Life Coach in Fountain Hills, AZ

Native American reservation baseball used to be far different than it was on a sunny Saturday near Phoenix.

It’s easy for Robert Miguel to look back on the old days. He’s now chairman for the Ak-Chin Indian Community, one of 22 Arizona tribes. He grew up with the Tohono O’odham Nation and would lay in bed at night as a kid throwing a baseball up and catching it so many times, he could close his eyes and feel when the ball was on its way down.

Long before he had unsuccessful tryouts with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs, Miguel had his own way of learning fundamentals.

Surrounded by miles of open desert, a young Miguel would refine his hand-eye coordination by hitting rocks with a stick. “Chalk” lines on a makeshift infield came from government-issued powdered milk, and bases came in the form of either cow chips or empty beer boxes.

“When I was doing that, [baseball] grew on me,” he said. “And I would watch baseball with my grandfather. We would watch The Big Red Machine, the Cincinnati Reds. So I fell in love by just watching.”

Nike’s N7 program has provided new opportunities. A camp for 250 kids took place at Salt River High School in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, a sovereign community bounded by the cities of Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa and Fountain Hills.

Nike is focused on getting youth in North American Indigenous communities moving through the N7 Fund. Since its creation in 2009, the Nike N7 Fund has awarded over $8 million in grants to more than 270 communities and organizations.

Watching kids go through fielding, catching and hitting reps looked all too familiar for Jacoby Ellsbury. As the first Native American of Navajo descent to play Major League Baseball, Ellsbury was an All-Star, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner, two-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox and MVP runner-up.

“It brings back memories for me on the baseball field and being a kid and having fun. That’s what N7 is all about, activity through sports,” Ellsbury said while watching the kids go through drills.

The Valley of the Sun has been busy this week with high-profile sports events, and N7 has been right there for each. Just a few days earlier, N7 hosted a football camp in tandem with Super Bowl 57 across town and also a golf camp in line with the Phoenix Open in nearby Scottsdale.

With pitchers and catchers having just reported for Spring Training, hundreds of plastic bats and balls helped turn N7’s focus to baseball. There were batting nets for practice swings, cones for running drills and of course shirts and shoes for the campers, plus a nutritious lunch afterward.

“Childhood obesity unfortunately is becoming high among the Native youth. So get them out, have fun and challenge them,” Ellsbury said. “Have them do something they never have done.”

While many of the kids have never played organized baseball or softball, some have. Some already have dreams, not unlike Miguel’s. Ten-year-old Marco Lopez was wearing his Arizona Diamondbacks cap while taking all kinds of batting swings and flatly said his dream is to reach Major League Baseball someday, among other leagues.

“NBA and NFL. All of them,” he said. “We’ll see what I go to.”

Others may not be reaching for a career in professional sports, but the idea of setting goals and working to achieve them was not lost on some campers.

“I know that as a hobby you must have practice. So I think it’s a very good learning experience for a lot of people,” said Zariah Miles, 13.

Miguel used lessons he learned to teach the kids. Fate may not have had him reach his goal of playing pro baseball, but he did follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Jonas, who also served as Ak-Chin Indian Community chairman in the early 1970s. Family is an important theme for Miguel.

“What means so much to these kids is that somebody’s paying attention to them. Not just Jacoby but the [N7] staff, showing an interest in their growth in life. That means so much,” he said. “A lot of these kids here, I can guarantee, they’ve grown up in broken homes and with a number of negative dilemmas in their lives.”

The Gila River Indian Community, Ak-Chin Indian Community, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Tohono O'odham Nation are “sister tribes” here in the Valley. Miguel, the Salt River president and the Gila River governor all grew up together playing baseball, from T-ball and Little League.

“We share the same traditions and cultures, and our language is almost identical,” Miguel said. “For a lot of us growing up, baseball was not a game. It was life.”

