Alaska athletes thrive and surprise at Arctic Winter Games in Canada

Peter Haeussler has noticed a trend during the eight years he’s coached at the Arctic Winter Games.

The Team Alaska speedskating coach said on the first day of the games, he will walk into the cafeteria and notice segregated silos of color spread throughout the room as the competitors sit with their uniformed teammates at the tables for lunch.

By the time the games have ended, the lunchroom looks more like an expressionist painting, with the colors merging and intermingling.

“By the Friday evening after competition is essentially over, it’s like all the colors are blended,” Haeussler said. “Everybody’s kind of talking to each other and it’s like the barriers have gone down. And that’s really cool. It’s just amazing to just see.

“I think it’s an event that allows kids to appreciate their commonalities with other kids in the north and also their differences. They enjoy each other for all of that, and that’s really one of the most rewarding things about it all.”

The 2023 edition of Team Alaska was not only able to meet and befriend peers from other Arctic areas, it took home plenty of hardware as well. The event, which features both traditional Indigenous events and winter sports, wrapped up last weekend in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, with most events in the city of Fort McMurray.

The games are generally biennial but this was the first competition since 2018 due to COVID. Team Alaska finished second in both total medals (145) and gold medals (58). Yukon took top honors in both total medals (169) and golds (61).

In total, 250 Alaska athletes traveled to the games, a number that went north of 300 when coaches and staff were included.

Team Alaska executive director Sarah Frampton said the contingent from the state was very happy to return to the games after an extended absence.

“What makes it really unique is I think there’s a variety of sports that athletes are able to participate in,” she said. “We have everything from alpine skiing to the Dene Games. So there’s an opportunity for every kid that wants to compete. And on top of that, it’s a cultural exchange.”

Haeussler, who lives in Chugiak and coaches in Anchorage, pegged most of his competitors to be midpackers. He figured if all went well, he had some skaters that could make the A Final.

But many of his athletes exceeded his expectations, including a surprising trio that took home gold.

For Parker Hampton, Duncan Moreland and Collin Sullivan, taking the gold in the juvenile men’s 3,000-meter relay was an impressive feat — made even more impressive by the fact that they were racing against other teams with four skaters.

“Often a relay is some gauge of team depth,” Haeussler said. “It’s kind of everybody has to perform at some level, so even though we weren’t in the medals a whole lot for the individuals, I knew these guys were so solid in their relay they had a pretty good chance of coming back with a medal.”

The team members ended up each racing two laps five times to make up the total distance and ended up with a winning time of 5:52.58, nearly five seconds faster than the runner-up team from Northwest Territories. The gold ulu, the award for first place at the games, is the first ever earned by the Team Alaska speedskating team. The team got an added boost from the coaching of John Monroe, who coached the Netherlands short-track team in the 2010 Olympics.

Most of the Team Alaska skaters had done a very minimal amount of traveling for races and were relatively green competing on a larger stage. But it didn’t take long for the athletes to get some confidence and realize they not only belonged but could succeed.

“Even by the end of the first day, they’re starting to realize, ‘Oh, I think I can do this,’ ” Haeussler said. “By the end of the week, they’re just walking taller having met lots of kids having experiences that affirm their work and effort and what they’ve been able to do.”

Another Alaska team that struck gold in Alberta was in the sport of futsal, which is a contest similar to soccer but played on a hard court and generally indoors.

Anchorage’s Will Lucero coached a pair of boys teams, and a girls team, which took home the gold ulu.

“It’s all about movement and just being sharp with your foot skills,” Lucero said of futsal. “It’s just so fast-paced you could compare it to hockey or basketball with all of the transitioning back and forth.”

The team, comprising mostly Anchorage competitors with Fairbanks and Palmer participants, lost only once in the preliminary rounds. Team Alberta dominated the prelim play, sweeping five matches with a 40-to-1 goal differential including a 4-0 win over Team Alaska.

But after a strong semifinal performance, Team Alaska vaulted into the finals, where it upset Alberta 3-2. Lucero said the camaraderie was just as valuable as the victory.

“At the end of it, they were just so happy to be there,” Lucero said. “And you know, it mattered to win, but it was just the experience that really made them happy to be part of it (especially) the relationships that they developed with players from other contingents.”

One of the first Alaskans to earn a gold ulu was Homer’s Leah Marie Evans in the triple jump. The event isn’t quite like the track and field version. It allows competitors to run up to the line and leap off two feet, launching for three consecutive broad jumps for a measured distance. Her winning distance of 24 feet, 10 1/4 inches was nearly nine inches farther than her closest competitor, Palmer’s Lydia Aurora Grace Alverts. Her winning jump was a personal record by more than 13 inches.

