MISSION — Growing up on the Navajo reservation in Kayenta, Arizona, Jacinthia Stanley did just about anything school and sports related to avoid working on the family farm, which included cattle, sheep and horses.

That led to her playing several sports in high school and college, and now it has brought her to coaching the volleyball team at Nixyaawii Community School on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon.

“I love this game and I love playing with the girls,” Stanley said. “I want them to build a sisterhood and become empowered. I want to teach the game I love. I’m blessed to have such a good team that is willing to play and grow together.”

Stanley, 36, is not new to the Nixyaawii program. She was an assistant coach when the Golden Eagle co-opted with Pilot Rock a few years ago, and was an assistant for the 2014 team when the school finally was able to field a team of its own.

“I was part of the first volleyball team at Nixyaawii,” Stanley said. “After the 2014 season, I had to go back to Arizona to help my family. By the time I came back, they had a new coach and I didn’t have the time to dedicate to the game.”

Stanley worked for Yellow Hawk Tribal Health Center at the time, and her free time was limited.

“I worked in mental health and suicide prevention,” she said. “I was director of the program. When I got pregnant, I slowed down. It was time to turn off everything and focus on my health and our son.”

Stanley, and her husband, Lindsey Watchman, have a son Jaylen, 2, and combined with Watchman’s kids from a previous relationship, they have seven all together.

“I got an instant family,” Stanley said. “My step-daughter Grace is on the team, and I had been working with her on our own time and that has helped build our relationship.”

This spring, the Golden Eagles were looking for a coach, and Stanley felt it was time to get back on the court.

“I decided to take a crack at it,” she said. “I think the biggest thing is the mental game. Reminding the girls they (opponents) can get in their head and it can take the game away from you. They are really good about taking feedback and listening to what I have to say.”

The Golden Eagles are off to a 2-0 start to the season with wins over Riverside and Pilot Rock. They host Powder Valley at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4.

Sports shaped her future

As much as sports and school kept her from farm chores, they also took her to college.

She ran track and cross-country at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. After two years at Haskell, she transferred to the University of Arizona, but that did not last long.

“I got to Arizona, then realized I wanted to go back to the tribal school setting,” Stanley said.

Back to Haskell she went. This time, she walked onto the volleyball team, where she was a libero. She was a setter in high school.

“I got my bachelors there,” Stanley said of Haskell. “Then I went to University of Oregon and got my master’s degree in education.”

She met her husband in the master’s program at UO and moved to the Pendleton area in 2011.

Though she and her husband are from different tribal cultures, Stanley said she enjoys learning.

“I gravitate toward tribal communities,” she said. “When I was in Eugene, I looked for tribal settings. Coming here and becoming part of my husband’s community has been nice. It’s had its challenges.”

In addition to coaching volleyball, Stanley also started a small business around the time her son was born. Her online boutique — Salty Black Sheep Creations (saltybsc.com) — sells jewelry and accessories. The creations are her own.

“It was kind of a blessing during COVID,” she said. “I recently hit 10,000 followers on Instagram.”