The Wasilla 17-year-old had two very different options, with paths that would lead him to two very different areas in life.
Yaskus could either venture Outside and continue his drive toward a future in quad racing, or he could stay in Alaska and hit the rinks for the prep hockey season.
  
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He’s back stopping pucks for Wasilla High, but the thought of jump-starting a quad racing career is still fresh in his mind.
Yaskus knows he’d like to find a future in either quad racing, the four-wheeled answer to motocross, or hockey.
“It’s definitely pretty cool,” Yaskus said. “Not too many kids I know have options in multiple sports.”
Like many Valley hockey players, Yaskus first hit the ice when he was fairly young. He started playing when he was 5 or 6, and found a home between the pipes by the second season at the peewee level.
But somewhere between pushing the puck around the ice for the first time and establishing himself as the top goalie in the Wasilla hockey program, Yaskus was drawn to motor sports.
“I’ve always been into motocross,” Yaskus said. “It’s something that I’ve always kind of followed.”
Yaskus said his father had raced, and he had friends who were involved. He started riding dirt bikes, racing at the novice level. But ultimately Yaskus dropped the two-wheeled bike in favor of the four-wheeled quad.
“I have always been around four-wheelers,” Yaskus said. “I felt most comfortable.”
So as a 14-year-old, Yaskus gave quad racing a try for the first time. He swept the novice class during his first races on a quad.
From there, he was hooked.
“It was definitely kind of eye-opening,” Yaskus said.
It didn’t take long before Yaskus’ involvement in the sport evolved from weekend rider to potential professional. Yaskus did well enough in Alaska — racing on the dirt tracks in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Kenai — to begin to flirt with the idea of a future in racing.
With limited racing opportunities in Alaska, Yaskus yearns for a spot on a national racing series. He nearly made his first major move earlier this year, with tentative plans to move to live with a friend in Las Vegas, Nev., and race as an expert on the ITP Quadcross Series.
Yaskus’ plans became so serious, Wasilla head hockey coach Bill Sturdevant had at one point resigned to the fact he may be entering the 2009-10 season without his top goalie.
“Right up until our first game we didn’t know what his plans were,” Sturdevant said. “He didn’t know where his motocross was going to take him. Obviously we want him part of the team in some aspect.”
Sturdevant said he understood the need to make the decision, and knows Yaskus could be successful in a number of ways.
“He has a lot of options in hockey and outside of hockey,” Sturdevant said. “At this age, that’s kind of when you start making those decisions, deciding the path you’re going to take.”
Yaskus is still preparing for a potential move south. Success on the ITP Quadcross Series could lead to sponsorship money, professional status and the opportunity to race on a national circuit.
He turns 18 in September, and it will be easier to venture out on his own when he isn’t a minor. He’s also hoping to have more money saved before the 2010 series starts March 14 in San Bernadino, Calif.
Yaskus is also slated to earn his high school diploma at the end of this school year. As a homeschooled student, Yaskus said he worked ahead and gained extra credits during his freshman and sophomore years.
Regardless of where he ends up, Yaskus said he is sort of going with the flow. If for some reason he caught the eye of a junior hockey scout, he still may wait to hang up the skates. Yaskus said he’s certainly extend his stay in the net if an opportunity in junior hockey led to the potential of a college scholarship.
“Hockey can pay for college, motocross can’t,” Yaskus said. “I’m just seeing what kind of opportunities open up with both sports.”
And in the meantime, Yaskus will continue stopping pucks for the Warriors. But he’ll also keep his 2009 Yamaha YFZ 450R gassed up and ready to go.
Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.
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