{"id":30084,"date":"2022-12-09T12:28:40","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T17:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=30084"},"modified":"2022-12-09T12:28:41","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T17:28:41","slug":"absolutely-thrilled-youth-from-omaha-tribe-welcome-new-skatepark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/12\/09\/absolutely-thrilled-youth-from-omaha-tribe-welcome-new-skatepark\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Absolutely thrilled&#8217;: Youth from Omaha Tribe welcome new skatepark"},"content":{"rendered":" <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/12\/09\/absolutely-thrilled-youth-from-omaha-tribe-welcome-new-skatepark\/walthillnebraska\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-30086\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"30086\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/12\/09\/absolutely-thrilled-youth-from-omaha-tribe-welcome-new-skatepark\/walthillnebraska\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/WalthillNebraska-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Walthill, Nebraska\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Walthill, Nebraska&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A welcome sign in Walthill, on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska. Photo by &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;Kevin Abourezk&lt;\/A&gt; &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;&lt;I aria-hidden=true class=&quot;fab fa-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;\/I&gt;&lt;\/A&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/WalthillNebraska-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/WalthillNebraska-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Walthill, Nebraska\" class=\"size-full wp-image-30086\" \/><\/a>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> A welcome sign in Walthill, on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska. Photo by <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h1-responsive\">&#8216;Absolutely thrilled&#8217;<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Youth from Omaha Tribe welcome new skatepark<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Friday, December 9, 2022<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWALTHILL, Nebraska &#8212; On a sunny afternoon in October, young people gathered for the grand opening of a new skate park in this Omaha Reservation community.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAs they watched a blue ribbon being cut that day, they must have imagined themselves performing grinds and slides, backsides and powerslides to the applause of their peers. And they must have nervously awaited to see who would win the three skateboards that had been donated for a drawing.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe first name pulled from a hat that day was that of the community\u2019s best skateboarder, who already owned a skateboard.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWhat happened next drew gasps.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe young man quietly took the board, walked into the audience and handed it to a younger man whom he had been coaching.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI can tell you there wasn\u2019t a dry eye among the adults there,\u201d said Joe Starita, a non-Native author and retired journalist who attended the event.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/12\/09\/absolutely-thrilled-youth-from-omaha-tribe-welcome-new-skatepark\/skateparkomahareservation\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-30087\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"30087\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/12\/09\/absolutely-thrilled-youth-from-omaha-tribe-welcome-new-skatepark\/skateparkomahareservation\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/SkateParkOmahaReservation-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Skate Park &amp;#8211; Omaha Reservation\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Skate Park &amp;#8211; Omaha Reservation&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The skate park in Walthill, Nebraska. Photo by &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;Kevin Abourezk&lt;\/A&gt; &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;&lt;I aria-hidden=true class=&quot;fab fa-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;\/I&gt;&lt;\/A&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/SkateParkOmahaReservation-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/SkateParkOmahaReservation-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Skate Park - Omaha Reservation\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-30087\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The skate park in Walthill, Nebraska. Photo by <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIt was an especially big day for Starita, who had helped <a href=https:\/\/www.nebcommfound.org\/give\/walthill-skatepark-project\/>raise money to build the skate park<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHe said the idea for the skate park began in March 2020, when he traveled to Walthill to talk to high school seniors about a college scholarship that he provides each year to five Native students.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAfter he finished his presentation, a guidance counselor at the school pulled him aside and told him about a recent rash of suicides and suicide attempts on the Omaha Reservation. In one night, 15 young people had attempted suicide, and six of them had taken their own lives, she told him.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI was so haunted by that thought,\u201d Starita said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHe said he considered how another community in Nebraska might react to the loss of six young people in one night. He said if such an event had occurred in a non-Native community, vast state and local resources likely would be devoted to stopping it.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cBut it happened on the Omaha Reservation, and nobody even noticed,\u201d he said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHe said he began considering ways to help the reservation\u2019s youth, and then he remembered learning about a skate park that had been constructed on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota that had become a source of great community pride.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAnd he began researching the impact of skate parks on the mental health of those who use them, finding that skate parks bring incredible benefits.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/12\/09\/absolutely-thrilled-youth-from-omaha-tribe-welcome-new-skatepark\/omahareservationskatepark\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-30085\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"30085\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/12\/09\/absolutely-thrilled-youth-from-omaha-tribe-welcome-new-skatepark\/omahareservationskatepark\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/OmahaReservationSkatePark-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Skate Park &amp;#8211; Omaha Reservation\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Skate Park &amp;#8211; Omaha Reservation&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The skate park in Walthill, Nebraska. Photo by &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;Kevin Abourezk&lt;\/A&gt; &lt;A href=&quot;https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk&quot;&gt;&lt;I aria-hidden=true class=&quot;fab fa-twitter&quot;&gt;&lt;\/I&gt;&lt;\/A&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/OmahaReservationSkatePark-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/OmahaReservationSkatePark-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Skate Park - Omaha Reservation\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-30085\" \/><\/a> <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The skate park in Walthill, Nebraska. Photo by <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nDr. Belinda Hinojos \u2013 a staff psychologist and training director for Morningstar Counseling, a Native-owned mental health clinic with offices across Nebraska, including in Walthill \u2013 said skateboarding offers many physical and mental health benefits.