After an eventful season full of ups and downs, the Fountain Hills High School girls basketball team fell in the first round of playoffs on the road. The girls faced all sorts of challenges just to get to the playoffs last Wednesday, Feb. 15, and No. 10 Chinle ended their dream of a Cinderella season.

The No. 23 Falcons left Fountain Hills at 8 a.m. to several hours up to Chinle, and they arrived back home around 1 a.m. the next day after losing 68-35 on the road. The Falcons played a close first quarter and were only down 12-16 afterwards, but they couldn’t keep up with the Wildcats.

The Falcons faced more than the No. 10 team. They were on the road for more than five hours each way in cold weather and saw lots of snow up in Chinle.

“You know, no excuses, because you should be ready to play,” head coach Amanda Baca said. “It’s the state tournament and especially in Arizona, you have to travel and sometimes it’s far. The bus ride definitely took a toll on us, especially with the weather.”

No Falcon had played in a playoff game before, and they had to play their playoff game in an arena nearly six times larger than their home stadium. The Falcon’s gymnasium has a capacity of less than 1,300, whereas the “Wildcat Den” can hold 6,000 people.

“Little bit of wide eyes, little bit overwhelmed,” head coach Amanda Baca said. “It’s not a typical gym, and although it wasn’t full, being in an arena like that, little bit nerve racking I think for them. We came out definitely a little bit tight.”

According to senior Alexis Ibarra, the Falcons started to lose energy in the second quarter. They fell behind 24-36 at halftime, and then the Falcons only scored four points in the third quarter.

Despite falling behind and taking a hard loss, the playoff experience was good for the Falcons. The Falcons have six underclassmen and one junior that can return next year with post season experience. Also, since seven of the Falcons come from Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, they were well received by the Navajo nation crowd in Chinle.

“It was really different,” Alexis Ibarra said. “First, they were so welcoming, and it was so different playing in the big arena. It’s such a big place, so many people were there, and they were so supportive. They were even cheering for us. They were just really nice people, and it was just really fun.”

Alexis led with 11 points, and sophomore CC Smith scored 10 points. Behind them, senior Titleist Patrick scored six points and freshman Kynzi Schaunaman added four more. Junior Alicia Ibarra scored three points, and sophomore Kaylee Lewis added one point.

The Falcons will lose Alexis, Patrick and senior LJ Holland to graduation. Patrick has played for Fountain Hills every year since sixth grade, while Holland has played every year since ninth grade. Alexis returned to Fountain Hills for her final year after playing here in middle school.

“We’re losing three really core individuals who know the systems and know the program and have become really good leaders for our program,” Baca said. “So there’s big shoes to fill and we’re going to miss them, but the underclassmen we have coming up are very solid.”

The Falcons improved to 13-9 this year after going 5-14 last year and 1-9 the year before. The Falcons made the playoffs this year after winning seven of their last nine games, and they enjoyed a nice five game win streak during that time.

“We always leave the locker room on a pretty positive note, try and build off of that, but I think they hadn’t tasted victory like that in a long time,” Baca said. “The last two seasons had been rough, so I was really happy that, especially those seniors, LJ and Titleist, that were here when we had five players on the floor and were here when there was one sub, I was just really happy to have them have some success. It was very positive in the locker room and practice.”

The Falcons are regaining their strength as a program and are on the rise. The Ibarra sisters jump started the team halfway through this year, and Alicia will be able to return as a senior next year. The Falcons had less than 10 players each of the past two seasons, but the Ibarra sisters gave them extra depth this year.

“Having a little bit bigger team, makes all the difference in the world,” Baca said.

Baca will now move on to the middle school basketball season, and the older Falcons will move on to club or other sports this spring. The Times will do print a full season review article for the girls basketball team next week.

