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<v Speaker 1>Something you should go Something you should know is brought

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<v Speaker 1>to you by Genesisgoldira dot com. That's also something you

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<v Speaker 1>should know. You can put your retirement plan. I'm the

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<v Speaker 1>gold Standard. Learn more and get a free Gold and

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<v Speaker 1>Silver guide at Genesis gooldr dot com. Excited to have

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<v Speaker 1>Chris Air join us today and we're going to talk

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<v Speaker 1>about Jim Thorpe, lit by Lightning. This premiered on the

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<v Speaker 1>History Channel earlier this week. It's available online right now,

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<v Speaker 1>and let's talk about this. How in the world did

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<v Speaker 1>you get interested in this topic? To start with, Chris.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think as far back as I can remember,

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<v Speaker 2>I heard the name Jim Thorpe, and I'll never forget

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<v Speaker 2>my grandfather, who was born in the eighteen nineties, and

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<v Speaker 2>I remember growing up in the seventies it was just

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<v Speaker 2>one of those known things that when we talked about sports,

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<v Speaker 2>we regarded Jim Thorpe as the greatest athlete ever. And

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<v Speaker 2>I'll never forget in grade school hearing the story about

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<v Speaker 2>the guy who found shoes in a trash can that

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<v Speaker 2>he used because his shoes had been stolen at the Olympics,

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<v Speaker 2>and he took this mismatched two shoes and put them

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<v Speaker 2>on from the trash can and he runs in the

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<v Speaker 2>race and he wins the gold medal in the decathlon.

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<v Speaker 2>And that was kind of one of those indelible stories

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<v Speaker 2>that I was told in grade school where I said,

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<v Speaker 2>who is this guy? And years later, you know, as

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<v Speaker 2>an adult, I'd find that, you know, he was Sakam

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<v Speaker 2>Fox Indian, that his name was Jim Thorpe, and he

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<v Speaker 2>was regarded as the greatest athlete ever.

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<v Speaker 1>It's an amazing story. And there's an image that is

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<v Speaker 1>just a famous image of him standing there with two

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<v Speaker 1>different colored shoes. What a crazy story, that's right.

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<v Speaker 2>One of the shoes was the different size. Not only

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<v Speaker 2>were they mismatched shoes, but he used extra socks to

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<v Speaker 2>actually make the shoe fit properly. And you know, if

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<v Speaker 2>that's not a story of creativity and perseverance to win,

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<v Speaker 2>then I don't know what is.

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<v Speaker 1>So how long did it take to put this together?

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<v Speaker 1>And where do you even get started on a project

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<v Speaker 1>like this?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it probably took, like most projects like this, a

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<v Speaker 2>year and a half or so. You know, from the

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<v Speaker 2>time that we started talking about it. Lebron James who

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<v Speaker 2>the Goat, and Maverick Carter and History Channel approached me

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<v Speaker 2>and said, hey, would I be interested? And as a

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<v Speaker 2>Native American I'm Southern Cheyenne and a rappa hooe filmmaker,

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<v Speaker 2>I said, where do I sign up? You know, Jim

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<v Speaker 2>Thorpe is somebody that I'd always known about, and then

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<v Speaker 2>when I started to look into you know, the specificity

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<v Speaker 2>of the stories and the history with our team and

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<v Speaker 2>archives and historians and interviewees, you know, it just became

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<v Speaker 2>a whole different dynamic for me, which is who was

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<v Speaker 2>the man behind all these great achievements. His achievements stand

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<v Speaker 2>in the record books and you can compare him and

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<v Speaker 2>I think most of the time, including the Associated Press

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<v Speaker 2>in two thousand, people come up with he was the

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<v Speaker 2>greatest athlete ever.

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<v Speaker 1>Again, Jim Thorpe lit by Lightning. It premiered on the

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<v Speaker 1>History Channel on Monday, and if folks missed it Monday,

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<v Speaker 1>they can catch it in streaming as well.

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<v Speaker 2>Right, Yeah, it's be streaming on History in the future.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm sure it'll be available wider and more places as

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<v Speaker 2>time goes on.

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<v Speaker 1>Here, So, as you're doing a project like this, what

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<v Speaker 1>is a process like Are there people around today who

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<v Speaker 1>knew Jim Thorpe or what does it even look like

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<v Speaker 1>to do a project like this.

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<v Speaker 2>I think the easier part was getting the factual elements together,

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<v Speaker 2>getting the antidotes together, the people recall that are part

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<v Speaker 2>of the public persona, and then the harder part is

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<v Speaker 2>diving into who this person might have been, who they were.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's really where I get turned on by a story,

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<v Speaker 2>which is, you know, what made him run, what made

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<v Speaker 2>him win? And as I look back on his story,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, people can relate to where he grew up

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<v Speaker 2>in his circumstance. He was born in eighteen eighty seven

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<v Speaker 2>in Oklahoma. He was raised on the Sack of Fox

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<v Speaker 2>Indian Reservation. By age nine, his twin brother had died

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<v Speaker 2>of pneumonia. He didn't have an easy easy time as

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<v Speaker 2>a young person. Both of his parents passed away by

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<v Speaker 2>the time he was eleven, and he was carted off

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<v Speaker 2>to Indian boarding school, first Haskell in Kansas, and he

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<v Speaker 2>ran away multiple times back home to Oklahoma, and then

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<v Speaker 2>eventually he was taken to Carlisle, Pennsylvania because he couldn't

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<v Speaker 2>run away, and he stayed there until he found athletics.

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<v Speaker 2>And that was really that changing point in his life

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<v Speaker 2>where I think he found something that he could put

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<v Speaker 2>himself into, potentially that anger. There was bias and racism

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<v Speaker 2>certainly the time, and he needed something and I think

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<v Speaker 2>sports probably saved him when he got to Haskell at

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<v Speaker 2>age eleven.

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<v Speaker 1>Chris, thank you so much for taking the time to chat.

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<v Speaker 1>We appreciate it, sir, Thank you, and I hope people

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy the show absolutely. Jim Thorpe lit by Lightning. It

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<v Speaker 1>premiered on the History Channel Monday, and you can watch

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<v Speaker 1>it now online on History dot com. Something you Should Know.

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<v Speaker 1>Something you Should Know is brought to you by Genesisgoldra

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<v Speaker 1>dot com. Put your retirement plan on the gold standard.

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<v Speaker 1>Get a free gold and Silver guide now at Genesisgoldra

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