Olympic Themes

The theme for VBS this year is "The Olympics". I've been researching some inspiring American Indian athletes who competed in the Olympics and am pretty amazed at their stories. I think the kids need to know about these heroes. They are American Indian and they did not allow circumstances to control their destiny. They overcame some pretty daunting obstacles - that's a message the kids we work with need to hear. I'm thinking of making some trading cards to give to each of the kids.

Cheri Becerra

An Omaha Indian, she also became the first native American to win an Olympic medal

when she claimed a bronze in a demonstration wheelchair event at the Atlanta Games.
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She only started wheelchair racing in 1995 when a rehabilitation worker in her home town of Nebraska City, Nebraska, showed her a magazine article and encouraged her to get involved.
Before that, Becerra had been swimming for fun and fitness but had never competed at sports.
"Being in a wheelchair, so many people have the attitude that you can't do anything," she said. "It's events like the Paralympics that prove we can compete and that we are very capable."

Becerra became a paraplegic at the age of four, saying she went to sleep one night and woke the next morning without any feeling in her legs.
Doctors attributed it to an unidentified virus.
Becerra said it could have been a blessing.
"If I could walk, I don't think I'd be competing at an international level -- I doubt it," she said.

Billy Mills

Oglala Lakota Sioux

Born in Pine Ridge and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Billy was orphaned at the age of 13.

He took up running while attending the Haskell Institute, which is now knows as the Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS.

He is the second Native American ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

He accomplished this feat in the 10,000 meter run at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics making him the only American ever to win the Olympic gold in this event.

Many consider his victory in 1964 to be the greatest upset in Olympic history.

Ben Nighthorse Campbell

member of the US Olympic team in 1964,

competingin Judo.

He is the only American Indian in Congress.

He is a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.

During Campbell's childhood, his father had problems with alcoholism, often leaving the family for weeks and months at a time. His mother had health problems, with tuberculosis that limited the contact she could have with her children and continued to force her into the hospital for long periods of time. These problems led to Ben and his older sister Alberta (who died in an apparent suicide at age 44) spending much of their early lives in nearby Catholic orphanages.
Campbell dropped out of high school in 1951 to join the U.S. Air Force.

Campbell obtained his GED while in the Air Force and after returning to the United States, Campbell used his GI Bill and work as a truck driver (he was and remains a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters)