Not many NFL players come to Montezuma County.
But a Chicago Bear will be here Friday.
Bears’ offensive lineman Levi Horn will hold a free-day youth football camp in Towaoc from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The camp is in conjunction with Litefoot Entertainment Group and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. It will be held at Wolf Pack Field just south of the Ute Mountain Recreation Center.
“We have a really good relationship with Litefoot Entertainment,” said Cedric Lang, a Towaoc native and adult advisor for the Ute Mountain Career Staff Center. “With Indian youth, this individual has really changed the way we look at Indian country and all the issues we deal with here on our reservation. We’re excited. When we hear of a Native American professional athlete playing for the Chicago Bears, it’s exciting. We’re looking forward to his arrival.”
Horn is a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in Montana and a native of Spokane, Wash. He is a spokesman for Native American culture throughout the United States and Canada.
One of the features of the football camp will be a motivational speech given by Horn at Veterans Park. He will speak about certain issues on the Ute Mountain Reservation, such as alcoholism, gang violence and teen pregnancy. Horn also greatly encourages education, as a graduate of the University of Montana where he started four years at offensive line.
“He lived it,” said Lang about Horn experiencing life’s issues on the Yakima Nation Reservation. “We’re hoping he can be an inspiration to the kids and the problems we’re trying to tackle here on the reservation.”
The camp also includes, an introduction, on field drills by Horn and fellow coaches, and a lunch at noon. Campers are advised to bring their own cleats, workout clothes and a hoodie, in case of inclement weather.
One of the coaches at the camp is Ute Mountain Rec. Center assistant director Nick Traweek. He feels the camp will help with local youth football programs as well.
“I think it will really spark the enthusiasm for kids getting ready for football season,” he said. “We’re hoping to get the kids in some programs. We’ll use this camp to kind of get them started and get them signed up. (Montezuma) Titans kids are welcome, (Towaoc) Wolf Pack kids, as many high school kids as possible. Hopefully, it will be a good day of football.”
Perhaps the main message of the football camp, is to bring people together.
“We’re inviting the surrounding community (youth), too,” Lang said. “We want them to come down and experience a professional athlete. I don’t think we’ve had one around since (Mancos native) Luther Elliss was in the NFL. I hope we can get enough participants, which I think we will.”
Other parties contributing to the camp are Ute Mountain Vocational Rehabilitation, Ute Mountain Counseling, the Tero Department and Annabelle Talk.
For more information, please contact Traweek at 564-5752 or 564-5360, or email ntraweek@utemountain.org.
Reach Bobby Abplanalp at bobbya@cortezjournal.com.
