The "Starting A New Life In Lancaster, Pennsylvania" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Staring at one of the most unusual photographs that has been on page 1 of the local newspaper.  Features a young man by the name of Gary Bad Warrior standing next to his aunt and uncle with a basketball in his hands.  The background is dark and the photograph seems to be lit with a light that shows the somber faces of Gary and his aunt and uncle.  Story tells of Gary's arrival in Lancaster this past Thanksgiving after arriving from his home on a Native American reservation in South Dakota.  Gary is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation which is the 4th largest reservation in the United States.  His name comes from a sacred peace pipe that was given by a medicine man to one of his grandmothers and was passed down through generations.  The peace pipe is referred to as Zuya Sica with Zuya meaning warrior and Sica meaning bad.  His aunt made the same journey to Lancaster more than 30 years ago.  His aunt is Carolyn Rittenhouse, who met her husband Thad while a student in the 1980s at BYU-Idaho.  Her Native American name is Hwo Was'te Winyan or "Good Voice Woman."  She received the name in 1991, three years after marrying Thad who was a graduate of Lancaster McCaskey High School.  Mrs. Rittenhouse works for Millersville University and founded the nonprofit Advocates for Native Nations which is a Lakota immersion program for local high schools and colleges.  The foundation takes trips to her home reservation in South Dakota.  Carolyn has a niece, LeAnna whom she adopted in 2006 and whom graduated from Lampeter-Strasburg High School in 2017.  Gary now lives with LeAnna.  I guess I should tell you that Carolyn and Thad have three children and two of them were standout basketball players for Lampeter-Straasburg H.S.  Gary had lived for years in the reservation in an alcoholic environment and needed a change, thus he came to Lancaster to live with relatives.  At the beginning of this past school year he was a student at the Eagle Butte High School on the reservation in South Dakota, but was struggling with his classes.  Gary shares the same love of basketball as his relatives have in the past, so he decided to come to Lancaster.  Native Americans have been playing basketball for more than 100 years and have developed a style of play known as "Rezball."  It is a game of speed, full of aggression and stamina with full-court presses and man-to-man defenses.

Gary Bad Warrior photograph by Lancaster Newspaper

Bad Warrior began playing when he was 5, so he was no stranger to the game when he arrived in Lancaster.  He ended up at Pequea Valley High School which has an Indian mascot and was averaging about 46 points a game this past season.  He had to change his game...but the best part of it was that Thad Rittenhouse was the boy's basketball coach.  The first move for Thad was eliminating the Native American mascot that was at all games.  It didn't take long for Gary to adjust to his classes and returning to in-person learning after arriving.  He played some JV and some Varsity and helped the team earn a postseason bid for the first time in 11 years.  When he made his first shot this year the announcer said into his mic..."The Warrior with a 3-pointer."  Everyone in the gym was cheering for him.  What a great way to start another chapter of your life.  Gary Bad Warrior now fits into the mold of Lancaster County student and basketball player.  I hope he will continue next year to be a successful part of the school district and gain an understanding of life in Lancaster County where he is appreciated.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.