by By Dan Ninham, Contributing Writer
Mariah Aragon is half Mexican, part Crow, and an enrolled Northern Cheyenne. She is a senior at Hardin High School and competes in cross country and track and field. She is in the mid-winter at this time and preparing for the spring track season that is just around the corner.
“I’ve won state in the 3200m and 1600m state track while placing second in the 800m,” said Mariah Aragon. “I’ve been on the state team for cross country all four years of high school. I placed top five at state my sophomore, junior and senior year in cross country.”
Indigenous core values direct elite indigenous athletes to follow a good path. Aragon talked about her core values. She said, “The core values I apply the most to my athletics are humility and trust. I believe I am very blessed in my athletics but I also know how important it is to stay humble. I was taught by my family not to be boastful and as I got older I realized when you are gifted in something people will do the boosting for you.”
“This is a big thing and I try to encourage my teammates because we are a state winning team and it is important to stay humble because we do not need to brag about ourselves and our accomplishments because our families and community do it for us,” added Aragon.
“Another big value is trust,” said Aragon. “On a team and being an athlete it is very important to have trust. You first of all have to trust yourself and that you are capable of pushing yourself to the next level. You also have to trust your teammates as well as your coach. Trusting that your teammates will do their part and trusting the training plan the coach made for us.”
Cindy Farmer has coached Mariah in cross country for the last four years and has seen first hand the progress of one her elite runners. She said, “Mariah has set the XC standard at a high level at Hardin High School and is leaving a legacy. She has lettered all four years of her high school career. She earned All-State Honors three years in a row.”
“Mariah is a strong runner and had her mind set from day one to be the best runner she could be. She has such determination and courage and puts in the work year round. She is an extremely coachable person and practices hard every day. Mariah is very competitive and strives each day to be a better runner and person,” added Coach Farmer.
Coach Farmer continued to talk about one of her star athletes. She said, “Mariah was rock-steady, consistent and reliable. She consistently gave it everything she had to get better at every practice and be there for her varsity team. Mariah’s presence has made track and XC practices a competition in itself; and not in a bad way. Her teammates know firsthand what Mariah’s work ethic and determination can mean in the test called competition.”
Chris Fuchs coached Aragon in cross country for the past four years as the assistant high school coach at Hardin High School. Prior to that, he coached Mariah in middle school track.
“Mariah has always been a very competitive and (a) self-motivated athlete,” said Chris Fuchs, Assistant Cross Country Coach at Hardin HS. “She knows what she wants and she works very hard to achieve all her goals. She has never let any obstacles stand her way. I always try to talk to Mariah about her race strategy and how she manages competition.”
“Mariah is always very reflective on how she wants to approach each race and she will execute her plans to near perfection. With her upbeat attitude and always carrying a smile on her face, I appreciate the leadership Mariah has brought to the program as she wants to make connections with her fellow teammates. She is a true role model for how athletes should approach practice and competition.”
Mariah Aragon is continuing to climb the ladder for a successful track season to finish her Hardin HS Bulldog running legacy.
Great article highlighting native youth