Basketball Camp Raises over $10,000 For Skyla, over 200 Attend

Last Sunday, the M-ette Alumni held a Girls/Boys Basketball Camp for Malta M-ette legend and Montana Lady Griz Hall of Famer Skyla Sisco, in hopes to help with her battle with breast cancer.

The event featured former M-ettes as instructors, helped by current M-ettes, as well as speeches by former M-ette Head Coach Terry Lindgren, and former Athletic Director/Principal Scott King. Her mother Marla Sisco and father Dan Sisco also helped with the camp.

In all, the camp was attended by 210 students from grade 1 to 12, and the event raised over $10,000, after expenses. All of the proceeds were donated to the Skyla Sisco Medical Fund.

Former M-ette Instructors included Bobbi Knudsen, Cindi Wiederrick Nelson, Greta Koss Buehler, Gretchen Carnahan Boardman, Kacie Tollefson, Kaydee Carnahan Normandy, Kaydel Soennichsen Stiles, Kylee Starr Dellwo, Laramie Schwenke, Lee Pekovitch, Linda Cummings Hudyma, Shayley Bebee Simanton, Stacey Nevrivy Warburton, and Sue Webb Gilkerson.

The camp broke up into three age groups. Grades 1 through 3 participated at the Old Gym from 8 a.m. to noon, grades 4-6 were in the MHS Gymnasium from 8 a.m. to noon, and grades 7 through 12 were in the MHS Gymnasium from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Schwenke, a two-time champion as an M-ette, taught ball-handling and crossovers. Schwenke is currently coaching on the collegiate level with the Williston State Tetons.

She was asked how it felt to be a part of the event.

"It feels awesome," Schwenke said. "Unfortunately, I didn't play with Skyla or anything like that, but I very much know who she is. All of those past M-ettes, like Mr. King was saying, set the foundation for M-ette basketball. Being able to just give back to the game, the kids, and doing it to help out Skyla, one of our own, is a pretty awesome feeling and I am just super grateful that they asked me to help out."

Buehler, who was a teammate to Sisco in high school and college was instructing campers on post and perimeter defense.

"We are getting through some closeouts, boxouts, and some team defense," Buehler said.

She was asked what it was like to play with Sisco.

"It was fun," Buehler said. "I got seven years with Skyla. She is a blast because she is uber talented. I'm just honored to be here. I love basketball, so it's fun to work with some kids and it is for a good cause to help out Skyla."

Pekovitch instructed campers how to get open for easy layups from a guard's perspective, while Hudyma coached campers on how to play offense and defense in the post.

Knudsen led the high school camp, and all Alumni helped throughout the event.

Prior to the camp sessions beginning and ending, Coach Lindgren and Coach King shared stories about Sisco.

"I think that it's just awesome," Lindgren said of the M-ette Alumni hosting the fundraiser. "Skyla was a special player. She was on the first M-ette State Championship team in '91. I think that the way the community backs stuff like this is awesome."

During Lindgren's first year at Malta High School, his first memory of Sisco was when she was a freshman, working on every aspect of her game, in the gym, all alone.

Coach Lindgren was a part of Malta's coaching staff for eight of the M-ettes' championship seasons and 12 championship games. Between the Mustangs and M-ettes Lindgren was coach for 24 state appearances.

Gretchen (Carnahan) Boardman, who coordinated the fundraiser, was a part of that first state championship team, and has been Sisco's best friend since they were children.

She was asking what it was like to have so many participate in the event.

"It's absolutely amazing," Boardman said. "Skyla contributed so much to this community, whether it was athletics, academics, or whatever. She was just a role model in our society growing up. She was one of my best friends my whole life, my mom used to babysit her; so this is the one thing that I thought we could give back to her from our community."

The M-ette Alumni had a goal of 50 to 75 camp participants, thinking that if they reached 100, it would be amazing, the group reached 210.

The Alumni got together one night before the camp to talk and dine together before the big day.

"We got together last night, those of us who could," Boardman said. "Just hearing the different stories; no one was arrogant, no one was cocky, we were just so proud to be from Malta and be a part of the M-ette tradition. The tradition that started before 1991."

Boardman said that when she was young, she looked up to high schoolers that included Kaydel Stiles, Linda Mendel, and others.

There were several current M-ettes at the camp, and though they signed up to participate, they were asked to help.

"I don't think that you realize the impact that you truly have when you are in high school," Boardman said.

She said that that impact keeps the tradition alive.

Though the event is over, Boardman and the M-ette Alumni know that the battle isn't over.

"This was not just a simple fix for Skyla," Boardman said. "She is still fighting stage 4 breast cancer. We have had a ton of donors and sponsors, and we are looking to put together a silent auction to help raise more funds for her fight against cancer.

"We want this message to be known; that everybody's health is important, and (cancer) can attack anybody," she continued. "It doesn't discriminate and not everyone can avoid it. Whatever we can do to help, it helps take some of the burden off of her."