Post by Okwes on Jun 13, 2006 13:29:13 GMT -5
Griz cornerback proud to go to Indigenous Games
By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian
www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/06/11/news/local/news02.txt
Montana football cornerback Tuff Harris will
travel to Denver to compete at the North American Indigenous Games in
July. Harris, as part of Montana's 14-member team, will compete in the
100-meter and 200-meter races and the long jump.
Photo by SARA GALE/Missoulian
You'd think it would be easier to run without wearing a lockerful of
body armor.
But as he sat down his football helmet and laced up some track shoes,
University of Montana gridiron star Tuff Harris said he's expecting a
tough transition competing at the North American Indigenous Games in
July. But the chance to represent Montana and the Crow and Cheyenne
nations was too good to let pass, he said.
Although he's been a top Grizzly defensive cornerback for three years,
Harris found the switch to track events harder than expected. He won
state championships in long jump three years during high school in
Colstrip, along with one all-class state record in the 100-meter dash.
But football needs a subtly different set of skills and conditioning
than does track.
"In football, while you're running you're dodging people and hitting
people," Harris said. "In track, you've got your lane, and
nobody can step into you or they get disqualified. For football, you
need strength and speed. But we usually only run 40- or 50-yard sprints.
The speed's still there, but not the endurance."
Harris red-shirted as a receiver before switching to cornerback for the
past three years. Now 23, he's posted 42 tackles and delivered a
game-breaking end-zone interception and 75-yard runback against Sam
Houston State in the 2004 Division I-AA semifinal game.
Grizzly summer training has already begun. Fortunately, the first weeks
of weight work are very similar to a track regime, with light loads and
lots of repetitions. It won't be the same as what track team members are
doing, though.
"I'm expecting to go against some of the best athletes, strong
athletes who run year-round," Harris said. "It would take me a
while to compete like that on a weekly basis. I'll be sore afterward,
but I've only got one track meet to train for."
Harris, who will compete in the 100- and 200-meter races and the long
jump, said it was a scramble to get the paperwork finished in time to
qualify for the games. He credited his brother, Jay, with getting the
word out as the games approached. For a while, it looked like Jay might
have had to form his own team before they learned that Joey Jane of
Arlee had already stepped up.
Instead, Jay will compete in the 800-meter race, long jump and javelin
before preparing to enter law school at the University of Colorado in
the fall.
Next month, Tuff and Jay will be part of Montana's 14-member team in
Denver. The pair plan to carpool down to Colorado. Their parents are
also planning to take some vacation time to see the games.
"The idea of the Indigenous Games is great," Tuff Harris said.
"Just being around that many Native Americans, being in that
atmosphere of people who have the desire to compete, is going to be
fun."
Keeping the fun going is a challenge Harris is looking forward to. The
Indigenous Games are now on a four-year cycle, alternating between U.S.
and Canadian locations. Harris said he'd like to see the schedule
shortened to two years, so it would be in each country every four years
instead of eight. He'd also like to get more Native American athletes
competing.
"I'd love to get a lot of Montana Natives involved in it," he
said. "This is an event people will be able to talk about for the
rest of their lives."
By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian
www.missoulian.com/articles/2006/06/11/news/local/news02.txt
Montana football cornerback Tuff Harris will
travel to Denver to compete at the North American Indigenous Games in
July. Harris, as part of Montana's 14-member team, will compete in the
100-meter and 200-meter races and the long jump.
Photo by SARA GALE/Missoulian
You'd think it would be easier to run without wearing a lockerful of
body armor.
But as he sat down his football helmet and laced up some track shoes,
University of Montana gridiron star Tuff Harris said he's expecting a
tough transition competing at the North American Indigenous Games in
July. But the chance to represent Montana and the Crow and Cheyenne
nations was too good to let pass, he said.
Although he's been a top Grizzly defensive cornerback for three years,
Harris found the switch to track events harder than expected. He won
state championships in long jump three years during high school in
Colstrip, along with one all-class state record in the 100-meter dash.
But football needs a subtly different set of skills and conditioning
than does track.
"In football, while you're running you're dodging people and hitting
people," Harris said. "In track, you've got your lane, and
nobody can step into you or they get disqualified. For football, you
need strength and speed. But we usually only run 40- or 50-yard sprints.
The speed's still there, but not the endurance."
Harris red-shirted as a receiver before switching to cornerback for the
past three years. Now 23, he's posted 42 tackles and delivered a
game-breaking end-zone interception and 75-yard runback against Sam
Houston State in the 2004 Division I-AA semifinal game.
Grizzly summer training has already begun. Fortunately, the first weeks
of weight work are very similar to a track regime, with light loads and
lots of repetitions. It won't be the same as what track team members are
doing, though.
"I'm expecting to go against some of the best athletes, strong
athletes who run year-round," Harris said. "It would take me a
while to compete like that on a weekly basis. I'll be sore afterward,
but I've only got one track meet to train for."
Harris, who will compete in the 100- and 200-meter races and the long
jump, said it was a scramble to get the paperwork finished in time to
qualify for the games. He credited his brother, Jay, with getting the
word out as the games approached. For a while, it looked like Jay might
have had to form his own team before they learned that Joey Jane of
Arlee had already stepped up.
Instead, Jay will compete in the 800-meter race, long jump and javelin
before preparing to enter law school at the University of Colorado in
the fall.
Next month, Tuff and Jay will be part of Montana's 14-member team in
Denver. The pair plan to carpool down to Colorado. Their parents are
also planning to take some vacation time to see the games.
"The idea of the Indigenous Games is great," Tuff Harris said.
"Just being around that many Native Americans, being in that
atmosphere of people who have the desire to compete, is going to be
fun."
Keeping the fun going is a challenge Harris is looking forward to. The
Indigenous Games are now on a four-year cycle, alternating between U.S.
and Canadian locations. Harris said he'd like to see the schedule
shortened to two years, so it would be in each country every four years
instead of eight. He'd also like to get more Native American athletes
competing.
"I'd love to get a lot of Montana Natives involved in it," he
said. "This is an event people will be able to talk about for the
rest of their lives."