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Indybay Feature

Native Americans 'Swim for Life' in San Francisco Bay

by Pete Verral
Native Americans swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco to inspire active lifestyle and healthy nutrition practices in tribal communities.
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Native Americans 'Swim for Life' in San Francisco Bay



It's about 1.2 miles from Alcatraz to the San Francisco shore, which doesn't seem a long swim until you consider the frigid, mid-50 degree water and perilous currents of the San Francisco Bay. On October 17, Native Americans from South Dakota, Alaska, Washington and the San Francisco Bay Area completed the swim -- with just six days’ training. 



Fred Crisp, one of the organizers and a San Francisco resident said, "Today's swim was truly the 'Magnificent Twelve', with the oldest swimmer being 62 years old, and the youngest being 15 years old. Three of the 12 swimmers had only one swim before this, and all of the members had little or no experience on open water, especially cold waters such as the San Francisco Bay..."



The event concluded the ninth annual PATHSTAR Alcatraz Program, a weeklong (October 9-17) event. PATHSTAR (http://www.pathstar.org), a San Francisco-based nonprofit, inspires active lifestyle and healthy nutrition within Indian Country communities. 

The national diabetes epidemic is devastating in Indian Country. When compared with the population as a whole, American Indians are three times more likely to die from diabetes-related complications, according to federal Indian Health Service statistics.



The Lakota message, "Oyate kin nipi kte: So that the people will live," succinctly expresses the motivation for the participants

.

Terry Mills (Oglala Lakota) from Pune Ridge, SD, stated, "I plan to put what we have learned here to work on the reservation. We need to encourage more gardening of fruits and vegetables without the use of pesticides and chemicals...We learn a lot from each other... We bring some of our language, our culture... Anybody can do this, age is not an issue..." 



Shelly Joy Martinez of the Colville Tribes, Washington remarked,"This was an exceptional experience with a dedication to a healthy lifestyle. This was about eating, learning, and how to prepare for a new lifestyle. By preparing for our swim, we learned that we can overcome any obstacle..."
§Native Americans 'swim for life' in SF Bay
by Pete Verral
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