EAGLE BUTTE, SD (July 24, 2023) — The Cheyenne River Youth Project has announced that it will host a free youth volleyball camp at its Čhokáta Wičhóni (Center of Life) teen center on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 3-4. Camp for 9th to 12th graders will take place on Thursday, and the camp for 7th and 8th graders will take place on Friday.
Leading the camp will be Lauren Schad (pictured at right), an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a newly inducted member of the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. Raised in Rapid City, Schad was on the 2012 South Dakota Class AA All State 1st Team, and she was actively recruited by the University of San Diego, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a minor in English.
Schad played on the USA Collegiate National Volleyball Team in 2015 and 2016, receiving All-American Honors. She ranked second best in single-season hitting percentage in USD history, and she was ranked third nationally in hitting percentage out of all seniors in the NCAA.
She was a 2018 Nike N7 Ambassador, and she played professionally for five seasons in the top league in France. Schad competed in the Champions League for three seasons out of five in France, going up against the top athletes in the world.
She retired from volleyball in summer 2022, operates a textile business called Wicahpi Rugs & Textiles, and is deeply involved in initiatives for Native youth in North America. She also speaks to international schools in France, working to contest the persistent stereotypes that face indigenous peoples and discuss what it means to be “proudly indigenous.”
“I’m grateful for CRYP for hosting me and allowing me to return to Cheyenne River to work with our youth,” Schad said. “Throughout my career as an athlete, I’ve had an immense amount of support from CRYP, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and other local supporters, and I have wanted to give back as much as I can.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with our athletes and youth for a number of years,” she continued. “Seeing them grow, progress and transition into young adults has always been the most rewarding experience. I’m excited to see some new faces as well as returning athletes.”
“We’re honored to have Lauren join us for this free, two-day volleyball camp for middle- and high-schoolers,” Widow said. “We’re deeply grateful to have someone with her level of experience and success teaching our children, and the connections they build with her will be even more meaningful because she is a Cheyenne River Lakota woman.”
Executive Director Julie Garreau agreed, observing, “It’s important for our children to see someone like Lauren, a Lakota woman, in a role like this. In her, they can see themselves and envision a future in which they too will thrive. That’s an essential piece of our work with these children. We must inspire them, and give them opportunities to see themselves in the spaces they aspire to be.”
The August volleyball camps at CRYP will include group warm-up and icebreaking activities, partner exercises, relays, introductions to skills such as setting and serving, and strategies for attacking and defense. Each day will comprise a morning session, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and an afternoon session, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
To register, interested youth or their guardians should contact CRYP Youth Programs Director Jerica Widow at (605) 964-8200 or youthpd.cryp@gmail.com. All participants must have signed permission slips to participate.
And to learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.
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