Citizen Potawatomi Nation and the Amateur Athletic Union teamed up to host the First Nations Competitive Games in August. Two groups of youth golfers teed off on Friday, August 1 at FireLake Golf Course in Shawnee, Okla.
“We were happy to host the AAU First Nations golf tournament at FireLake Golf Course,” said CPN Vice Chairman Linda Capps. “We had participants from a number of the state’s well known tribes, and we look forward to expanding those numbers when we host again.”
In the 12-13 year old division, Absentee Shawnee tribal member Autumn Parsons-Squire took the title in a sudden death putting contest. In the 14-15 year old division, the Chickasaw Nation’s Kaitlin Bolin emerged victorious after a sudden death putting contest against John Bighorse of the Osage Nation.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation member Jace Greenwalt, who finished second in the 12-13 year old division, said he’d enjoyed the first AAU First Nations Golf Tournament.
“This was my first time playing golf, and I was a little nervous about the tournament, but I had a good time. The eighth hole with the lake was the toughest, but the whole morning was fun.”
His father, Jason Greenwalt, explained why he’d signed Jace up for the competition.
“I asked Jace if he would be interested in trying it. I explained to him that it was the first one and since our Tribe was hosting it that it would be a good idea to join in, if nothing else just for fun and the experience of it. He agreed that – win, lose or draw – it was important to support our Tribe in this endeavor.”
This was the first year for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation to host the AAU First Nations Competitive Games. The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. Find out more about the AAU by visiting http://aausports.org/.
