Off the Rez

I saw the best documentary last night. Louis was out (I never know where he is) and I decided to watch some tv while I recovered from a birth and waited for him to come home. I just happened to turn on the tv at the same moment this documentary was starting. It showed on TLC last night and it was called "Off the Rez." Basically, a film crew followed a young Native American basketball player named Shoni Schimmel through her last two years of high school, tracking her progress as a rising basketball star.

Shoni's family lived on a reservation in Idaho but relocated to Oregon to give Shoni the best shot of realizing her dream. The film does a great job of telling the whole story about the family's background, including the mother's story as coach of Shoni's team and mother of 8, the dad's story of losing his job and nearly losing his family's home at the same time his daughter is about to "make it," the grandmothers who drive hours to watch Shoni play, and what it means to be Native American through it all.

I found the film so inspiring. It may have been a combination of birth exhaustion and hormones, but I totally bawled during some parts. The rest of the time I was biting my nails wondering what was going to happen next. After the film, I liked her page on Facebook and was glad to see I wasn't the only one. Last night, Shoni had about 900 likes. This morning, it was more than 4,000.

I can't find info on when it will re-air on TLC, but I hope it will be soon! I feel for her, though. It cannot be easy to be thrust into stardom while constantly being reminded of who you are and what you represent. She carries a tremendous burden, for sure. I hope others remember that she is but one (young) person. I really hope she's getting some good mentoring. I'm so glad I got a chance to watch this film!