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe have known that physical activity releases chemicals in the brain that help you feel better, sleep better, and make you feel good overall,\u201d she said. \u201cThere&#8217;s also the component of getting outside, getting some sun, and fresh air.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nShe said skateboarding also \u201cbuilds resilience, patience, self-esteem, and a sense of community.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cKids who learn to skateboard literally fall down and keep getting back up, which is a great lesson we can apply to some of the challenges we face throughout our lives,\u201d Hinojos said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nShe said skateboarders learn to lean on their peers to get back up and improve their abilities. As they learn new techniques and become more accomplished, skateboarders build confidence and self-esteem.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cLastly, I really support the strong sense of community that skateboarding offers,\u201d she said. \u201cKids that might not know each other, or only know of one another, are coming together and forming friendships, and mentorships.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nMike Grant, a member of the Walthill Village Board, said the village developed a community wellness plan more than a decade ago that included a survey of the town\u2019s youth, many of whom expressed a desire for a skate park to be built.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nStarita said he conducted his own informal survey of youth one day after deciding to drive to Walthill to talk to youth. That day, he met Grant, who described himself as the \u201cTony Hawk of Walthill\u201d and told Starita emphatically that the town would love a skate park.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSo Starita went to work finding funding.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHe began by looking into the potential cost of a skate park, discovering a company based in Joplin, Missouri, that constructs skate parks. He then reached out to an Omaha-based foundation for potential funds. The one-page letter he crafted asking for money included the statistic about the six young people who had taken their own lives in one night on the reservation.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nA day after receiving Starita\u2019s letter, the Lozier Foundation contacted him to say it would contribute $250,000 toward the skate park. Others also contributed toward the project, and Starita, with Grant\u2019s help, managed to raise $400,000.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIt was hard for those he contacted to say no, Starita said. \u201cThe cause was so righteous.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_youtu-be\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/a-4IOHEpa_Q\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/plugins\/content-cards\/skins\/default\/content-cards-placeholder.png\" alt=\" - YouTube\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/a-4IOHEpa_Q\">\n\t\t\t &#8211; YouTube\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/a-4IOHEpa_Q\">\n\t\t\t<p>Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/s\/desktop\/cb518cf3\/img\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"youtu.be\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tyoutu.be\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Omaha World-Herald: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/a-4IOHEpa_Q>Skate park offers a new adventure for kids on Omaha Nation Reservation<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAs construction on the skate park began, young people would visit the site to watch work being done.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThey were absolutely thrilled,\u201d he said. \u201cThey just couldn\u2019t believe it.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nConstruction finished in September, and the grand opening was held in mid-October.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nStarita said he plans to use funds left over from the project to improve the city land around the skate park to include a gazebo and night lights, making it a focal point for the community.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMeanwhile, news of the skate park\u2019s opening has elicited donations from around the country, including 40 new skateboards from a California donor and 40 new helmets from another donor, he said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nGrant, the Walthill Village Board member, said the skate park gives those youth who aren\u2019t good at basketball \u2013 the primary athletic endeavor in the town \u2013 a way to demonstrate their mastery of a different sport.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHe said his nephew, who has faced struggles in his life, uses the skate park regularly.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThat skate park has been an outlet for him,\u201d Grant said. \u201cIt\u2019s helped him open up and express himself.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cA lot of other kids have had that impact as well.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_www-instagram-com\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cg2aj_zqRQ9\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/12\/623477302_18093321706964562_4374896991274775837_n.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center on Instagram: &quot;Construction has begun for a new skatepark in Walthill. A summer fundraising campaign led by Joe Starita, author of a Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte biography and professor at UNL. American Ramp Company is the design company of the project, based in Joplin, Missouri. Weather permitting, they expect this beautifully designed skatepark will be finished by mid-August. This rendering can help you imagine the fun to come!\n.\n.\n.\n #historylovers #nonprofitsofinstagram #nonprofitorganization #nonprofitfundraising #restorationproject #nativeamericanhistory #womeninhistory #womenmakinghistory #restoringhistory #nebraskahistory #womeninmedicine #drsusancenter #drsusanlafleschepicotte #drsusanlaflesche #drsusanproject&quot;\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cg2aj_zqRQ9\/\">\n\t\t\tDr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center on Instagram: &#8220;Construction has begun for a new skatepark in Walthill. A summer fundraising campaign led by Joe Starita, author of a Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte biography and professor at UNL. American Ramp Company is the design company of the project, based in Joplin, Missouri. Weather permitting, they expect this beautifully designed skatepark will be finished by mid-August. This rendering can help you imagine the fun to come!\n.\n.\n.\n #historylovers #nonprofitsofinstagram #nonprofitorganization #nonprofitfundraising #restorationproject #nativeamericanhistory #womeninhistory #womenmakinghistory #restoringhistory #nebraskahistory #womeninmedicine #drsusancenter #drsusanlafleschepicotte #drsusanlaflesche #drsusanproject&#8221;\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cg2aj_zqRQ9\/\">\n\t\t\t<p>3 likes, 0 comments &#8211; picottecenter on August 4, 2022: &#8220;Construction has begun for a new skatepark in Walthill. A summer fundraising campaign led by Joe Starita, author of a Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte biography and professor at UNL. American Ramp Company is the design company of the project, based in Joplin, Missouri. Weather&hellip;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.cdninstagram.com\/rsrc.php\/yr\/r\/rzWiSjZRxk5.webp\" alt=\"Instagram\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tInstagram\t<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a sunny afternoon in October, young people gathered for the grand opening of a new skate park on the Omaha Reservation.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[18,1,21],"tags":[3667,454,3666,3668,69,652,810,3665,102],"class_list":["post-30084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-national","category-sports","tag-belinda-hinojos","tag-grants","tag-joe-starita","tag-mike-grant","tag-nebraska","tag-omaha","tag-scholarships","tag-skateboarding","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-7Pe","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/09\/WalthillNebraska-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30084\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}