The story began simply: The @IRQ_Nationals, a Native American #lacrosse team, had risen to No. 3 internationally but couldn't get invited to a major competition. Their plight quickly drew me beyond sport, into the realm of history & fable. latimes.com/sports/story/2… The Iroquois Nationals represent the Haudenosaunee nations, the people credited with inventing lacrosse. Though many in the sport honor them, players face racist taunts & the team is often blocked by officials who won’t recognize them as a sovereign nation.

News of Angela Madsen’s death spread quietly at first, through calls & texts among @TeamUSOPC athletes who knew her as a larger-than-life figure. People spoke of how she died. Alone. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean. latimes.com/sports/story/2… In telling Angela Madsen’s story, I started with @USParalympic athletes & coaches, who talked about a woman who became paraplegic in her 30s, was homeless & suicidal, then turned her life around with sports, becoming a champion in rowing & track.