Fountain Hills is recognized nationally as a desirable location for winter visitors, much like the neighboring communities of Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. Many visitors come for the weather and beautiful surroundings. Others may come for the vicinity of world-class golf courses and seasonal events like Spring Training, Waste Management Open, or other major sporting events that the Phoenix metro often hosts. Thanks mainly to the short-term lodging market, the community has experienced substantial growth due to the increased use of online hosting platforms.

www.fh.az.gov

The Town of Fountain Hills has adopted new regulations to protect neighborhood investments, housing values, and community safety. The updated rules go into effect on Feb. 1, 2023. For information and resources on the steps needed to comply with rental home property ownership, go on the Town of Foutain Hills website at www.fountainhillsaz.gov/Rentals.

The goal of the updated regulations is to ensure that property owners are: responsible for their property and tenants to protect the quiet enjoyment of our neighborhoods; reduce impacts on neighbors; make visitor stays pleasant for guests and neighbors alike; decrease or eliminate unruly behavior, and support the responsive hosts and property owners.

The ordinance generally describes and defines definitions and processes for property owners. These include permit requirements, emergency contact information, prohibited uses, neighborhood notification before the rental of a unit/home, advertising requirements, posting on the property, insurance, background checks, permit suspension, enhanced penalties, appeal process, judicial relief, and severability. Additionally, there is a provision to allow the Town to inspect properties to ensure compliance with the ordinance or any provision of Town building, fire, or zoning codes.

The Arizona Department of Revenue administers the transaction privilege tax for the Town of Fountain Hills; property owners must report and pay their Town of Fountain Hills transaction privilege tax to the Department of Revenue. Taxes can be included in the overall price or charged to the renter as a separate line item. If a property management company is being used, the property owner still needs to file their tax license with the Department of Revenue.

All rental properties are subject to tax regardless of the number of rental units owned. Property owners must be licensed and pay tax if leasing or renting real property located within the Town of Fountain Hills. In addition, all residential properties used as a rental in the Town of Fountain Hills must be registered with Maricopa County at https://preview.mcassessor.maricopa.gov/page/residential_property/forms as a rental.

The Town of Fountain Hills is interested in pursuing all rental properties for compliance. The Town will gladly research the location and verify all tax and licensing requirements are met. To report a rental property for licensing compliance, please email the Town at rentaltax@fountainhillsaz.gov.

In addition to the standard 2.9% tax, residential rentals of less than 30 days are subject to an additional 4% transient tax (Hotel/Motel Classification) for the Town and 7.27% for the County. “Transient” means any person who, for any period less than thirty (30) consecutive days, either at their own expense or at the expense of another obtains lodging or uses any lodging space for which a charge is made on accommodation or use of lodging space.

Fairy lights are strung across the hotel lawn, framed by giant saguaro cacti. Ordinarily it’d be a pretty sight, but tonight, the lights are switched off. Instead, three large telescopes, one wired to a computer, are arranged across the grass at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale to face the inky depths of the endless night sky.

I’ve come to meet Mark Johnston — ‘azastroguy’ on Instagram — for a stargazing picnic, held between six and eight times a month at the hotel on the dusty fringes of the Sonoran Desert. Mark is one of 730 NASA-approved Solar System Ambassadors, and a self-described ‘space nerd’.

“When I first found out about the ambassador programme in 2018, I thought ‘I should be one’,” he says. Ambassadors like Mark share their passion for astronomy through a required minimum number of annual public education events like this. “By the first half of this year, I’d already done 60 events and the requirement is just to do four a year,” says Mark. To become NASA approved, the Toronto native had to apply during the one-month open call, in which his knowledge and equipment were verified and his presentation skills evaluated. But these were hardly new skills for Mark, who first started giving astronomy presentations in Scottsdale over 25 years ago.

Keen to display his knowledge, he draws my attention to the Orion Nebula: what looks like a blurry, cottony swirl through the telescope is a detailed, blooming cloud of oranges, greens and blues on the computer screen. The light I’m seeing, Mark explains, left the nebula over 1,300 years ago. Just gazing at it makes me feel quite emotional; the scale is almost too much to comprehend. “It boggles the mind because every time you look up into the sky, you’re literally looking back in time,” Mark says.

