Team Alaska wins gold for Arctic Winter Games snowshoe relays

PALMER — Team Alaska athletes earned gold medals for the Mat-Su 2024 Arctic Winter Games during snowshoe relays held at Palmer Junior Middle School Wednesday, March 13.

Alaskan athletes won the 4×400m U15 Mixed Relay and the 4×400m U19 Mixed Relay. After receiving their medals on the podium, America's National Anthem played on the overhead speakers.

Team Alaska U19 athletes Greg Fallon, Edgar Vera, Edda Eller, and Kate Schwarting discussed their efforts after the awards ceremony. Fallon said that he was glad they could pull off this victory.

“It felt really good,” Fallon said.

Schwarting said that she had a great time competing in the snowshoeing relay and getting to meet so many different people from around the world.

"It was really fun," she said.

Vera said that he was thankful to have the opportunity to participate in the Arctic Winter Games. He said it’s a unique and exciting opportunity.

“It's so different from anything I’ve ever done," Vera said.

Like any sport, learning to snowshoe competitively takes time and preparation to perfect. Vera said it’s important to practice as much as you can.

“It's a little challenging but it's really fun when you get into a rhythm,” Vera said.

Team Alaska athletes made their way to the Mat-Su from communities from across the state to compete in the 2024 Arctic Winter Games. Eller said it’s exciting to represent Alaska, and she was excited to see the U15 athletes do so well.

“It's so cool to experience the same thing with the people who are younger than us,” Eller said.

Team Alaska snowshoe coaches Merry Ellefson and Geoff Roes said they were proud of their athletes’ performances.

“I'm very impressed by what they’ve done and how they've done it," Roes said.

Ellefson said the most important victory was not the fact that they got first place or received gold medals. She said that was the "icing on the cake," and their real victory was the journey getting to this point. She said the most important thing was the overall experience of enjoying the spirit of the Arctic Winter Games: building friendships, strengthening cultural awareness, increasing community pride, and building self-esteem.

“It was a super fun day to watch our athletes just get out there and do what they were training for which is work together, have fun, and push themselves,” Ellefson said. “The more we get together, the more we see how human we are and how we just laugh, play, and express ourselves. There's a lot that brings us together and we see it at the Games.”

For more information about the Mat-Su 2024 Arctic Winter Games, visit awg2024.org.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com