Warriors win senior NYO state title

ANCHORAGE — In rural Alaska, Native Youth Olympics are not only ingrained in the culture, but also education. So it’s no surprise that teams from rural Alaska typically dominate the NYO state championship events.

But on Saturday, something unexpected happened.

Led by a trio of state champions, Wasilla High School captured the team title of the 2009 Senior NYO State Championships at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage.

“It was an awesome weekend,” Wasilla NYO coach Jim Shetter said. “It’s unbelievable to actually get where we’re at. It’s just amazing.”

Junior Alice Oksoktaruk won three individual state titles and was named the outstanding female athlete of the event. Juniors Cody Pfeifer and Manny Curtis also won state championships.

The three athletes helped Wasilla finish with 36 points overall, four ahead of the second-place squad from the Lower Kuskokwim School District. Wasilla’s win also snapped Lower Kuskokwim’s decade-long run as state champs, Shetter said.

To finish ahead of a traditional power such as the Lower Kuskokwim School District — which includes communities such as Bethel, Nunapitchuk and Toksook Bay — is truly significant, Shetter said.

“This is really big in the villages. For a lot of them, the majority of their physical education will be the native games,” Shetter said.

In communities on the road system, such as Wasilla, Shetter said, there is far more opportunity to participate in athletics. Shetter said he’s proud of the way his team has embraced the culture and competition of the games.

“We’ve just been building,” Shetter said.

Oksoktaruk, who transferred from McGrath High School prior to her junior year, won the outstanding female athlete award for the second straight year. In her first NYO state event with the Warriors, Oksoktaruk finished first in the one hand reach, two foot high kick and one foot high kick.

Her mark of 87 inches in the one foot high kick tied a state record.

Pfeifer finished first in the Indian stick pull and Curtis was first in the two foot high kick.

Shetter said Wasilla athletes have finished first in two, maybe three state events in the past,

“To have five first places and two second places, that’s huge,” Shetter said.

Paulina Valencia finished second in the Indian stick pull and Jed Johnson was second in the Eskimo stick pull.

Grace Valencia was fourth in the Eskimo stick pull for the Warriors.

Shetter admitted he didn’t expect to contend for a team title when he brought his 10-athlete squad to Anchorage for the first day of the three-day meet. But after a solid first day, he saw the potential.

“After the first day I told them if we keep pushing each other and routing each other on, I think they have a chance to represent Mat-Su really well,” Shetter said. “I’m really proud of the kids.”

A pair of Houston athletes also placed in the event. Gabe Melin was second in the boys’ wrist carry and Irene Attungana was fourth in the girls wrist carry.

Susitna Valley’s Forrest Cook was fifth in the Eskimo stick pull.

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