The lack of light pollution here means the night sky stretches above me in all its dark, clear beautiful stillness. Views like these, warm nighttime temperatures and the fact it’s home to certified Dark Sky Communities make Scottsdale a magnet for space enthusiasts. Mark tells me that when he’s not hosting space-themed events at the resort or nearby Pinnacle Peak Park, he often takes his telescope to Cave Creek or Needle Rock, a short drive from the hotel, where the skies are even darker.

But Mark’s not the only one starry-eyed over Scottsdale’s night sky. Scott Adams is part of a local team of five astronomy enthusiasts and educators dubbed the ‘Star Dudes’. They meet weekly at the Adero Scottsdale hotel, in the nearby town of Fountain Hills, which was designated an International Dark Sky Community in 2018. “We brought our telescopes and set up on the lawn behind the hotel,” he says. “People from the hotel started referring to us as ‘those star dudes’. It rolled off the tongue, so that’s what we became.”

The Adero hosts its stargazing events from its Skytop Lounge, an outdoor cocktail bar with unobstructed views of the McDowell Mountains. There are galactic-themed cocktails on offer, including the milky way, a creamy concoction of salted caramel bourbon, hazelnut, amaro and espresso. The Adero serves celebratory tipples, too — in December 2020, during an event to witness the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in the Great Conjunction, there was a marriage proposal beneath the stars. It’s special moments like these that Scott enjoys so much. “A 12-year-old girl also told me she wanted to work for NASA when she grew up. She had really good questions, better than most adults,” he laughs.

Part of what makes Scottsdale — and Fountain Hills, in particular — so good for stargazing are the light ordinances (rules to minimise light pollution) required for its status as a certified Dark Sky Community. You won’t find any street-lamps in Fountain Hills, for example. Geography helps, too. The neighbourhood is largely hemmed in by the McDowell Mountains, while the sparsely populated Native American reservations of Yavapai and Salt River Pima-Maricopa nearby mean light pollution is minimal in all directions. “If you’re standing at the Skytop Lounge and look over the town, there are vast areas that just don’t have any light,” says Scott.

He’s also part of the fundraising movement for the creation of the town’s International Dark Sky Discovery Center, which will feature an observatory, planetarium and ‘immersion zone’. It’s hoped the planned opening in 2024 will further cement the region as a top spot for astronomy tourism.

Back at the Four Seasons, Mark shows me his prized possession: a real meteorite. Dull and grey, the rock fits easily into the palm of my hand, but it’s heavy. It’s only when Mark reveals its age that I realise how significant it is. “That’s the oldest thing you will ever hold in your life,” he says. “It’s 4.6 billion years old, and was floating around in space millions of years before our planet was even formed.”

How to do it

British Airways flies direct from Heathrow to Phoenix.

Stargazing events are available free of charge to guests at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, and to both guests and the public at the Adero Scottsdale.

Doubles at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale from $209 (£171), room only. Doubles at Adero Scottsdale from $149 (£138), room only.

Published in the US Cities 2023 guide, distributed with the March 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK)

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is being updated throughout the day Tuesday, Feb. 21. Latest update: 8:29 p.m.

#7 ALA-IRONWOOD 73, #2 FOUNTAIN HILLS 50

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Corey Wood scored 20 of his 28 in the second half and No. 7-seeded ALA-Ironwood upset No. 2 Fountain Hills on Tuesday night 73-50, advancing to the 3A state semifinals next weekend in Phoenix.

It was the first loss of the season for the Falcons (26-1, 12-0 3A Central), which trailed 30-19 by halftime thanks to a barrage of 3-pointers by the Warriors and they never recovered.

Wood hit four 3-pointers and was a perfect 8 for 8 from the free-throw line, Jackson Edgerton hit four 3-pointers and added another bucket for 14 points and Chad Coplin scored eight of his 12 during a 19-11 third-quarter run by ALA-Ironwood (20-8, 8-4 3A South Central).

