Indians honored as Pioneers of Skiing this Vancouver Olympic “Tribal” Year. I am so proud that the top Ski and Snowboard Shows in America are leading an outreach to Native kids this Vancouver “Tribal” Olympic Year. Ski Legends, like Billy Kidd, Donna Weinbrecht, and Wayne Wong are getting the word out at the shows that underserved American Indian kids are warmly welcomed to participate in the Free and Discounted “Learn a Snow Sport” Programs in most snow states, along with mainstream youth.

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Shows are honoring Native American Tribes for pioneering skiing 8-10,000 years ago, along with a heart-warming ski outreach to expand snowsports opportunities for Native kids this Vancouver “Tribal” Olympic Year.

Native Americans can take pride that Tennis icon Billie Jean King, a Cherokee, and Ted Kennedy, descendant of an honorary Iroquois Chief, did wonders to create equal opportunities for girls/women in sports and education in America and abroad. By enforcing the 1972 Title 1X Education Amendments Act, they actually helped restore those equitable traditional ways of the First Americans, which were interrupted in the last 150 years.

Heart-warming steps toward realizing a dream of creating a Native American Olympic Team were made at Oklahoma’s City’s “American Indian Sovereignty Symposium” on June 4, 2009. At the sports panel Bill and Jack Thorpe, sons of the late Jim Thorpe, voted the “Greatest Athlete in Modern Times,” joined forces and then offered critical resources to help Indian youth vie for the 2012 London and 2014 Russian Olympics.

At last year’s Indian Sovereignty Symposium in Oklahoma City, a discussion on sports was included for the first time. Participants unanimously agreed on the need for greater organization of sport opportunities for Native
Americans.

“To spirited applause by the ‘phenomenal’ female champions honored at the ’35th Annual Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame Benefit’ in Denver on March 8, Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee received the prestigious ‘Pioneer Award’ for helping their dreams come true. In 1975, Suzy led the Title 1X March in DC that led to giving equal opportunities to women in school sports,” said guest Cleo Arellano (Apache), a Bank of Omaha executive and supporter of the Native American Olympic Team Foundation (NAOTF), co-founded by Chaffee.

Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee will be honored at the 35th Annual Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame Awards banquet at Denver’s Marriott Tech Center Hotel on March 8. “Suzy deserves the ‘Pioneer Award’ for birthing freestyle skiing, Title 1X and inspiring ski areas to share the joy of skiing with tribal youth,” said Joan Birkland, executive director.

Olympians from seven countries honored Native Americans at the 2004 Athens Olympics for their gifts to the roots of 10 Olympic sports at the site of the first Modern Games in 1896. L-R US Olympic skier co-host Suzy Chaffee with Fernando Jose (Navajo/Inca), Ullarik (Inca), Helen Korevesis of Olympic Truce, Chasque (Taos Pueblo), Condor (Inca), and Greek Olympic co-host Mike Voudouris, who also helped bring Iraqis to the Games.

On October 7, 2008, Carrie Holmes, 30, and a team of international skydivers became the first to skydive from above Mount Everest. With oxygen tanks and custom high altitude jumpsuits, the 16-person team broke a world record when they jumped from above the summit and landed in the highest drop zone ever—at 12,350 feet in the nearby village of Syangboche. —As told to Bryn Fox

“I’m so proud of Delaney,” said Olympian Billy Kidd (Abenaki), now Captaining the Native American Olympic Ski Team. “He’s the fastest six-year-old on skis. Four runs means he was consistently fast,” said Kidd, who put Delaney and his grandparents, Kathy and Lou of Pine Ridge, SD, under his wing, including jobs. And the pint-sized phenomenon got coaching at Steamboat’s Winter Sports Club, producer of over 60 Olympians.

“I think it is wonderful that ski areas have been inviting the tribes back to ski and snowboard, which inspired them this winter to share their earth-honoring prayers and snowdances for all U.S. Ski Areas. It would be wise to further explore and expand such cross-fertilization,” said Stanford Climatologist Dr. Stephen Schneider, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Winner as part of the Intergovernmental Panel for Change Climate (IPCC) team, who has been working with the Native American Olympic Team Foundation.
Graduating Hawaiian and Maori Stanford Fellows and Native American Olympic Team Foundation’s (2nd from left) Dick Enersen and Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee, who have been exploring tribal solutions to “Keep Winters Cool” with Nobel Laureate Dr. Stephen Schneider.)

Telluride, Colorado, April 11 – On Closing Day for Spirit Mountain, Wisconsin, 14 yr old ‘Honor the Earth Princess,’ Mariah Cooper (Lac Courte-Oreille-Oneida), a Native American Olympic Hopeful, led their first Snow Gratitude Ceremony. They joined Steamboat, Telluride, Ascutney (VT) and Arizona Snowbowl in ceremonies expressing appreciation for one of the best American snow years,“ said amazed Olympic skier Suzy “Chaptick” Chaffee, Native Voices Foundation (NVF) sponsor.

You can help resolve the biggest conflict since the Indian Wars ended in 1891, this time between the Arizona Snow Bowl Ski Areas, teamed with the National Ski Areas Association, against the 13 tribes of Arizona and the Sierra Club, by being a part of an OLIVE BRANCH Snow Prayer.

Over two hundred Sedona citizens overflowed City Hall Chambers on August 15, to plead with Council members and the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to preserve their renowned dark and starry skies. Led by Keep Sedona Beautiful, Inc.(KSB), Sedona residents enlightened their leaders “on alternatives to putting up 76 sodium light poles that would add to global warming and cancer, while turning this magnificent town into a Las Vegas strip,” according to Native American Olympic Team Foundation co-chair, Olympian Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee.

Thanks to our Earth Hugs on 7.7.07 and 7/17, “the Earth temperature slightly lowered, and the oceans were re-energized, which will continue if we continue,” say many Saints / Holy Ones / Ascended Masters / Seers / Star Nations, depending on your faith, backed by our intuition.

On 7/17 many Earth Family members gathered to rejoice and build on the phenomenal 777 blessings during the “Fire of the Grid” world internet event, which coincided with Dr Masuru Emoto (NY Times Bestseller “Messages from Water”) leading his annual world ceremony to give “Love and Thanks to Water.”

“The electro

America’s Red Rock Cathedral, Sedona is becoming a Green Model of Hope for Earth’s children and the Winter Olympics. “To keep Sedona healthy and enhance global cooling,our community is taking bold measures,”said Green Sedona founder Matthew Turner, a 34 year old environmental scientist. “Turner offers businesses and families simple natural solutions that the youth can coach, which raise the green bar necessary for having a realistically brighter future,”said Olympic skier, Suzy Chaffee, co-chairman of the partneringNative American Olympic Team Foundation.

On Earth Day Sunday, April 22, we are inviting our Earth Family to join together in loving prayer for our Mother Earth. This is a chance to unite perhaps two billion people, one third of our Earth Family, to feel love and appreciation for Mother Earth, which also does wonders to rebalance Her,” said Olympic skier Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee, co-founder of Native American Olympic Team Foundation.

13 yr old Olympic Hopeful Mariah Cooper (Lac Courte Oreille-Oneida), Jr Miss Honor the Earth Princess, prayer-signing her love for Mother Earth to open event for Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson, a Father of Earth Day.

Thunder, lightning, snow then sunshine heralded a touching Gratitude Ceremony in Telluride’s Mountain Village on Closing Weekend led by 13 Ute Mountain youth. “The bolt of lightning and half foot of powder perhaps had something to do with Ken Stone, Telski’s Marketing Director, announcing developing a plan that would raise the bar nationally for partnerships between ski areas and tribes,” said Olympic skier Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee, co-founder of Native American Olympic Team Foundation.

