The Swimmers
Here are the participants in this years Pathstar swim!
My name is Tamatane I’atala. I am a proud member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and this will be my first year participating in the swim. I am very excited about the opportunity to push myself both mentally and physically by attempting to complete the fridgid water swim but also look forward to learning various practices in getting healthy.
My name is Nakina Mills and this will be my fourth time doing the Pathstar Alcatraz swim. I am an enrolled tribal member from the Oglala Sioux Tribe in Pine Ridge, S.D. I am currently a Family Support Specialist Supervisor for Lakota Oyate Wakanyeja Owicakiyapi (LOWO), which is the tribally chartered child welfare program for the reservation.
The reason why I continue to do the Alcatraz swim is that each year I learn something new about living healthy and wanted to bring whatever I learn to share with my people. I continue to learn new techniques, new eating habits, etc. that will continue to help me grow and teach my children on being healthy, so that they could live a long and healthy life. I have four step children that we are constantly teaching each day to eat healthy and exercise.
This year my fiance’ of 7 years will be joining the swim, so I am really excited to be doing this with him and we can share in this accomplishment together and grow together. I am very excited to be apart of the years Alzatraz swim. Thanks for the opportunity.
Odin Peter-Raboff
My name is Odin Peter-Raboff, I’m a Gwich’in Athabascan from Interior Alaska. The city I live in is called Fairbanks. I live here with my wife, two children and sister in law. To make a living here I run a couple small businesses. One is a small ad agency and the other is a screen printing company.
When I’m not working in the city my family and I spend a lot of time on the land. Most of the time when we are on the land we are out to get food. I go out to look for caribou and moose in the fall and winter. In the winter we go ice fishing for lake fish. In the summer we look for birds and also dip net for salmon. In the fall we pick berries. Living off the land is expensive with the high cost of fuel, but my family and I prefer to eat our traditional food. Living in the city makes it easier on us to buy healthy food, but in my village and many others in rural alaska there are little to no options for healthy food. I also find myself buying more junk food when I go back to the village.
I hope that getting involved in PATHSTAR will help me to break some old habits and form some newer and healthier ones. I’m looking forward to learning a lot during my week in the Bay Area and will be happy to share what I learn with my family, friends and community. I’m not much of a swimmer but I’m up for the challenge and I’m thankful for this opportunity. I’ll be swimming for health, fair trade, green practices and to inspire others to take action and reach for their dreams. Mah’si Cho Shalak’naii
Here are the participants in last year’s swim:
Anthony Seckletstewa
My name is Anthony Seckletstewa, I live in Carnegie Oklahoma and am a sophomore at Carnegie High school. I am very involved in sports, basketball and cross country. I haven’t swam much but I am looking forward to the challenge. At Alcatraz I hope to overcome several of my own personal fears. I want to overcome my fear of flying in an airplane, I have never flown before. I have never swam a long distance before and i for sure have never swam where there might be sharks. I’m excited to do something that very few people ever get the chance to do and to be able to say that i swam Alcatraz. To be able to come home and tell all my friends and family what i have done and overcome will fill me with pride. I think this experience will a life changing event to be able to overcome my fears and I will look at any future obstacles and know that if i can swim Alcatraz, i can overcome obstacles. I think this will be a great opportunity to overcome my fears and it’ll help me look to the future with enthusiasm.
Caitlin Baker
I’m Caitlin Baker, I’m Muscogee Creek and live in Norman Oklahoma. I’m 14 and a freshman at Norman High School. I have been a competitive swimmer for the past 5 years. I also have an outreach program that promotes healthy lifestyles and sports participation to Native American youth. I feel that all kids need to be told that they can accomplish greatness. The first step to this is finding a passion in life, something that you love. That is what swimming is for me. I am looking forward to doing the Alcatraz swim for many reasons. I want to accomplish the swim to share with the kids I talk to . To show them they we as youth can do great things. I also look forward to meeting the other participants, I think it will be amazing to hear their stories. I am very thankful to Dr. Iverson for this opportunity.
Read more about Caitlin Baker here.
Bobbie White
My name is Robin White, More commonly known as Bobbie. I am Oglala Lakota & I’m 22 years old. I am the youngest of four children. I have two sisters and one brother. I was raised by Rick and Jo White. I am working two jobs & taking a class this fall semester. I like to read a lot of books, mostly fantasy! My Father was really an inspiration to my life & He Still Is! I’ve learned from him to take chances & not to pass up once in-a-lifetime opportunities! My Family doubts that I know how much of a challenge this will be for me. I feel that I will learn from this experience and that is all that matters to me! I am participating in PATHSTAR, because I want the challenge of the swim… And to explore my options. I found out about this program from a close friend who participated in it a couple of years ago. I’ve tried many different types of food while I was attending college at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus. I’ve never really tried to live any other way than that of what I was raised! It sounded VERY interesting to live healthy for over a week. I also really liked the idea of learning to be a better swimmer! I only know the way I learned from watching the professionals… Which I know I’m Not doing right! I feel that this trip will teach me how to better respect my body with what I put into it! Not Only that, but also in making better use of My Body! I truthfully haven’t been too athletic in my existence so far on this earth, But One thing that I’ve always been good at was and still is swimming! My father pushed me in a pool when I was two years old and basically said, “Sink or Swim!” Needless to say that out of the four children, me and My siblings… Only My brother Sank! There are No words to how excited I am to be participating in this program! And Also how Thankful I am to be given this opportunity!
Jon Donnell
My name is Jon Donnell. I work as a plant manager for Tri State Water Bottling Company. I am married to Heather Donnell. We have two children—Xavier and Isabella Donnell. Xavier is five. Isabella is one.