For the Falcons, Aiden Logan scored 17 points, while Keaton Ort chipped in with 14, including two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

ALA-Ironwood will now face No. 6-seeded Monument Valley on Friday, Feb. 24, in the 3A state semifinals. Monument Valley (26-3, 14-0 3A North) upset No. 3 Coolidge earlier in the day, 82-54.

#1 VALLEY CHRISTIAN 63, #9 GILBERT CHRISTIAN 43

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Luke Shaw scored 28 points on four 3-pointers and No. 1-seeded Valley Christian used a big second half run to advance to the 3A state boys basketball Final Four with a 63-43 win over Gilbert Christian on Tuesday night.

Up 26-23 at halftime, the Trojans (28-2, 11-1 3A South) outscored their opponent 37-20 in the second half to advance. Shaw dropped 16 of his 28 in the second half to lift Valley Christian to their 18th win in the last 19 games.

Austin Wallace scored 14 points and the Trojans were 14 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Max Lightfoot scored 15 points to lead Gilbert Christian (17-11, 7-5 3A South Central), which lost to this same Valley Christian club 76-60 back in early January.

The Trojans will play No. 4 Yuma Catholic on Feb. 24 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. A tipoff time has yet to be announced by the AIA.

#4 YUMA CATHOLIC 49, #5 HOLBROOK 46

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Held in check for much of the afternoon, Yuma Catholic leading scorer Braden Moore came through when his team needed him most.

And boy, did he come through.

With 1.2 ticks left on the clock, the 6-foot guard hit a 30-foot 3-pointer from the left wing, sending the No. 4-seeded Shamrocks to the 3A state Final Four with a 49-46 win over Holbrook.

Tied for much of the game, No. 5 Holbrook and Yuma Catholic were deadlocked at the end of the second (22-22), third (33-33) and fourth quaters (46-46 with 13 seconds left).

Moore dribbled down the clock, went at his defender, crossed over to his left and appeared to lose the ball, only to regain posession and throw up an NBA 3 for what would prove to be the game winner.

It is the 16th straight win for the Shamrocks (26-3, 11-1 3A West), which hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to advance. Both clubs drained seven 3-pointers a piece in the 3A quarterfinal thriller.

Fernando Vasquez led Yuma Catholic with 14 points, while Moore and Sebi Patane each had 11.

Noah Brown had 12 points to lead the Roadrunners (25-5, 9-1 3A East), which hadn't lost since early January and were winners of 11 straight.

#6 MONUMENT VALLEY 82, #3 COOLIDGE 54

PRESCOTT VALLEY — Albrandon Byjoe scored 40 points on six 3-pointers, Roberto Flores chipped in with 27 and No. 6-seeded Monument Valley punched their ticket to the Final Four with an 82-54 win over Coolidge on Tuesday afternoon.

It is the 14th win in the last 15 games for the No. 6-seeded Mustangs (26-3, 14-0 3A North), which jumped out to a 25-16 first-quater lead thanks to 16 points on four 3-pointers and never looked back.

Brayden Gant led Coolidge (29-2, 10-1 3A South Central) with 22 points. Dru Madrid scored 12 points on two 3-pointers.

The No. 3-seeded Bears had lost only one contest all season coming into Tuesday's quarterfinal matchup with Monument Valley, a 53-51 loss to Benjamin Franklin on Feb. 2.

Coolidge beat Page, 60-44, in second-round action to advance to Tuesday's Elite 8 contest.

PREGAME

PRESCOTT VALLEY — The 3A state boys basketball tournament has reached its Elite 8 round. Here are today's games:

No. 6 Monument Valley vs. No. 3 Coolidge, 1 p.m. No. 5 Holbrook vs. No. 4 Yuma Catholic, 2:30 p.m. No. 9 Gilbert Christian vs. No. 1 Valley Christian, 4 p.m. No. 7 ALA-Ironwood vs. No. 2 Fountain Hills, 5:30 p.m.

3A Boys State Championship Bracket Scores

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.