DURANT, Okla. (KTEN) — The game of stickball has been a tradition for the Choctaw people for centuries.

"It was utilized to settle disputes in early years," said the women's stickball team head coach Jared Tom. "That practice still sticks with us today. We keep the game going. We honor our ancestors... honor ourselves and our families."

At age 13, Aliyah Myers developed a passion for playing the sport with her sisters.

"I know if I'm out there on the field and my sisters are there, I don't have to be concerned at all," she said. "They're going to have my back and block out for me and protect me, and I'm going to do the same for them."

For the past three years, Aliyah has played on the Choctaw women's stickball team along with her older sister Yasmine. 

"I love playing with my sisters because we just make each other better," said Yasmine Myers. "Whenever we take the field together, I know: Wherever they are on the field they will take care of business."

Now, their goal is to win a championship together on the field. 

In 2021 and 2022, both the sisters and their team made it to the semifinals of the World Series of Stickball, and this year, they fought their way into the championship game as a team.

The Choctaw women's stickball team reached the final game of the 2023 World Series of Stickball.
The Choctaw women's stickball team reached the final game of the 2023 World Series of Stickball. (Choctaw Nation photo)

"We won our first game a few years ago and made it to the semifinals, and this year we made it to the championships," said Yasmine Myers. "So every year we just keep inching closer and closer."

Although they lost 2-0, they're already preparing to bring home the drum next year. 

"We're very hungry for it," Yasmine Myers said. "We're ready to compete again. We're going to be practicing really hard, with the intent to compete in the championship and to compete for the title."

The Choctaw women's stickball team will compete in the World Series of Stickball in July 2024.