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< Back Michael G. Robinson ​ ​ ​ Michael G. Robinson White Earth Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Michael G Robinson grew up in Cass Lake, Minnesota, on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. He is Anishinaabe, and an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation. Sports have always been important to Michael. In junior high school, Michael discovered boxing. By the age of 16, he won the Regional Golden Glove Championship, along with the Best Boxer award. In his teens his family moved to Tacoma, Washington and he continued fighting. He represented the Tacoma Boxing team regionally and in the Seattle Golden Gloves. Michael returned to Minnesota, boxing for Minneapolis South Central Gym and Leech Lake. In his career Michael had 152 fights. He won the Regional Golden Gloves tournament eight times, eight Minnesota State Indian Boxing Tournaments and the 1981 and 1984 National Indian Boxing Championships. Michael has been a coach, judge, and promoter of boxing. In both the amateur and professional ranks, Michael has been a positive role model for fighters throughout the Midwestern United States. Michael has always been a positive mentor, giving freely of himself, for benefit of his community. This includes his knowledge of traditional wild rice harvesting. Every fall, he freely passes on what he knows to the next generation of ricers. His devotion to Indian Country public safety paralleled his fighting career. He has been an officer in Mescalero, New Mexico, Red Lake, White Earth and finally, at home for the Leech Lake. Michael recently retired from Law Enforcement after serving for 32 years. <Back

< Back Abby Roque ​ ​ ​ Abby Roque Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 Abby Roque grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and is Ojibwe from Wahnapitae First Nation. She grew up playing boys hockey in Michigan, and competed in two U18 Women’s Worlds winning a gold and silver medal. She then went on to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Roque and the Wisconsin Badgers won a National Championship in 2019, and multiple WCHA league championships. Individually she won WCHA Rookie of the Year, WCHA First Team, WCHA Player of the Year, and was Top-3 for the Patty Kazmaier Award. She graduated from the Business School at the University of Wisconsin with a degree in marketing. She made the USA national team in 2019 and has been a mainstay ever since. In her USA Hockey career she was named the 2020 USA Hockey’s Women’s Player of the Year. She has also competed in three IIHF Women’s World Championships, winning Gold once and Silver twice. She was the first indigenous player to play for Team USA in the Olympics, winning a silver medal in the Beijing 2022 Olympics. <Back

< Back Rainelle Jones ​ ​ ​ Rainelle Jones Cree Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Rainelle Jones is part Cree on her mother’s side and grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland with her two parents Michelle Jonasson-Jones and Thomas Jones, and her younger siblings Reis, Ria, Renee & Ryla Jones. Playing on varsity basketball and volleyball freshman year at Oxon Hill High school, she soon committed to the University of Maryland for volleyball as a freshman in 2015. Soon selected as PrepVolleyball's No. 32 Senior Ace in 2016 and 2017, Rainelle Jones was one of 22 players selected to the USA High Performance Youth A1 Team. Coming to the University of Maryland in 2018, Rainelle Jones, freshman through her grad year of college played and contributed to Maryland becoming one of the best Blocking teams in the Big10 and NCAA. Meanwhile, in the 2020-2021 season, she was the first athlete to kneel during the National Anthem as a fight for social injustice. Using the NCAA NIL opportunities, she worked with merchandise companies raising awareness with slogans and a vision for the future as an activist. Becoming a guest speaker for Maryland Athletics in conferences, classes, podcasts, and events as a student-athlete. In addition to being a spokeswoman for the Big10 volleyball and athletics since 2021. In 2022, Rainelle graduated with an American Studies degree and a minor in Leadership Studies. On the court, by her graduate year, she reached her 700th career kills and becoming the #1 in program history leading Maryland Volleyball in total Blocks. A 4x Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, a 2x Big Ten and NCAA blocks per set leader, and historically the first student-athlete in Maryland Athletics to be #1 in the NCAA ever. Rainelle is currently signed to play overseas professional volleyball. Photo Credits and Captions: University of Maryland volleyball game and roster photo, year 2022 <Back

< Back Earl Sargent ​ ​ ​ Earl Sargent Red Lake Band of Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Earl excelled in high school sports for Bemidji High School, lettering in football, hockey and baseball. In 1973 he was pitcher for the Lumberjacks baseball team, he threw a no hitter first game of the tournament, and they then went on to win the State Tournament. His high school resume includes four trips to the state baseball tournament. Hockey was his first love, and after High School he pursued his hockey career. He signed with the Fargo/Moorhead Sugar Kings 1973-1975, where he was selected to play on the U.S. National Hockey team in Leningrad, Russia. He played one year each in the minor hockey leagues as a winger for the Minnesota North Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Albuquerque Chaparrals. He also played with teams in San Diego and Pennsylvania. <Back

