Stick Ball

Stick Ball was an experience like no other. A rough and tumble game, I left the field feeling bruised, battered, and best of all, muddy. The game was not only a great way to get connected to our NSU friends; the game was a really great way for us to get connected to our neighbors at NSU, and make great friends, and connect with any of our fellow students with whom we had yet connected. Stick ball was also a great way to get better insight into the Cherokee Nation of the past and the present.
Stick ball is called the "little brother to war" and was used in the past to settle disputes between tribes or groups, and often got incredibly violent, or even deadly. Our game was no different, except no one died! There was a great deal of injuries though.
I don't think I've ever been more nervous about a sport in my life! I was so nervous that I would get hurt, or make a mistake, or just do something wrong for everyone to laugh at (I usually do that :P). But, as soon as the game started I got more and more comfortable with the game and with my skills in it. I started to realize that playing the game (at least the way we were playing it) was more about the meaning of the game to the Cherokees than it was about the score. Eventually we were having so much fun that we decided to play 3 games of stick ball, resulting in an average of about 7 bruises per player. Every single bruise was completely worth it. Not only did I find a sport that was fun and I was pretty good at and enthusiastic about (I'm not lying when I tell you to look for an upcoming Stick ball club at UNC or Stick ball intramural teams), but I also found a way to connect with the Cherokees and my friends in a way I never thought possible. I'm so grateful to have been introduced to the sport of stick ball, and even more privileged that I got to play it with the people I did.