Piestewa Games Honor The Legacy Of A Fallen Native American Hero

Forbes

12 hours ago

Lori Ann Piestewa is the inspiration behind the Piestewa Games, a three-day athletic event featuring ... More competitions in five sports (with a sixth, Powerlifting, taking place in the fall).
Athletic Competitions Continue To Honor A Hero's Legacy
The highly anticipated annual Piestewa Games (formerly the Lori Piestewa Native American Games) at the Arizona Athletic Grounds did not disappoint.
The event brings together sports teams from Native American communities for spirited team and individual competitions. A record number of athletes (3,523) and coaches (552) participated in Baseball, Basketball, Slow-Pitch, Wrestling and Fastpitch, new to the lineup this year. The traditional Powerlifting competition is scheduled later this year in Flagstaff.
Fastpitch softball made its debut at the Games this year, with 9 teams, 135 athletes and 18 coaches.
The Games honor Hopi tribal member U.S. Army Specialist Lori Piestewa who, in 2003, became the first Native American woman killed in combat while serving in the U.S. Military. Just 23 at the time, the Tuba City, AZ native died after her convoy was ambushed in Iraq. She left behind two small children, Brandon and Carla Whiterock, and a community determined to never forget her sacrifice.
The tournament is a tribute to the late veteran and a source of pride and unity for the Native American community, many of whom share personal histories. It fosters camaraderie, rekindles old friendships, and motivates younger athletes. Multiple generations have now competed in the Games and return to either coach or watch their kids carry on the tradition.
Lori's spirit was a powerful force throughout the three-day tournament, going beyond the visual representations of her life in photos, on banners, shirts and merchandise. It was felt in the joy of the crowd, the enthusiasm of the athletes, and the shared sense of community and purpose among everyone on site.
What began as a grassroots extension of the Grand Canyon State Games has expanded considerably since coming under the auspices of the Arizona Sports & Entertainment Commission (ASEC). The organization's mission is to bring sporting events to Arizona, assist in the promotion of existing events, and support youth and amateur sports programs. Executive Director Nikki Balich explained that their motto – Impact Arizona – emphasizes serving quietly and impacting loudly, with meaningful, respectful, and community-driven activities.
Rez Ball on the Court
Basketball drew the largest field of competitors, with 197 teams, 2,364 athletes and 394 coaches. The sport carries deep historical and cultural significance for tribal communities. 'Rez Ball' has become synonymous with a high energy, aggressive style of play that athletes developed in off-site Native boarding schools and brought back to their reservations.
Many of the basketball participants are return competitors and have played with their teams for ... More years
Brandon noted that the origins of rez ball style are rooted in the tradition of long distance running, particularly among the Navajo and Hopi tribes.
'When you run cross country, you're basically getting conditioned to run up and down the basketball court,' he explained. 'Native Americans kind of came up with the concept of run and gun. All you did was run up and down the court until the other team got tired.'
The Stay Sober Elite boys basketball team, composed of sophomores from the White Mountains, won the JV Division Championship at this year's Games. The team name, Stay Sober Elite, reflects a mission to promote sobriety and positive choices among Native youth who face challenges of drugs and alcohol in their home communities.
Their interim coach, Dan Butterfield Jr., is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and a Veterans Administration employee.
Coach Butterfield emphasizes the importance of earning the trust of his players and, in turn, his ... More players learning to trust each other.
'Addiction's a big thing,' he said. 'And some of the parents that are running this, they've beaten addiction, and they've come back and now they're out there sending positive vibes to the community. And in return, their children are seeing that and want to carry on that legacy and want to share that.'
Butterfield, a fellow Tuba City native, has a very personal connection to the Piestewa family. He was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC at the same time Lori lived there during her ex-husband's Army posting, prior to her own enlistment. She gave birth to her two children in North Carolina, and for three years became the go-to babysitter for Butterfield's son, who was the same age as Brandon.
The well-respected coach, described by his players as 'loud but knowledgeable,' laughingly recalls an experience with Lori that left a lasting impression.
The two were driving to Myrtle Beach from Fort Bragg when she suddenly stopped the car to avoid hitting a turtle crossing the road. Rather than simply moving it to the side of the road Lori chose to rescue it and give it a name – Myrtle the Turtle.
That adopted turtle came back to Tuba City with Lori and, according to Butterfield, lived a long and happy life, passing away just a few months ago.
Family Affair
Lori's family is the heart of the tournament, playing a vital role in planning and bringing the Games to life by promoting unity, diversity and empowerment through sports.
Her mother Percy, a petite 77-year-old bundle of energy, addressed the fact that the Games are not Native-only, but are open to anybody. Her daughter, in fact, was both Hopi and Hispanic which makes inclusivity a core value to the family.