“I‘m very happy to PR by as much as I did,” Evans said. “That would have been a win anyway. But to place at all was great. It still doesn’t really feel real. It’s just so wonderful, because there are so many girls who are so good at all of these events. I’m just beyond happy to win anything at all here because these people are all so skilled. It’s incredible to compete with them and support them and have them support me as well. It’s wonderful.”

While that was her only medal, she also reached a PR in the two-foot high kick. Evans said the event felt like a bigger version of Native Youth Olympics. Now a senior, Evans joined the Homer Halibuts team five years ago and has been competing at NYO since.

“The games that we do are so different from the sports you’ll usually see in the schools like basketball, volleyball or even track,” she said. “There’s cultural significance behind all of them that would help with surviving in the Arctic or staying fit. And then the main reason I kept doing it was because of all the sportsmanship I remember at the first Invitational I went to as an eighth grader.”

The next Arctic Winter Games in 2024 is set to be held in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough from March 10-16.

“We’re really excited to be able to show off our home state to these other contingents,” Frampton said.

Arctic Winter Games

Medal count (gold-silver-bronze — overall)

Yukon: 61-56-52 — 169

Alaska: 58-44-43 — 145

Alberta North: 42-60-42 — 144

Northwest Territories: 43-28-35 — 106

Greenland: 38-22-25 — 85

Nunavut: 12-15-24 — 51

Nunavik: 6-21-9 — 36

Sápmi: 5-12-9 — 26

Alaska’s Arctic Winter Games medalists

Gold

Figure Skating Combined Level 1 2004 - 2011 Female, Gracie Lyn Martin

Arctic Sports Triple Jump 2005 or later Female, Leah Marie Evans

Arctic Sports Triple Jump 2005 or later Male, Colton James Paul

Biathlon Ski 5.0 km Individual 2007 or later Female, Reine Vivienne Soule

Biathlon Ski 5.0 km Individual 2007 or later Male, John Lohuis

Biathlon Ski 4.0 km Sprint 2007 or later Female, Reine Vivienne Soule

Biathlon Ski 4.0 km Sprint 2007 or later Male, John Lohuis

Biathlon Ski 6.0 km Sprint 2004 - 2007 Male, Elias Watson

Biathlon Snowshoe 2.0 km Sprint 2007 or later Female, Gema McGrew

Cross Country Ski 3.75km Interval Start Freestyle 2008 - 2010 Female, Miya Kam-Magruder

Cross Country Ski 3.75km Interval Start Freestyle 2008 - 2010 Male, Jack Leveque

Arctic Sports Two Foot High Kick 2005 or later Male, Colton James Paul

Arctic Sports Two Foot High Kick Open Male, Parker Benjamin Kenick

Arctic Sports One Hand Reach Open Male, Parker Benjamin Kenick

Biathlon Ski 7.5 km Individual 2004 - 2007 Female, Haley Finch

Biathlon Ski 7.5 km Individual 2004 - 2007 Male, Elias Watson

Biathlon Snowshoe 3.0 km Individual 2007 or later Female, Gema McGrew

Biathlon Snowshoe 3.0 km Individual 2007 or later Male, Grayson Melocik

Cross Country Ski 3.75 km Mass Start Classic 2008 - 2010 Female, Miya Kam-Magruder

Arctic Sports One Foot High Kick 2005 or later Female, Lydia Aurora Grace Alverts