L-R) Mark Fitzgerald,Olympians Naomi Lang (Karuk Tribe) andSuzy Chaffee withscientist Sperry Andrews, at Tampa’s DeBartolo Benefit, honoring General Norman H. Schwarzkopf for inspiring Colorado’s Telluride SkiCo to share free skiing with the ancestral Utes, which led to turning around Europe’s “catastrophic” snow drought in February.
“Snowsports and Winter Olympic lovers are empowered that by praying more together, we can further slow down the global warming and bring back the snows,” agreed the amazed organizers: Mary Ho, a China Olympic host as President of the China Millennium Council, Jan Roberts, Earth CharterUS President and delegate to UNCommission on Sustainable Development, scientist Sperry Andrews, director of Human Connection Institute of the Oneness Network, Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee, co-chair Sedona (AZ) based NVF, as well as supporters Ambassador Gil Robinson and Stanford’s Dick Enersen.
“Not so surprising since oralhistory tells us that ourtribal ancestors (even the Pilgrims) influencedthe weather. IndigenousElders and others with the gift, as well as group meditation and prayers like ours, continue those practices,” said Andrews.

Naomi Lang (Cal Karuk) and Peter Tchernyshev (Russian) ice dancing stars of the 2002 Olympics, and other Legends of Skating will be putting on the Ritz in some hot designer threads during Disson Skating’s “Fashion on the Ice” Special on the Style Network Monday, February 9 from 3:00-5:00pm ET.

For the first time some of 7th Avenue’s hottest designers, a Victoria Secret host, and la creme of world skaters, have teamed up to create a visual feast de resistance, as well as interesting experiment, complete with a wardrobe malfunctions and other surprises.

These breakthrough stories are graciously sent to all major US newspapers, ENewsChannels.com, mags, as well as the International Sports Press World (including permission to reprint), courtesy of Christopher Simmons and Laura Weldon at:

With Europe experiencing the warmest winter in 1,250 years, Woody Vaspra (Hawaiian), President of the World Council of Elders of over 50 countries, was asked to lead a‘Prayer for the Healing & Care of our Mother Earth.’ This happened as a result of Vaspra graciously offering the Council’sIndigenous Elders tohold ceremonies worldwide to heal and rebalance the man-made part of the global warming, to help ensure the healthy future of skiing, boarding and the Winter Olympics. A group of leaders, many centered in Sedona, with networks representing possibly a billion internationals gathered to lendsupport, excited about sending out Vaspra’s following prayer,” according to Olympic skier, Suzy Chaffee, Native American Olympic Team Foundation co-chairman:

To the sultry strains of Carlos Santana / Rob Thomas, stunning Naomi Lang (Karuk Tribe), 2002 Utah Olympic ice dancing star, melts the “Latin On Ice” Special on the Style Network Friday, Jan. 12th at 5pm ET and on Sunday, Jan. 14th at 10am ET.

Befittingly the Seminole’s Hard Rock Casino in Ft. Lauderdale was the backdrop for Naomi’s shining moment with her hot Russian partner Peter Tchernyshev, who inspired a standing ovation at Salt Lake. The pair’s seductive dance called “Smooth,” is the “pride and joy” of their month long marathon of performances on NBC Ice Dancing Specials.

Thirty years before he died, President Gerald Ford skied down a slope in Vail listening to David Bowie.

It was at the end of his presidency, Dec. 27, 1976, when the vacationing Ford joined Olympic skier and Rutland native Suzy Chaffee at the Colorado resort for a few runs.

Telling the story after Ford’s death Tuesday in a telephone interview from Arizona, Chaffee said she almost didn’t get there.

Naomi Lang (Karuk), 5x National Ice Dancing Champand member of theUS Olympic Skating Team,who got a standing ovation at the 2002 Utah Olympics, turned pro this year and will ice dance with her Russian partner, Peter Tchernyshev,on an NBC Special Christmas Day around 2-4pm MT, 4-6 ET.

Naomi and Peter are fresh from performing on theinspiring Michael Bolton NBCSpecialon December 17th, where the pairwas like “liquid silver.” Stunning Naomi is the only Native American to participate in the Olympics in this Millennium, and first Native woman of ever compete in an Olympics.