'Lori's legacy was to bring people together, any ethnicity, any background. And that's what we do in these games,' she emphasized.
'We want everyone to feel included to come together and participate in good sportsmanship, camaraderie, and also for the youth to go to the next level, achieve their dreams, and play in a wonderful facility that they don't normally get to.'
(L-R) Carla Whiterock, Percy Piestewa, baseball player Ramon Moreno, Coach Moses Cota and Brandon ... More Whiterock.
Percy and her late husband Terry raised Lori's children, who were just four and three years old when their mother died. After the kids were grown and Terry had unfortunately passed away, Percy's irrepressible energy led her back into the workforce. Four years ago, she took a position as an advocate assistant with Victim Witness Services in Flagstaff, helping people in crisis.
Percy and Terry filled two essential roles in Brandon and Carla's lives taking on the responsibility of grandparents (spoilers) and parents (disciplinarians).
'They did a terrific job balancing that out,' said Brandon gratefully. 'I always give them so much credit because it wasn't easy.'
Percy, however, laughed off any notion that it was struggle noting instead that as the next to oldest of 18 kids, she did a lot of sibling raising.
Brandon graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2022 with a degree in exercise science and was honored with the prestigious Gold Axe Award, which recognizes graduating seniors for exceptional achievements in academics, service, and leadership. He earned a master's degree in educational leadership and is on the staff of NAU's Office of Veteran and Military Services.
His entrepreneurial younger sister Carla is a successful self-employed aesthetician working in Flagstaff and Page.
Athleticism runs in the family, making their involvement with the Games especially fitting. Lori excelled at softball and volleyball; Brandon and Carla were multi-sport athletes; and even Percy played softball, was a member of the high school trampoline team and taught aerobics for a time.
Brandon is an avid powerlifter who was instrumental in adding the strength sport to the Games in 2023, and he has served as commissioner since the beginning.
Wrestling returned to the Games this year, with 72 athletes and 12 coaches.
The family was constantly on the move during the Games, greeting folks, presenting medals and sharing details about Lori's vibrant and full life. While her service and sacrifice was one extraordinary chapter, she did have a life before that and the family hopes people will see her as a real person, not a headline or a hashtag.
Said Brandon, 'We want (the athletes) to get to know our mother and who and what they're playing for. It makes the competition more fierce when they realize that they're playing for something greater than themselves.'
Educating participants and their families about the long history of Native American veterans is another important element of the Piestewa Games.
Native people have the highest per-capita involvement of any population to serve in the U.S. military, with an estimated 20,000+ active and reserve members and nearly 150,000 veterans in the U.S.
Percy encourages kids, especially, to learn more.
'So go home and ask your veteran family members about their terms of duty and what they've represented because so many of our veterans got left out and if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here.'
The competition among girls teams was fierce.
Next Up
The family's short-term goal is to revive the cross country competition, paused for the past three years. It's a sport with major cultural connections to Indian Country.
'It's been very important since my sister and I were younger,' explained Brandon, noting it was a cherished family tradition. 'Our family would run, even my grandfather, and as much as I don't like getting up early, we would always get up early to run with him.'
ASEC organizers hope to eventually elevate the Games by establishing qualifier tournaments across the country, starting with basketball.
Their short-term need is more mundane – exposure software across all sports to enhance participant experience and streamline operations.
Explained Balich, 'We need software to help us run the games because everything is hand done. It's costing us too much in staff time and is very frustrating for everybody involved. That worked five years ago. That doesn't work today.'
Corporate sponsorship would put some short- and long-term goals within reach. It's difficult to imagine a more positive association for a potential sponsor, especially taking into account the economic impact of the Games. Last year they generated an estimated $7 million for the local economy, through hospitality, transportation, retail, taxes and other ancillary items.
But Balich is quick to emphasize that any sponsorship would have to be based on authenticity and integrity, not corporate exploitation.
'Especially in the Native space, we're looking for the right sponsors. I don't want a sponsor that's there to exploit the Native Americans, I want the right sponsor who wants to better the lives of human beings.'
Ultimately, ASEC and the Piestewas are dedicated to increasing representation for the Native community.
As Brandon concluded, 'It's about bringing people together, honoring our mom's legacy and making sure that the Native youth have a have a bigger picture of goals in life, and how to achieve them.'
There was a sense at the Games that many young participants initially didn't know much about Lori but have since learned who she was and what she stood for. It's knowledge they'll take back to their communities and share with their schoolmates who ask about the portrait on the Piestewa Games teeshirts they take home.
The Games were infused with Lori Piestewa's spirit.