Even up on the Hi-Line, John Sunchild's work in Rocky Boy has received national recognition

Being up on the Hi-Line far away from the action, it would be easy for exceptional work to go unnoticed. But that is not the case for John Sunchild, who has been nationally recognized for his work as athletic trainer for Rocky Boy and Box Elder High School.

Sunchild was one of six finalists for the Henry Shein Medical's Rising Star Award, which was created to recognize trainers that have made an impact on their community. Sunchild never intended to receive any sort of recognition for his work, but it was nice to learn he was nominated for the award.

"My biggest goal was to be able to provide and give back to my own people but now to receive recognition for it is just icing on the cake," Sunchild said. "It just makes my work that much more rewarding and it provides a framework for others in my Rocky Boy community that a local was successful. That they grew up where I grew up and they can make that same difference."

Sunchild's work as an athletic trainer in the Rocky Boy community is especially notable considering the fact he is the first trainer to operate primarily in that area. With him bringing this skill to the Chippewa Cree tribe, locals have appreciated his contributions.

"He has blazed a trail in our community as far as athletic trainers go," Box Elder boys basketball coach Jeremy MacDonald said. "He provides another good young role model for our kids and he provides an important profession so we're pretty lucky to have him."

Sunchild's contributions to the community should come as no surprise to anyone aware of his lineage. His mother Mona was an athletic director in Rocky Boy for many years and his father Rick coached football and track for the high school. They also served as educators, creating an even bigger effect on the community.

"They had a big impact on the community. Giving back and helping a lot of kids out over time as educators, and they did a good job setting an example for John," MacDonald said. "They were trailblazers in Indian education."

Sunchild's journey to becoming an athletic trainer and another leader in the community began in junior high school and high school when he competed in athletics himself. At Rocky Boy, he competed in sports ranging from basketball to football, track and golf. He also played baseball in Havre growing up.

Sunchild's interest in athletic training began with a high school basketball game against Highwood. Great Falls had an athletic training outreach program that was covering that game, so that exposure got Sunchild interested.

"Just being able to have that small introduction to it, it laid the path for my future," Sunchild said.

Sunchild was also a great student as he graduated as the valedictorian in 2010. He began college the following fall at the University of Montana where he got his undergrad in exercise science. He then applied for grad school in athletic training where he eventually graduated with a master's degree.

"It was just a combination of hard work and being able to combine my passion for sports and my passion for education and I was able to push both of those things together," Sunchild said about pursuing athletic training. "Now to bring that skill set back to the reservation is a powerful feeling that's been unmatched and I'm honored to be able to provide that for my people."

But Sunchild did not immediately return to Rocky Boy after college. Once he finished school, Sunchild began his athletic training career working in Polson on the Flathead Reservation. He worked there for three years where he gained lots of experience in the profession.

Unfortunate circumstances brought Sunchild back to the Rocky Boy community. In fall of 2020, his father was diagnosed with cancer, so Sunchild moved back to Rocky Boy to take care of him. His father passed away in the spring of 2021, which left Sunchild wanting to stay to take care of his family and be a leader in the tribal community.

Since setting himself up as the community's first athletic trainer, Sunchild has kept himself busy. He splits his time between Rocky Boy and Box Elder throughout the week, his schedule set around practices and games. He also offers his services to teams visiting Box Elder for an event.

Outside of athletic training, Sunchild has begun to offer injury prevention in sports specific training in the offseason and summer. He also started to help the health center with more clinical patients. He even plans to start a general exercise program and a weight loss management program which he plans to be the head of.

Sunchild has also spent time working at the Rocky Boy Health Clinic since he moved back.

Joel Rosette, the current CEO of the clinic, has gotten to see first hand how Sunchild has made an impact on the community through his work.

"John Sunchild is committed to serving the community and does so with professionalism and quality," Rosette said. "John has impacted our youth not only in sports but in life and educational pursuits. He has opened eyes to the opportunities that exist for our student athletes."

Sunchild's work was recognized by Valerie Moody, his former program director at UM. She submitted his name for the Harry Shein award, which resulted in him being one of six finalists for the award. While an athletic trainer from New York received the award and the top prize, Sunchild was happy to get the exposure for his work up on the Hi-Line.

"I'm pretty thankful for Henry Shein for allowing me to use their platform to not only gain recognition but to get more and more outreach to different areas," Sunchild said. "That's been a prize enough for me in itself."

While Sunchild has done great work that has received national recognition, he is not done yet. Moving forward, he hopes to provide athletic training to other reservations across Montana and other communities across the Hi-Line. It may take him time to add more staff in order to expand coverage to these areas, but he believes providing this service to these communities would be worth the effort.

"I'm just taking things at a time and moving toward another goal, which would be to cover the Hi-Line and beyond," Sunchild said.

As he carries on with his career, Sunchild hopes to continue to make an impact with his work. However, he also hopes to set an example for others in his community. He wants them to know that if they have lofty goals, it is possible to achieve them and there will be plenty of support for them over the course of their journey.

"Just trust the work that you put in and trust the people you've put around you," Sunchild said. "I didn't get here solely by myself so I'm appreciative of everybody that's helped me along the way. Hopefully, I can continue to make them proud and inspire others moving forward."