Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
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Jack Kiely, of Tahlequah, begins to dismantle the old track at Sequoyah High School. The Cherokee Nation and NIKE are funding the project.

TAHLEQUAH, OK - Sequoyah High School students will soon be running on a newly renovated track with help from a $50,000 grant from NIKE, Inc. Construction on the newly renovated track is expected be complete this summer.

"The renovation will be a great addition to our school and athletic program", said Tony Pivec, SHS Superintendent. "Not only will our athletes benefit, but it will provide a better place for everyone in the Cherokee Nation complex to improve their health."

The grant will be used to resurface the existing track and convert it from yards to meters, and to add a ramp for long jump, pole vault and high jump.

"Next year, we’d love to host elementary and high school track meets", Pivec said. "We believe, that when it is finished, we will have one of the best track facilities in the area."

Sequoyah's track renovation is made possible through a $212,000 renovation grant from the Cherokee Nation and the $50,000 NIKE matching grant. NIKE presents the Bill Bowerman Track Renovation Grant every year to school track programs that meet certain criteria. The grant is named after Bill Bowerman, who served as head track coach at the University of Oregon, for his lifetime commitment to the sport of running. The grant is distributed on a 'matching' basis, which means that the school is expected to match or exceed the contribution from NIKE for the completion of the new track.

Pivec applied for the NIKE grant last fall, with help from Sam Horsechief and James Nells, track coaches, and Gloria Matthews, SHS Instructor.

This is the first grant that Sequoyah High School has received from NIKE, but school officials hope that it will not be the last.

"Our next goal is to try to secure funding for a new gymnasium and recreation hall for the students", added Pivec. "However, with our recently renovated fitness center, the track will be the perfect complement in our efforts to provide first class facilities for SHS."

Sequoyah High School "Home of the Indians!"       Sequoyah High School, an Indian boarding school, originated in 1871, when the Cherokee National Council passed an act setting up an orphan asylum to take care of many orphans that came out of the Civil War. Sequoyah High School's approximate 300 enrollment represents 42 tribes and 14 different states. Students are eligible to attend if they are members of federally recognized Indian tribes or one-fourth blood descendants of such members.