Curt Styres Mohawk, Wolf Clan Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2024 <Back One of the Six Nations of The Grand River's most successful businessmen and the Owner and GM of the Halifax Thunderbirds NLL Team, Styres is a name synonymous with growing the game of lacrosse. He was raised by his mother Vera, who taught him to work hard, take care of your family, give back to your community and be thankful for the gifts you have been given. Styres is passionate about lacrosse and growing the game on and off of his community. In 2004 he opened of the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena located on Six Nations in summer is the home of many local teams and provides a Winter Lacrosse League for youth to continue to grow their skills in the off season. He has given back in many ways, from donating equipment to youth programs and coaching teams himself to multiple Provincial and National Championships. In his previous role as the lead sponsor for the Arrows Express Jr A team, Styres applied his concept of "put the tools in front of the player," resulting in a run of OLA championships from 2004 to 2007 in which year his arena hosted the Canadian Championship for the Jr As, the Minto Cup. Success seems to follow him whereever he goes as the Championships continued with his previous NLL team, the Rochester Knighthawks, who won three consecutive Champion's Cups 2012-2014. In 2011 and 2018, Styres was recognized for his leadership, knowledge, and commitment by the National Lacrosse League and was awarded the honour of the GM of The Year. In 2019 he moved his Rochester Knighthawks, NLL team to their new home in Halifax, Nova Scotia and became the Halifax Thunderbirds. Styres, along with a rotating group of players and supporters, undertook a 92-day canoe crusade from Six Nations, Ontario to deliver professional lacrosse to Nova Scotia by way of a wooden lacrosse stick in his hands. He strives for greatness in everything he does, keeping the values his mother taught him close to his heart and remaining grounded in the community he loves.

< Back Delby Powless ​ ​ ​ Delby Powless Mohawk Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Delby Powless is member of the Mohawk Nation. He is a Child and Youth Counselor in his home community, Six Nations of the Grand River, in Ontario, Canada. Powless played five seasons with the Six Nations Junior A Arrows lacrosse club and is currently the team’s All-time leading scorer with 686 total points. While attending Herkimer County Community College, Powless was twice named All-American. He transferred to D1 Rutgers University where he led the Scarlet Knights in scoring both years and was a 2x All-American, while leading Rutgers to 2 NCAA tournament appearances. Powless also won a Canadian University lacrosse championship with Brock University and was named All-Canadian. Powless represented the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team as a player at six World Championships, and at the first-ever World Indoor Lacrosse Championships, he was selected to the All-World Team. In 2003 Powless was named the recipient of the Tom Longboat Award as Canada’s Top Aboriginal Athlete. Powless was drafted 1st overall in the 2004 National Lacrosse League entry draft by the Buffalo Bandits and helped them win the Champions Cup in 2008. Powless also played in Major League Lacrosse with Toronto Nationals winning the Steinfeld Cup in 2009. <Back

< Back Shayna Powless ​ ​ ​ Shayna Powless Oneida Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Shayna Powless is a member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, a USA Cycling-certified coach and a professional cyclist for DNA Pro Cycling. She grew up in Roseville, California and currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2016 and was a member of the UCLA cycling team for four years. She co-founded the Dreamcatcher Foundation with her fiance, Eli Ankou, who is a professional football player and member of the Dokis First Nation in Canada. The foundation aims to empower Native youth through sports by providing equipment and camps. The foundation also aims to raise awareness of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis in North America, as well as raise funds for organizations actively fighting this crisis. Shayna has domestic and international professional race experience in road, track, gravel, mountain biking and virtual (Zwift) racing. She also has experience racing at events such as the World Championships, National Championships, Pan Am Games, World Cups, Swiss Cups, criteriums, one-day races, and stage races. <Back

Krista Hodder Mi’kmaw from Membertou First Nation Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2023 <Back Krista Hodder is an Indigenous woman from Membertou First Nation, located in the heart of Unama’ki, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. She lives in her community with her two children. Krista began her career as a Child and Youth Worker, when she discovered her passion for sport, recreation and physical activity as a means to keep her community active, healthy and safe. She was the Mi’kmaw Physical Activity Coordinator for Membertou for eight years, beginning in 2013. It was in this role that she grounded and developed herself and her priorities. While working with her community, Krista worked with other Indigenous Communities to develop a developmental snowboard program designed to assist Indigenous youth to break down the barriers. The program saw as many as 400 youth come through the doors, with many going off to become snowboard instructors, giving back to the program that has gotten them started. As a hockey mom, Krista noted the discrepancies in opportunities for females to have a safe, supportive spaces to develop skill and build the love of the game. Working with stakeholders, Krista assisted in developing the Indigenous Girls Hockey Program, running for 10 weeks out of her home arena. The program provided gear and weekly practices. Most participants returned year after year, which has also given a boost to the local female hockey association. Some notable awards and recognition that Krista has seen include being named to the 2016 Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity in Canada list, as the overall woman in the Builders category by Canadian Women and Sport. Krista has also been included in a timeline of Influential Women in the Public Service Sector, a national timeline featuring over 150 women from the 1600s to today, compiled by Canada's School of Public Service. In 2020, Krista was honored with the title of Hockey Canada's champion for the month of June. After many great years serving her community, Krista took a leap of faith, and a new title. She is now the Senior Coordinator of Programs and Events with the Aboriginal Sport Circle – Canada’s national voice for Aboriginal sport, physical activity and recreation, with her focus being on developing, supporting and delivering sport programs for Indigenous athletes across the country, providing opportunities and spaces for Indigenous youth to thrive in their sport. Photo 1 (winter photo): Krista participating in a walking meeting with the Active Cape Breton Communities Group. Photo Credit: Wayne McKay Photo 2 (profile): Krista smiles while discovering an eagle feather during a recreation meeting. Photo Credit: Jeannine Denny

