YOUTH AND UNITY

PALMER — During the final round of the Alaskan high kick, a handful of participants surrounded Manny Curtis in a circle as the Wasilla High School junior firmly planted one hand on the floor of the Alaska Job Corps Center gymnasium and held his left foot with his other hand while thrusting his right foot into the air at a ball hanging from a string high above him.

With each attempt, regardless of whether he made contact with the ball or not in the traditional Native Alaskan game that tests both strength and balance, Curtis was met with a round of applause. Each participant would step up to shake his hand. Some even offered instruction. And it didn’t even matter that most of those participants who surrounded Curtis were not even on the same team.

“The main competition is with yourself,” Curtis said.

Curtis was one of about 150 participants from several programs from across Alaska to compete in the sixth-annual Job Corps Center Native Youth Olympics at the Alaska Job Corps Center in Palmer on Saturday.

The two-day event, which featured a half-dozen events on Saturday, continues today, starting with the one-arm reach at 9 a.m.

While a record-number of participants strive toward top spots in events such as the Alaskan high kick, kneel jump, wrist carry and Eskimo stick pull on Saturday, veterans of NYO spoke of the unique form of competition.

“It’s all about reaching your personal best,” Lance Swick, a coach with the Palmer NYO squad, said. “There’s a real community feel about things. It’s not necessarily about who’s going to take first place, that’s secondary.”

Brian Walker, the statewide coordinator for the NYO games in Alaska, said its the sense of community that attracts people to the games. And that’s what also helps NYO participants keep a grasp on the cultural significance of the games.

As Walker sat in the corner of the Alaska Job Corps Center Gym, watching as competitors applauded and traded tips with athletes form other teams, he likened that interaction to a mentality from generations ago.

“A long time ago, when a hunter would go out and hunt, he’d go out and catch a fish or kill a moose, and come back to the village to share his knowledge,” Walker said.

Walker said that’s exactly what goes on during the games, athletes from different teams, and different levels of skill, sharing knowledge.

“We’re one big community,” Walker said.

As NYO continues to grow at rapid rates, Walker said, those close to the games are stressing the fact these events are not reserved for only Native Alaskans.

“It’s a cross-cultural thing,” Walker said. “That’s really the neat thing. It helps the non-Native kids learn about tradition. It helps the Native kids interact with the non-Natives.”

Jim Shetter, the head coach of the Wasilla High School NYO squad, said he currently has about 20 student-athletes on his team, and there is a good mix of culture on his squad.

“I always say, it’s an Alaskan sport,” Shetter said. “A lot of students look at it for natives only. That’s why I really emphasize with my students that it’s an Alaskan sport.”

As the games are introduced to another audience, participation and appreciation for the sport continues to grow. Walker said a record 821 athletes competed in the statewide Junior Native Youth Olympics at Begich Middle School in Anchorage earlier this month.

“When the Junior NYO started in 2002, we had 95 athletes,” Walker said. “Now, it sets up kids to start competing in the first grade and work all the way up the elementary school and high school.”

That growth is apparent in the Mat-Su Valley, an area that now includes as many as five NYO programs.

Curtis has been a member of the WHS squad since his freshman year and has witnessed the growth.

“It has grown a lot,” Curtis said.

Curtis’ teammate James Alpiak followed relatives in the path to NYO.

“All my older cousins (competed),” Alpiak said. “It’s fun. You get to challenge yourself.”

At Palmer, Swink said the team has grown exponentially in recent years.

“It’s increasing every year,” Swink said.

Swink said students are introduced to the games during their time at Palmer Junior Middle School, and now, even after they graduate to high school, students are still coming back to compete with the Palmer NYO team.

“We get the seed planted in the junior middle school and when their grown up, they keep coming back,” Swink said.

The Job Corps meet is the biggest NYO event held in the Valley each year, and includes teams from as far away as Kenai and Yakutat.

On Thursday, Palmer Junior Middle School will host the regional competition for the five Valley programs, and the state NYO meet is scheduled for April 23-25 at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.

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