‘A ball of positive energy’

Diné 8th grader wins three golds at state meet

WINDOW ROCK

Fourteen-year-old Kaylah Rose Yazzie has found a way to upstage her parents.

The BASIS Chandler eighth-grader holds three state swimming records for the Canyon Athletic Association, an organization that regulates athletic competition for non-traditional institutions that include charter schools, public schools and parochial schools in Arizona.

Yazzie is Bit’ahnii, born for Naalani (Comanche). Her maternal grandfather is Ashiihi and her paternal grandfather is Todich’iinii. She is the daughter of Lamoni Poweshiek Yazzie of Tuba City and McResha Daun Yazzie of Kayenta and the family resides in Chandler, Arizona.

Yazzie captured gold in the 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 50 butterfly during the CAA state meet held on Oct. 28 and helped her squad win the state title.

“I just had belief in myself that I could drop those records,” Yazzie said in a telephone interview with the Navajo Times. “All the hard work I put in showed at the state meet so I am really happy with my results.”

Her accolades earned her the 2017 CAA High School Girls Swimmer of the Year award and the team’s most valuable player award.

“Kaylah Yazzie is a ball of positive energy and a wealth of talent in the pool,” BASIS Chandler swim coach Kristen Lewis said.

“The reason why I nominated Kaylah for swimmer of the year is because she always acts as a main motivator for the team. She motivates not only veteran team members but also new members. She creates a bond between the swimmers and pushing many of them to attain personal goals.”

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