The reason I am interested in doing PATHSTAR is I want a challenge, and it is a good opportunity for me. When I come back I will let everyone know what a great experience it was and in the future get more people wanting a challenge in their life.
Terry Mills
I am Terry Mills, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and work in the Office of Economic Development. I am the nephew of Billy Mills the 1964 10,000 meter Olympic gold medalist. I consider myself an active person who keeps my body and mind in good working order by participating in events such as PathStar which give recognition to healthy lifestyle though exercise and proper eating. At my hometown of Pine Ridge SD I promote exercise of any type as an alternative when dealing with stress in the workplace. I also support community activities for youth and help with fundraising to make any event happen. My goal is to put community health centers in every district and we have nine districts.
I encourage all to get involved in your hometown with some form of activity which boost your physical and mental health.
Nakina Mills
My name is Nakina Mills and I am 28 years old. I am currently contracted with Casey Family Programs to provide technical support to Lakota Oyate Wakanyeja Owicakiyapi Inc., which is the Tribally Chartered Child Welfare program for Child Protection Services on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. I have been with this program for 5 years. I enjoy participating with Pathstar because of the commitment to try and learn healthy ways of contributing to a better life for myself and my family. I have been involved with Pathstar for three years and have enjoyed learning new things the last two years and have brought back what I have learned to share with my family and my co-workers.
Phil J. Iron Cloud
My name is Phil J. Iron Cloud. This will be my second time participating in the PATHSTAR program. My parents are Richard and Arlene Iron Cloud, my Dad also did the very first Alcatraz swim. I am was born in Shiprock, NM (where my mother is from) and currently live in Porcupine, SD (where my father is from). I want to participate in the PATHSTAR program again because I had fun last time. The first time was very eye opening it showed me just how bad the Diabetes disease is on the Pine Ridge Reservation. it showed my just how much it can be prevented. I know i didn’t pick up that many good habits from my experience there (ex: VEGGIE BURGERS). My brother Arlo and me ate just as much junk food on the way back as we did on the way over! This time around i hope to get a better hold of ways to improve my health through a better diet and exercise. i also held the record of fastest swim until Joni Tobacco past me the following year, i intend to reclaim that title.
Alkapoane White Calf
Alkapoane White Calf, from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, first traveled to San Francisco at the age of 19, chosen by the Pine Ridge Youth Opportunity Program to participate in the PATHSTAR Alcatraz swim program in 2005. A former high school cross-country runner, he was an experienced athlete but had had no opportunities to prepare himself for the rigors of swimming in the San Francisco Bay. Not only did he embrace the challenges that year but he returned to do another Alcatraz swim in 2008. “I completed my goals… what I had to do. It felt pretty good after.. when I swam it. It was unbelievable.” Thinking about his two young sons at home helped him to succeed, and he hopes that his accomplishment is an inspiration to them. “And when my kids grow up they can see the DVD we made of the swim.”
White Calf now works to inspire youth within his community as a mentor for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Child Development Center in Pine RIdge.
Kelly Waters, of Rapid City, SD, grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation. When she was 21, she participated in the 2005 PATHSTAR Alcatraz program. A nonswimmer, she swam to stardom in the Alcatraz swim: “I was nervous. I almost started hyperventilating. A lot of thoughts were going through my mind. Would I finish the swim? Who would I let down if I didn’t? I didn’t think that I had it in me to finish. But after all those feelings came through and it came time to jump into the water, I realized I couldn’t carry those feelings with me. I didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity.”
She relates, “I came out of the water with a lot more than I brought to San Francisco. It was definitely a life-changing experience. It taught me a lot about discipline and motivation. I applied that to my school and work life. I’ve never stayed at a job as long as I have now. It taught me that I needed stability in my life. I needed a goal. It taught me that I can achieve anything that I set my mind to. That’s something I apply to my life every day now.”
Kelly is a full-time college student and is working toward an Associate’s Degree in business. She hopes to start a youth program on the Pine Ridge reservation. She recently became the happy mother of a healthy baby girl.
In 2003 Richard Iron Cloud made headlines by swimming from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco.
Richard Iron Cloud was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (South Dakota) in 1956 to Philip and Victoria (Eagle Heart) Iron Cloud. A descendant of American Horse, Bull Bear, Thunder Bull, Big Elk, Bad Wound, Knife Chief, Fools Crow, Iron Cloud and Joseph Bissonette, he lives in Porcupine, SD, and is employed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Sweet Grass Project, a suicide prevention initiative. An adjunct Professor at Oglala Lakota College, he has taught Speech Communication, Genocide and Colonization, Lakota Tiospaye, Foundations of Lakota Leadership and Participative Action Research and was elected to their Board of Trustees (2004). Having served on the Porcupine School Board and the Oglala Sioux Housing Board of Commisioners, he is one of the founders of the Oglala Lakota CASA Program, a program advocating for children’s rights, and is currently the Board Chair of the South Dakota Peace and Justice Center.
He attended Porcupine, Our Lady of Lourdes Mission, Wounded Knee, and Little Wound Elementary Schools and graduated from Red Cloud High School (1975); he received his BA in Human Services (1995) from Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, his Masters in Lakota Leadership and Management (2003) from Oglala Lakota College, and was honored with the prestigious Lloyd Eagle Bull Jr. Award. In 2004, he received an Emerging Leaders Fellowship in Public Health from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Married for 27 years, he and Arlene Iron Cloud have three sons (Arlo, Philip, Dakota), one daughter (Maya), and four grandchildren. He has been sober and drug free for 25 years due to his strong Lakota belief in Tunkashila (Creator/God) and traditional Lakota ways.