The Lakota Nation Invitational holds sports meets year round, but the biggest event is in December. The annual winter LNI brings thousands of people to Rapid City to celebrate athletics, knowledge and art.
The event this month includes basketball games, wrestling matches and cheerleading competitions as part of the 43rd Lakota Nation Invitational. Last year, the sporting events brought in more than 27- thousand people. But thousands more showed up for other free events that reflect a wide range of interests. Chuck Wilson is the President of the LNI.
“The art show, the business plan, we have a chess tournament, knowledge bowl, quiz bowl, poetry slam, archery, hand games, Lakota language. Over the four day period we’ll do a lot of events.”
Wilson expects about three thousand students to participate this year-that’s similar to recent attendance. The LNI opens next Tuesday with a welcome ceremony for athletes and includes a jam packed schedule through Saturday evening.
“I takes a lot of planning, obviously and it takes a lot of good people to want to work. And we have some really great coordinators that run each of these events so credit should go to them. And the board has really done a good job in making really good decisions about how to manage all of this.”
Wilson says the LNI has something for everyone.