It's not a competition with your- However, he noted a troubling and widespread prejudice: "People see obe sity as a character flaw," he said. "(They say to themselves) why should we spend money on somebody who won't help themselves?" 1 11 r vT L li It's All About Health Nike's Native American business Manager Sam McCracken, (Red Bottom Clan of Assinaboine) talks to a reporter as the two-day "Pride in Movement" exercise and nutrition program continued in three different rooms at Nike's Tiger Woods building. McCracken played an important role in bringing the program to Nike headquarters. self or anybody else. Everything must be done in a sacred way. Banish the struggle." "When creating a class," said Nike's Strength Trainer Kelly Zebig, "re member to choose exercises that bal ance the muscles" so if an exercise reaches the biceps, be sure to include another that exercises the triceps. "Lunges reach all the muscles," she said. "That's why they call them 'God's exercise." Grand Ronde Wellness Center Phy sician Wilbert James (Swinomish) said that the program had "a lot of potential. I think it's something that people are going to want." Dr. James formerly was recreation director for the Swinomish Tribe. Overcoming the personal difficulty of working out on a bum knee, the re sult of a football injury years ago, Dr. James nevertheless worked hard in the trainings, walking the walk of some thing he said earlier: "People need to prioritize to themselves and think about what's good for them." Haanah Mike (Shoshone), a new Drug and Alcohol Counselor with the Grand Ronde Tribe's Education De partment, came "to help train the young kids to get in shape." Tribal member DeAnna Trimpe, a MedicalAdministrative Assistant, came because, "I want to learn tools for my own health, and to teach others." Tribal member Tracy Biery, a Health Promotion Specialist, and Vernon Kennedy (Burns-Paiute), a Prevention Education Counselor, both with the Clinic, also attended. The project will be a statistical project as well as one teaching exer cise and nutrition, according to Lopez. It will start with taking "baseline mea surements to see if this activity makes a difference at the Tribes." In addition, the program encouraged participants to think about incentives, punch cards, celebrations and follow up strategies for keeping people inter ested, and to help, self-assessment and other forms to help implement the pro gram will be available to Tribes in volved. "But if you have a person with dia betes who is so depressed that they don't want to get out of bed," said Lopez, the scope of things the program needs to address increases dramati cally. Encouraging self-motivated daily activity by participants, Nike "Katalyst" Kevin Carroll quoted box ing great Muhammed Ali saying, 'I either won or lost the fight before I entered the ring.' "You can't be there with a person 24 hours a day," said Carroll. With high hopes in their hearts, re alists among the participants never theless dominated the day. "It's a do over from the start," said Dr. James. "There's no downhill course. Every thing you did yesterday is a clean slate today." Indian health organization partici pants included NARA, the Urban In dian Health Clinic, the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Boards' Western Tribal Diabetes Project, the Portland Area Indian Health Service and the Native Wellness Institute. "There's a Hopi saying," said Flex ibility Instructor Kellison as she sent the class into a stretch. "We are the ones we've been waiting for." The Tribal member community meetings for the Grand Ronde Tribes will be held in May to share information on current Tribal plans and to gather information for goal setting. Included will be a review of recent projects and key achievements. Comments will be used in guiding programs and projects and in grant applications (e.g. Community Development Block Grant, Administration for Native Americans, HeadStart, etc.). YOUR PARTICIPATION IS NEEDED, APPRECIATED AND MAKES A DIFFERENCE. A full buffet meal will be served at the start of each meeting including entrees of salmon and beef and there will be a coffee break during each meeting. The meetings will be held at the following locations in Portland, Eugene, and Grand Ronde. May 4, 2004 Tuesday 6 8:30 p.m. Sweetbrier Inn (Columbia Room) 7125 SW Nyberg Road Tualatin, Oregon 97062 Take 1-5 Exit 289 and go east on Nyberg Road. The Inn is just east of the Interchange on your left and is visible from the freeway. (The Columbia room is upstairs, the first room on your right. There is an elevator.) May 13, 2004 Thursday 6 8:30 p.m. Red Lion Inn (Ballroom lower level; also called the Estate & Farwest rooms) 205 Coburg Road Eugene, OR 97401 From 1-5 take exit 194B onto 1-105 west. Head west on I 105 to Coburg Road Exit. Take a right onto Coburg Road. The hotel is right there on the right. (Main entrance and then take the stairselevator to the lower level). May 25, 2004 Tuesday 6 8:30 p.m. Grand Ronde Community Center Grand Ronde, Oregon Meeting Agenda Following the opening dinner there will be an overview of Tribal accomplishments this past year and then capital projects planned for this next year. There will be a short presentation by Housing and then a presentation on the Tribe's new Health Plan through Self-Insurance. After these presenta tions (about a half hour combined) there will be three break out sessions of about a 25 minutes each. The first will be on the Health Plan and Self Insurance and the last will be for any subjects mem bers want to discuss. The middle session at Tualatin and Eugene will be on the upcoming satellite offices and at Grand Ronde the middle session will be on Community Area Planning. A drawing for a Pendleton blanket will be held at the end of each meeting.
