Parks and Recreation Staff Shout outs

(Director's Note: The SCIT Parks & Recreation department is always looking to serve the community better and we are offering this new web feature "Staff Shoutout" to profile current recreation programs and activity within our area )

May 17, 2012: Staff Shoutout - Parks & Recreation Director Ronnie Ekdahl

The SCIT Parks and Recreation department is finishing the Youth basketball season with a recognition and awards banquet (May 31 from 6 to 8pm at the Eagles Nest Tribal Gym) for all youth and their families who participated in the 2012 County/Morey leagues and travel teams.  The youth came out in big numbers and were fired up for the season this year.  We started county league and Morey league play for 5-8th grade youth back in January with 2 boys and 1 girls team playing in competitive games every weekend until the end of March.  Our Tribal athletes then transitioned into Travel team play with an intense tryout for all age categories before the first tournament in April.  We fielded an amazing seven youth basketball teams (3 boys and 4 girls teams in three divisions: ages 11 and under, 12-14 yrs. and 16-18 yrs).  SCIT Parks and Recreation had only ever sponsored four teams in the past and the amount of participation from the youth was nothing short of historic.  The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe was represented with great integrity and sportsmanship displayed by our young athletes, their coaches and all of our parent volunteers and fans.  It was a very successful season with all of our teams placing in each tournament.    I look forward to a great banquet on May 31 for our young athletes and am very excited for the season next year and the future of all of our Tribal youth.  Please come and celebrate the end of a great basketball season with our Tribal athletes.  Miigwetch!