< Back Billy Mills ​ ​ ​ Billy Mills Oglala Lakota Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Billy Mills was born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He is Oglala Lakota and grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Billy did not have an easy childhood. Surrounded by poverty and orphaned at the age of 12, he started running to channel his energy into something positive. In high school, his gift for running become more apparent as he set records in numerous track events. He went on to earn a track scholarship from the University of Kansas and then served as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps. At the 1964 Olympics, he shocked the world and came from behind to win the gold medal in the 10,000 meters race. At the time, he set a world record of 28 minutes, 24.4 seconds and is still the only American to ever win a gold medal in the 10K event. His win was an upset that has been called the second greatest moment in Olympic history. In Lakota culture, someone who achieves great success has a ‘giveaway’ to thank the support system of family and friends who helped him achieve his goal. As part of his effort to give back to his community, Billy helped found Running Strong for American Indian Youth and became the organization’s National Spokesperson. Today Billy travels over 300 days every year. He visits Native American communities throughout the U.S. and speaks to youth about healthy lifestyles and taking pride in their heritage. Photo Credit: Billy Mills <Back

< Back Natalie Nicholson ​ ​ ​ Natalie Nicholson Arikara/Ojibwe Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2023 Natalie Nicholson, Arikara/Ojibwe, is the daughter of Bruce & Millicent Simenson. She is married to John and together they have two daughters Stella and Mya. Natalie is enrolled in The Three Affiliated Tribes and is from Bemidji, Minnesota. Natalie is a 2010 Winter Olympian in the sport of Curling, nine time USA National Curling Champion, two time Junior National Curling Champion, 2006 World Championship Silver Medalist, 2004 & 2007 World Championship Semi-finalist and has 10 time World Championship appearances. She was honored in 2009 as Female Athlete of the Year and Team of the Year in 1997 and 2004. Natalie practices Shotokan Karate and earned her Shodan Blackbelt in 2022. Natalie has her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing graduating in 2022 and was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in 2021. Natalie works as a Nurse Practitioner & Indigenous Lactation Counselor for Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming “Birthing Long Ago in Home, Lodge or Hospital”. Mewinzha provides Anishinaabe-led maternal child health and family wellness services by braiding both western and Native American traditional knowledge of health, wellness, and community into practice throughout the holistic health journey of our relatives. Natalie is honored to have the opportunity to be able to co-create our own maternal-child community health clinic: Gaa-giigishkaakaawasowaad “A Place Where Pregnant Women Gather”. <Back

Craig Berube <Back Cree Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2022 Craig Berube is the head coach of the National Hockey Leagues (NHL) St. Louis Blues. Since taking over the team during the 2018-19 season, the team was in last place and then led the team to a 38-19-6 record. One of the biggest turnarounds in NHL history occurred and the St. Louis Blues finished as the first in franchise history the winners of the Stanley Cup. He originally joined the Blues as an associate head coach in 2017. Before joining the Blues, he served as the head coach of the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves. He played 17 seasons in the NHL in over 1000 games between 1986-2004 for the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders.

< Back Nicole Johnson ​ ​ ​ Nicole Johnson Inupiaq Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Nicole Johnson’s passion for Inuit games started in fifth grade when she learned how to do the Two-Foot High Kick after church in a youth program. Inuit games are games that were played to build the survival skills Indigenous people of the North played to develop the skills need for everyday survival and just for fun. In seventh grade, Nicole entered her first competition at the 1982 Native Youth Olympics (NYO), taking first place in the Two-Foot High Kick. She continued to compete through high school, at NYO, the World Eskimo Indian Olympics (WEIO), and the Arctic Winter Games (AWG). After high school she continued to compete until 2004, over the years winning over 100 medals, earning the outstanding athlete award, and sportsmanship award, at various competitions. She has set records in several events over the years, setting her first record in the Two-Foot High Kick at the 1985 NYO and continued to break her record until the 1989 WEIO, kicking 6’6”. This record held for 25 years. Her record in the Two-Foot High Kick at AWG, still holds at 6’5”. In 2017, Nicole was inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, as an athlete and ambassador to Native Games. Nicole is the former chairwoman of WEIO, and current President of AWG Team Alaska. Nicole currently works with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, coaching youth, training officials, assists with organizing the statewide Native Youth Olympics competitions, and acting as the head official for many different competitions. Her passion for the Inuit games continues by sharing and preserving the rich history and culture of these sports through coaching, instruction at schools, throughout Alaska, the lower 48, and the Yukon territories. Photo: Cook Inlet Tribal Council <Back