Wings Of America Was Forced To Scale Back During The Pandemic, But The Effort To Promote A Healthy Activity On Reservation Lands Continues

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

A silent but palpable unease accompanied Dustin Martin when he arrived on the Navajo Reservation.

As a distant observer in Albuquerque, N.M., Martin’s periodic trips back to his reservation in 2020 to visit family members didn’t feel the same.  

“For the first time in my life, I saw my relatives being, like I said, very fearful and unwelcoming people,” Martin said. “And signs out on the road saying, 'no visitors' or 'family only' type of things. And I had never seen that in my lifetime.”

The Executive Director of Wings of America — an organization based in Albuquerque that provides Native youth a platform to represent their communities through running — Martin has felt the unforgiving and brutal outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wings’ in-person programs and summer camps, which serve more than 1,000 individuals annually, were not possible in 2020. The USATF Cross Country Championships, slated for Feb. 6, have been postponed until 2022. Wings has a robust legacy at the event with nearly 65 junior team titles.  

“It was really heartbreaking not to be able to hire young mentors to lead and coach those camps,” Martin said. “It’s heart-breaking now to know that for the first time in over 30 years, there won’t be a Wings National team traveling to the USA Cross Country Championships (in 2021). In the grand scheme of things, we understand that the safety of our elders is really what’s most important. But of course, we are adapting like so many other people are.”

In place of a prized berth on the USATF Cross Country Championships trip, Wings has created a “2021 Honorary Team” by hosting a free virtual 5,000-meter time trial. The overarching message was to encourage and motivate Native youth to continue to run and stay active during the ongoing pandemic.

Until Feb. 6, any Native runner between the ages of 14-19, as well as former team members and anyone that has tried out for the Wings national team since 2013 is eligible for the designation if they can run a qualifying standard — 17:35 for males and 20:35 for females.

“I say it’s great because as athletes and runners we like to compete and like to prepare,” said Dion John, a former Wings member and now a cross country and track coach at Tohatchi High in New Mexico.

“I’m bummed out there’s no team but also we want to be able to look forward to things and keep the energy up for running and allow kids to focus on their goals and make sure they keep training and not just give up. We want them to be rewarded for something, for dedication and self-discipline.”

Beside the virtual 5K opportunity, in place of in-person camps and programs, this past fall, Wings created “Social Distancing Distance Clubs.”

Set up for elementary and middle school age-students and their siblings, the clubs were seven-to-eight-week programs designed to help Native youth stay active during the isolating times. Members were connected with a “virtual” mentor that has worked for Wings as a summer Running and Fitness Camp facilitator in the past.

John, who served as a virtual mentor, said this was an opportunity for him to coach and have a connection. Due to New Mexico High School Athletic Association postponing cross country, and no promise of a track season, John and his teams at Tohatchi have not been able to compete for nearly a year. 

“It gives me something to look forward to and I like hearing stories from the kids,” John said. “Being able to be there with someone makes things a little easier during these times.”

As a virtual mentor, John explained his role with the Native youth was to forge relationships through the connection of running. And to be someone the Native youth could count on throughout the pandemic — whether that was through a simple text, email or phone call. 

“My main role was to get to know the kids, get to know the family, try to get not just the kids moving, but the whole family,” John said. “I think if kids see their families doing the runs, exercises, just being healthy, I think kids will follow and be excited.”

Martin said the response has been enthusiastic among the small number who signed up.

There’s no sugar-coating what the pandemic has created, especially in hard-hit Native communities. Martin explained Wings went from serving to from 1,200-1,700 kids through the summer camps to suddenly just three dozen dedicated participants by Christmas. 

Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation that straddles New Mexico and Arizona with a small piece of Utah has extended its emergency shelter-in-place order to Jan. 25 — a continuation of previous orders. In a population of 180,000, there have been 933 confirmed COVID-related deaths.

“The pandemic really did change a lot of things,” John said. “It was challenging (the social distancing clubs) because kids in some areas don’t have services and they have to move location just to have phone service, or they don’t have Internet, and that’s kind of tough because the tribe is very community-based and family-based and they put family first. And they have to do all of these chores and other things at home before they can do their activities.”

During Martin’s time as a program director and executive director, Wings has connected at least 15,000 youth with Native mentors through running. Connecting with the Native youth in a new virtual way, Martin and John both explained the art of communication has been key to keeping relationships going. 

“There’s just a very deep respect for people's boundaries,” Martin said. “And so I think that's a good thing because people can communicate and they have to talk about what they’re comfortable with beforehand, but at the same time making it so social interaction that just happened every year (before) is not happening anymore, and it's taking a toll. And I know everyone is excited to get back to that, but getting over the fear is going to take a while.”

While a lot is still daunting for Wings and the Native population, running has emerged as one of the strongest forms of communications and a path to self-expression.

“I think running is very important for them,” John said. “It gives (young runners) their time to be away. It gives them their time to be themselves, to reflect on life, and it does help a lot. Being able to go out and explore the land and see what’s around, see what they haven’t really seen … sometimes I like to say, “Go get lost in your run. Don’t worry about mileage or time. Go get lost.”

Martin and John are moving forward in 2021 with a resilient belief that Wings of America will continue to serve the Native youth in new and innovative ways and that its reach will return. Maintaining a passion for running and what it can do to promote mental health and opportunity is an enduring mission. 

“We have to be grateful. Mindful. And thankful for what we have,” John said. “We just have to really make sure we keep people involved in a healthy lifestyle."