Featured: April 1, 2024 Tribal Tribune
(MOUNTAIN VIEW, OK) Full of hope and ambition, Cheyenne and Arapaho youth Ofelia LaRue Yellow Eagle, 18, gives her all in every sport she participates in and with each passing season, she continues to be an inspiration.
Ofelia LaRue Yellow Eagle, who participates in cross-country, basketball, cheer, track and field and is an active member of Future Farmers of America (FFA), attending Mountain View-Gotebo High School in Mountain View, Okla.
Born in Weatherford, Okla., and raised in the rural community of Mountain View, Okla., Yellow Eagle attends the small school of Mountain View-Gotebo where she, like most kids in the community, participates in several sports and school activities.
“Mountain View is such a small school so at small schools everyone plays everything and I enjoy everything I do, I just like being busy, I just can’t ever stay still, I just like to go, I’m a very outgoing person and it just keeps my schedule going,” Yellow Eagle said.
Yellow Eagle participates in cross-country, basketball, cheer and track and field. She is also active in Future Farmers of America (FFA) for the school where she holds an officer position.
Coming into the spring season of track and field in her junior year, Yellow Eagle participates in the shot put and discus throw. Yellow Eagle said she’s been doing track and field since the sixth grade.
“I’ve just kind of fell in love with it, it’s taught me life lessons and to always just try your best even when things aren’t going your way, because I still struggle with that to this day when I can’t throw right but you always have your off days, so it’s important to know you can have an off day,” Yellow Eagle said.
Throwing an eight-pound metal ball, the sport involves strength, speed and balance. Yellow Eagle quickly became inspired when she saw older students participating in the shot put and discus throw. She said she looked up to the seniors at the time and wanted to give it a try.
“I just seen some of the seniors doing it and I just looked up to those seniors at the time and I thought it would be pretty good for me to try out and if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t go on with it but I ended up enjoying it so here I am going into my junior year with it,” Yellow Eagle said.
Yellow Eagle said what she loves the most about playing the sport is the friends she made along the way.
“Just the friends you get to meet along the way, I’ve met so many throughout my journey and the experiences you get to have,” Yellow Eagle said.
And Yellow Eagle’s motivation for pushing through the season is to meet her goal, which is to set a new school record before she graduates. Yellow Eagle’s personal record is 31 feet and the school record is at 34 feet.
In getting one step and foot closer to beating her personal record, Yellow Eagle said what she looks forward to the most in the season is meeting new friends and spending time with the incoming freshmen.
“Getting to meet new friends that come up, meeting freshmen and spending time getting ready for this season as it approaches and hopefully punch my ticket to the state track meet,” Yellow Eagle said.
Throughout the school year, Yellow Eagle has maintained a 3.2 GPA and said she stands by ensuring she’s always a student before an athlete.
“To me I always stand by to make sure to always put the student before the athlete, got to make sure to get everything done in the classroom before I put my athletics first and that’s what I always stand by,” Yellow Eagle said.
When she’s not focused on academics or sports, Yellow Eagle is active in her duties with FFA as she said it has opened up opportunities for her.
“FFA has really opened up so much experiences that I hadn’t known was out there, I’ve met so many friends going to these leadership conferences, camps, getting to expand my comfort zone because thanks to FFA I’ve met lifelong friends that I’ll know forever,” Yellow Eagle said.
Preparing for the season, Yellow Eagle said the best way to improve her strategy on the field is to just come into it with a positive mindset.
“I hope that I will just improve, just keep improving by each meet, break the school record and just have a positive mindset behind it all,” Yellow Eagle said.
Being a part of track and field, Yellow Eagle said has taught her discipline the most.
“I remember first starting I wasn’t really good but those seniors that I looked up to told me you got to want it, that’s really how bad you want it so you have to put the time in order for you to have good results,” Yellow Eagle said.
And when she’s in the zone mentally preparing for her turn in the shot put and discus throw, Yellow Eagle said everything cancels out and she’s in her own world.
“I get to be myself in that ring when I enter and know that I can do it and that God is right there beside me and my mom is one of my biggest cheerleaders up in Heaven,” Yellow Eagle said.
Moutain View-Gotebo Track and Field Coach Ken Bohanan said Yellow Eagle is a very popular person on and off the field and court.
“On the field she works very hard. She runs cross-country for me. She runs about 2 miles at each meet. Even though she is not in first place, she runs her heart out,” Bohanan said.
Bohanan said in the beginning Yellow Eagle would be discouraged and would want to quit. But she has matured and realized that it’s not about first, but about testing and pushing yourself to do things that many cannot.
“It’s important to finish things that you start. On the court she is a fan favorite. She doesn’t start but goes to practice every day and works hard,” Bohanan said.
And when she’s on the field for track and field, Bohanan said she works hard in those two disciplines as well.
“LaRue is for sure our leader for the track and field events, younger throwers look to her for a good role model and she displays her willingness to put in the extra effort to succeed. I know she is active in a lot of activities such as FFA and that in itself is a load of work,” Bohanan said.
Bohanan said they do not have students that only run track or cross country, they play other sports as well. He said the numbers have doubled since last year and hope to see the team continue to grow as the few that have joined have been successful so far.
“LaRue can do anything she puts her mind into, she has matured now to continue to strive to finish whatever she sets her mind to,” Bohanan said.
With Yellow Eagle raised by her grandparents, grandmother Elizabeth Tartsah said Yellow Eagle was diagnosed with scoliosis at a young age, but with physical therapy and encouragement of former coaches and prayers, she had overcome scoliosis.
Planning to graduate in the spring of 2025, Yellow Eagle said she hopes to get the opportunity to do track and field at the next level, however if not, she plans to attend Oklahoma State University to major in agriculture education and have an impact on other students.
Yellow Eagle’s mother is the late Anita Yellow Eagle and her grandparents are Elizabeth and Garrett Tartsah, as well as Yolanda Yellow Eagle. Her siblings are Chris Tall Bear and Pavenah (Tall Bear) Vaillancourt.
By Latoya Lonelodge, Senior Reporter
Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune 