Holding on to tradition

By Jeremiah Bartz
Frontiersman

PALMER — Sterling Lucas appeared fairly relaxed during a break between events at a Native Youth Olympics competition hosted by the Alaska Job Corps Center on Saturday.

But just a few hours before, while competing in the wrist carry, Lucas was focused.

With a look of pure determination, Lucas stared forward, intent on supporting all of his weight while being carried across the Alaska Job Corps gymnasium floor. The only thing holding Lucas above the ground was a piece of wooden dowel. And the only way Lucas could hold onto that piece of wood was by wrapping one of his wrists around the dowel and using his other hand to hold that wrist.

Lucas’ knees were tucked to his chest as he held on as long as he possibly could while two others carried that dowel around in a circle in the Job Corps gym.

Lucas, 14, was one of more than 75 athletes to compete on the first day of the Job Corps’ NYO, and part of a budding crop of local student-athletes to become a part of the games that are based on Alaska Native culture and tradition.

“It’s fun to do,” said Lucas, a Palmer Junior Middle School eighth-grader who is in his second year of NYO competition.

Melanie Cole, a teacher at PJMS who coaches Lucas and his Palmer-area teammates, said participation has grown exponentially since the school began incorporating events from the NYO in school curriculum.

Although events such as the wrist carry, kneel jump and toe kick look difficult to master, athletes contend the games are at least somewhat easy to learn.

“It was kind of hard at first,” Lucas said.

But now that Lucas has gotten the hang of it —literally and figuratively — he regularly participates in both the wrist carry and one-foot high kick.

Those events were among 10 scheduled for the two-day event, that continues today at Job Corps.

On the list for Saturday were the kneel jump, wrist carry, toe kick, Alaskan high kick and the Eskimo stick pull.

Slated for today are the one-arm reach, two-foot high kick, Indian stick pull and seal hop. Athletes are slated to start with the one-arm reach at 9 a.m. today in the Job Corps gym.

NYO events were first featured in Alaska in the early 1970’s. Although the NYO itself is just shy of 40 years old, the skills used in the games incorporate pieces of Alaska Native culture that spans generations.

The use of attributes such as strength, agility, balance and stamina closely represent the skills Alaskan natives have needed for hunting and basic survival.

But just as important as strength of the body, is strength of the mind.

“Every aspect of NYO is both physical and mental,” Michael Sakar, a 19-year-old from Chuathbaluk said.

Sakar is a student at Job Corps, and like PJMS, the Alaska Job Corps Center is also incorporating the Native games into its curriculum.

This weekend’s NYO event marked the fifth-annual competition to be hosted by Job Corps.

Greg Mann, who saw the inception of the annual event, said Job Corps started with only 25 participants.

In addition to the 75-plus student-athletes that competed on Saturday, Mann expects more than 100 to participate today.

“It’s the biggest event in the Valley before state,” Mann said, referring to the NYO state competition , slated for April 24-26 at the Sullivan Arena.

The Job Corps NYO acts as sort of a precursor for the state meet. Mann said local athletes have the chance to compete in front of a crowd, and the opportunity to prepare for a state event that could attract upward of 400 Alaska athletes.

Mann said Job Corps uses the NYO games in the center’s curriculum and as a recreation activity just as sports such as basketball or softball would be used.

Even though the Job Corps population is estimated to be 51 percent Alaska Native, Mann said interest in the games spans all ethnicities.

Interest of the games is growing in the Mat-Su Valley. Not only has PJMS seen a rise in participation, but the same is happening at other schools in the Valley.

There are now five organized teams in the Mat-Su School district — Palmer, Houston, Colony, Wasilla and Susitna Valley — and an intradistrict meet is scheduled for April 17 at Houston High School.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Job Corps Native Youth Olympics

Day 1 results:

Boys kneel kick:

1. Andrew Walker, Anchorage Native Heritage 47.5 inches; 2. Michael Sakar, Job Corps 44.5; 3. Jeffrey Phillip, Job Corps 42.75.

Girls kneel kick:

1. Jaclyn Weston, Anchorage Native Heritage 37.35 inches; 2. Lady Chris, Job Corps 30.75; 3. Flora Phillips, Anchorage Native Heritage 29.25.

Boys wrist carry:

1. Nick Miyasota, Job Corps 388 feet, 2.5 inches; 2. Lucas Hickie, Colony High School 340-7.5; 3. Raymond Batt, Kenaitze 291-11.

Girls wrist carry:

1. Simone Pushruk, Chickaloon 273 feet 10.5 inches; 2. Mary Johns, Chickaloon 232-5.5; 3. Lady Chris, Job Corps 53-9.

Boys toe kick: