The SuAnne Big Crow Recreation Center is located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Photo by James Pendleton, U.S. Department of Agriculture
SuAnne Big Crow Center Shifts Focus To Fitness
Fitness Events Sat., Aug. 6 During Oglala Nation Fair.
By Brandon Ecoffey
Lakota Country Times Editor
lakotacountrytimes.com PINE RIDGE – The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has its fair share of fitness enthusiasts, the only problem is that this budding population has lacked a major facility to train in until now. The SuAnne Big Crow Center, formerly the SuAnne Big Crow Boys and Girls Club, has now opened its doors to adults according to center director Chick Big Crow. “We have been closed for a while but we have changed or mission,” said Big Crow. “We had always worked with kids but we realized we could have a bigger impact on children if we served adults,” she said. The new focus is part of a new health program at the facility to that will look to improve the health of the community while helping to generate revenue to keep the Center open. According to Big Crow the facility is no longer a member of the Boys and Girls Club of America and thus has been forced to look elsewhere for dollars to keep the facility fully operational for the thousands of kids across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation who use it. “We are no longer a Boys and Girls Club so we had to find ways to raise money to keep the doors open and the kids coming in,” said Big Crow. “This is still a service to the community but it is also a way for us to raise money.” The admission of adults to the facility is a first in many ways for the people of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation as it will be the first time in history that a fully functional fitness facility will be accessible by adults. Those who access the facility will be able to take part in water aerobics classes and lap swimming during designated times. To purchase a membership, community members must sign a waiver and pay their fees prior to using any of the facilities. The new policy is a reflection of an effort by the Center to promote health and wellness. To help promote a new health program that the Center has embarked on the Happy Town restaurant located inside the building now has a portion of the menu dedicated to healthy food options.
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To help kickoff the health program member of the Center’s staff will host a three fitness events on Saturday, August 6, 2016, during the Oglala Nation Fair. “We brainstormed on what we could do to kick-start the health program and we came up with the idea to host something similar to a Spartan Race,” said Jordan Big Crow, grandson of Chick. “We know we are not Spartans so we changed the name to Warrior’s Race,” he added. The race itself will consist of a series of extreme obstacles across several miles that participants will have to navigate in order to win. Additionally, the Center will also host a weightlifting contest and a Hummer Pull contest on that same day. For more information please contact the SuAnne Big Crow Center at (605) 867-1011. (Contact Brandon Ecoffey at editor@lakotacountrytimes.com) Find the award-winning Lakota Country Times on the Internet, Facebook and Twitter and download the new Lakota Country Times app today.
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