Local elementary students shine at JNYO

Frontiersman.com

ANCHORAGE — More than 40 local elementary students earned top-5 finishes during the 2012 Junior Native Youth Olympics at Begich Middle School earlier this month.

Students from across the Valley participated in the event, which featured a series of athletic competitions inspired by Alaska Native culture.

One Valley student walked away with a state record. Mia Weiss, a second-grader at Machetanz Elementary, set a state record in the girls’ seal hop. Weiss finished with a mark of 173 feet and 7 inches.

Another Machetanz second-grader, Braxton Whitehead, won the boys’ kneel jump event, with a mark of 27 inches.

Fourth-grader Max Wasner of Meadow Lakes Elementary was first in the boys wrist carry with a distance of 85 feet and 4.5 inches. Fourth-grader Macy Van Buskirk won the girls’ leg wrestling event and the girls’ two foot high kick. Her kick of 53 inches was four inches better than runner-up Kristina Gerasimyuk, a third-grader at Meadow Lakes.

Machetanz fifth-grader Porter Schachle also won a pair of events, finishing first in the boys’ Alaskan high kick and scissor broad jump. Schachle had a kick of 62 inches in the high kick, and a mark of 24-4.75 in the jump.

Meadow Lakes fifth-grader Olivia Davies was first in the scissor broad jump and Houston Elementary’s Kiriena Afonin finished first in the girls’ Alaskan high kick with a mark of 54-2.

Van Buskirk and Davies both set Meadow Lakes school records.

Junior Native Youth Olympics

Feb. 17-19, Begich Middle School, Anchorage

Valley results

Boys Alaskan High Kick

Place Name Grade School Score

1st Portor Schachle 5th Machetanz Elementary 62 inches

4th Jackson Peters 5th Larson Elementary 54 inch 1 miss

Girls Alaskan High Kick

Place Name Grade School Score

1st Kiriena Afonin 6th Houston Elementary 54 inch 2 misses

2nd Skylar Madel 5th Larson Elementary 54 inch 3 misses

Boys Scissor Broad Jump

Place Name Grade School Score

1st Porter Schachle 5th Machetanz 24 Ft 4 3/4 inches

Girls Scissor Broad Jump

Place Name Grade School Score

1st Olivia Davles 5th Meadow Lakes Elementary 23 Ft 4 inches

Boys One Foot High Kick

Place Name Grade School Score

2nd Porter Schachle 5th Machetanz Elementary 79 inches

3rd Dennis Gerasimyuk 5th Meadow Lakes inch 1 miss

Girls Boys One Foot High Kick

Place Name Grade School Score

3rd Teeana Nicholl 5th Larson Elementary 72 inch 3 misses

4th Olivia Davles 5th Meadow Lakes inch 1 miss

Boys Two-foot high kick

Place Name Grade School Height & Misses

2nd Kaden Ketchum 3rd Machetanz Elementary 55 inch 2 misses

3rd Chase Schachle 3rd Machetanz Elementary 55 inch 5 misses

4th Tucker Crogun 4th Meadow Lakes Elementary 52 inch 2 misses

5th Hunter Hayes 4th Machetanz Elementary 52 inch 5 misses

Girls Two-foot high kick

Place Name Grade School Height & Misses

1st Marcy Van Buskirk 4th Meadow Lakes Elementary 53 inches

2nd Kristina Gerasimyuk 3rd Meadow Lakes Elementary 49 inches

4th Claire Robinson 4th Larson Elementary 44 inch 1 miss

5th Jordan Rider 4th Machetanz Elementary 44 inch 5 misses

Boys Leg Wrestling

Place Name Grade School

3rd Eli Baird 4th Meadow Lakes Elementary

Girls Leg Wrestling

Place Name Grade School

1st Macy Van Buskirk 4th Meadow Lakes Elementary

2nd Korina Forlova 4th Larson Elementary

3rd Ryan Knue 4th Susitna Elementary

5th Natashya White 4th Willow Crest

Boys Wrist Carry

Place Name Grade School Distance

1st Max Wanser 4th Meadow Lakes Elementary 85 Ft 4 1/2 inch

4th Tristen Pendergrass 4th Machetanz Elementary 50 Ft 5 3/4 inch

Girls Wrist Carry

Place Name Grade School Distance

1st Trilliam Kell 3rd Chickaloon 57 Ft 4 inch

4th Josey Schachle 3rd Machetanz Elementary 39 Ft 1 1/4 inch

Boys Kneel Jump

Place Name Grade School Distance

1st Braxton Whitehead 2nd Machetanz Elementary 27 inch

2nd Wyatt Erwin 2nd Chickaloon Elementary 24 3/4 inch

Female Athletes

Place Name Grade School Distance

3rd Alyssa Clark 2nd Machetanz Elementary 20 inch

4th Trinity Pendergrass 2nd Machetanz Elementary 18 3/4 inch

Boys Eskimo Stick Pull

Place Name Grade School

2nd Colin Minnik 2nd Meadow Lake Elementary

3rd Rhys Allen 2nd Fonteras Elementary

Girls Eskimo Stick Pull

Place Name Grade School

3rd Bailey Brunnhoelzl 2nd Fonteras Elementary

5th Akina Pasa 2nd Machetanz Elementary

Boys Seal Hop

Place Name Grade School Distance

2nd Braxton Whitehead 2nds Machetanz Elementary 50 Ft 7 1/2 inch

4th Eric Preboski 2nd Meadow Lakes Elementary 47 Ft 7 inch

Girls Seal Hop

Place Name School Distance

1st Mia Weiss 2nd Machetanz Elementary 173 Ft 7 inch (NEW STATE RECORD)

2nd Trinity Pendergrass 2nd Machetanz Elementary 53 Ft 5 3/4 inch

3rd Leila Kell 1st Chickaloon Elementary 49 Ft 3 1/4 inch

4th Andrea Apthrup 2nd Meadow Lake Ele