Arctic Sports Alaskan High Kick 2005 or later Male Colton, James Paul

Arctic Sports Alaskan High Kick Open Male, Ezra Elisoff

Arctic Sports Arm Pull 2005 or later Female, Lydia Aurora Grace Alverts

Figure Skating Free Skate Level 1 2004 - 2011 Female, Gracie Lyn Martin

Gymnastics Team Competition 2004 or later Female, Team Alaska

Arctic Sports One Foot High Kick 2005 or later Male, Colton James Paul

Arctic Sports One Foot High Kick Open Male, Parker Benjamin Kenick

Arctic Sports Kneel Jump 2005 or later Male, Colton James Paul

Arctic Sports Kneel Jump Open Male, Parker Benjamin Kenick

Biathlon Snowshoe 2.5 km Mass Start 2007 or later Female, Gema McGrew

Biathlon Snowshoe 2.5 km Mass Start 2007 or later Male, Grayson Melocik

Biathlon Snowshoe 4.0 km Mass Start 2004 - 2007 Female, Violet Jack

Wrestling Individual Competition Up to 50 kg (min. 45 kg) Female, Jess LeClair

Arctic Sports Airplane Open Male, Kyle Worl

Arctic Sports All Around 2005 or later Male Colton, James Paul

Arctic Sports All Around Open Male Parker, Benjamin Kenick

Arctic Sports All Around Open Male, Kyle Worl

Biathlon Ski 5.0 km Mass Start 2007 or later Female, Reine Vivienne Soule

Biathlon Ski 5.0 km Mass Start 2007 or later Male, John Lohuis

Biathlon Ski 7.5 km Mass Start 2004 - 2007 Female, Haley Finch

Biathlon Ski 7.5 km Mass Start 2004 - 2007 Male, Elias Watson

Biathlon Ski 3 X 3.0 km Relay 2007 or later Mix, Team Alaska

Biathlon Snowshoe 3 X 2.0 km Relay 2007 or later Mix, Team Alaska

Cross Country Ski 400m Sprint Classic 2008 - 2010 Female, Miya Kam-Magruder

Cross Country Ski 800m Sprint Classic 2006 - 2008 Female, Zoe Rodgers

Cross Country Ski 800m Sprint Classic 2004 - 2006 Female, Greta Jane Bochenek

Gymnastics Vault 2004 or later Female, Alia Lynn McKinnon

Gymnastics Balance Beam 2004 or later Female, Emma Marsh

Gymnastics Balance Beam 2004 or later Female, Alia Lynn McKinnon

Gymnastics Floor Exercise 2004 or later Female, Emma Marsh

Gymnastics Uneven Bars 2004 or later Female, Emma Marsh

Gymnastics All Around 2004 or later Female, Emma Marsh

Short Track Speed Skating 3000m Relay 2007 - 2011 Male, Team Alaska

Wrestling Inuit Wrestling Up to 50 kg (min. 45 kg) Female, Jess LeClair

Cross Country Ski Relay Freestyle 2006 - 2008 Female, Team Alaska

Cross Country Ski Relay Freestyle 2008 - 2010 Female, Team Alaska

Cross Country Ski Relay Freestyle 2008 - 2010 Male, Team Alaska

Futsal 2007 or later Female, Team Alaska

Silver

Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom 2006 - 2008 Male, Austin Trube Murphy

Arctic Sports Triple Jump 2005 or later Female, Lydia Aurora Grace Alverts

Biathlon Ski 4.0 km Sprint 2007 or later Female, Ourea Busk

Biathlon Ski 4.0 km Sprint 2007 or later Male, Noa Samuel Kam-Magruder

Biathlon Ski 6.0 km Sprint 2004 - 2007 Female, Haley Finch

Biathlon Snowshoe 2.0 km Sprint 2007 or later Female, Talia Harper Day

Biathlon Snowshoe 2.0 km Sprint 2007 or later Male, Grayson Melocik

Cross Country Ski 3.75km Interval Start Freestyle 2008 - 2010 Female, Olivia Rae Ronzio Pico

Cross Country Ski 3.75km Interval Start Freestyle 2008 - 2010 Male, Raven James Spangler

Cross Country Ski 5 km Interval Start Freestyle 2004 - 2006 Female, Greta Jane Bochenek

Dene Games Stick Pull 2006 or later Female, Alohna Marie Johnson

Alpine Skiing Slalom 2006 - 2008 Male, Austin Trube Murphy

Arctic Sports Two Foot High Kick 2005 or later Male, Peter Joseph Griggs

Arctic Sports Kneel Jump Open Female, Amber Jeannine Vaska

Arctic Sports One Hand Reach Open Male, Kyle Worl

Biathlon Snowshoe 3.0 km Individual 2007 or later Female, Talia Harper Day

Biathlon Snowshoe 5.0 km Individual 2004 - 2007 Female, Violet Jack

Cross Country Ski 3.75 km Mass Start Classic 2008 - 2010 Male, Jack Leveque

Dene Games Snow Snake Open Male, Ryan Zane Glenzel

Alpine Skiing Parallel Slalom 2006 - 2008 Male, Austin Trube Murphy

Arctic Sports Alaskan High Kick 2005 or later Male, Alex Covey

Arctic Sports Alaskan High Kick Open Male, Kyle Worl

Arctic Sports Knuckle Hop Open Male, Kyle Worl

Dene Games Hand Games 2006 or later Female, Team Alaska

Arctic Sports One Foot High Kick 2005 or later Male, Leif Richards

Arctic Sports Alaskan High Kick Open Female, Leila Kell

Biathlon Snowshoe 2.5 km Mass Start 2007 or later Female, Talia Harper Day

Biathlon Snowshoe 4.0 km Mass Start 2004 - 2007 Male, Preston Kopp

Curling 2004 or later Male, Team Alaska

Wrestling Individual Competition Up to 55 kg Female, Megan Baise

Arctic Sports All Around 2005 or later Female, Lydia Aurora Grace Alverts

Arctic Sports All Around Open Female, Amber Jeannine Vaska

Biathlon Ski 5.0 km Mass Start 2007 or later Male, Noa Samuel Kam-Magruder

Biathlon Ski 3 X 4.5 km Relay 2004 - 2007 Mix, Team Alaska

Biathlon Snowshoe 3 X 2.0 km Relay 2004 - 2007 Mix, Team Alaska

Cross Country Ski 800m Sprint Classic 2006 - 2008 Female, Brynn Rathert

Gymnastics Vault 2004 or later Female, Jillian Beckley

Gymnastics Uneven Bars 2004 or later Female, Alia Lynn McKinnon

Gymnastics All Around 2004 or later Female, Alia Lynn McKinnon

Ice Hockey 2004 or later Male, Team Alaska

Wrestling Inuit Wrestling Up to 55 kg Female, Megan Baise

Cross Country Ski Relay Freestyle 2004 - 2006 Female, Team Alaska

Cross Country Ski Relay Freestyle 2004 - 2006 Male, Team Alaska

Volleyball 2004 or later Female, Team Alaska

Bronze

Figure Skating Combined Level 2 2004 - 2011 Female, Ruby Shyne Kim

Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom 2008 - 2010 Male, Brance Burdette Robinson

Arctic Sports Two Foot High Kick 2005 or later Female, Charity Gordon

Arctic Sports Two Foot High Kick Open Female, Amber Jeannine Vaska

Arctic Sports Triple Jump 2005 or later Male, Leif Richards

Arctic Sports Triple Jump Open Female, Amber Jeannine Vaska

Biathlon Ski 5.0 km Individual 2007 or later Female, Ourea Busk

Biathlon Ski 5.0 km Individual 2007 or later Male, Noa Samuel Kam-Magruder

Biathlon Snowshoe 2.0 km Sprint 2007 or later Male, Clint Kopp

Biathlon Snowshoe 3.0 km Sprint 2004 - 2007 Male, Preston Kopp

Cross Country Ski 3.75km Interval Start Freestyle 2008 - 2010 Female, Elin Lunoe

Cross Country Ski 5 km Interval Start Freestyle 2004 - 2006 Male, Isaac Kristich

Cross Country Ski 5 km Interval Start Freestyle 2006 - 2008 Female, Zoe Rodgers

Alpine Skiing Slalom 2008 - 2010 Female, Breslyn Gonzalez

Alpine Skiing Slalom 2008 - 2010 Male, Levi Robert Murphy

Arctic Sports Two Foot High Kick Open Male, Kyle Worl

Arctic Sports Kneel Jump Open Female, Leila Kell

Biathlon Snowshoe 5.0 km Individual 2004 - 2007 Male, Preston Kopp

Cross Country Ski 3.75 km Mass Start Classic 2008 - 2010 Female, Olivia Rae Ronzio Pico

Figure Skating Short Program Level 1 2004 - 2011 Female, Gracie Lyn Martin

Figure Skating Short Program Level 3 2004 - 2011 Female, Gwendolynn Cheney

Alpine Skiing Team Event

Arctic Sports Alaskan High Kick Open Male, Matthew Jordan Quinto

Arctic Sports Knuckle Hop Open Male, Parker Benjamin Kenick

Arctic Sports Arm Pull 2005 or later Female, Lyric Ashenfelter

Figure Skating Free Skate Level 2 2004 - 2011 Female, Ruby Shyne Kim

Figure Skating Free Skate Level 3 2004 - 2011 Female, Quinn Hamel

Table Tennis Doubles 2004 or later Female, Team Alaska

Arctic Sports Kneel Jump Open Male, Kyle Worl

Biathlon Snowshoe 2.5 km Mass Start 2007 or later Male, Clint Kopp

Dene Games Finger Pull 2004 or later Male, Eli Gordon

Dene Games All Around 2004 or later Male, Eli Gordon

Figure Skating Team Event 2004 - 2011 Female, Team Alaska

Short Track Speed Skating 500m Individual 2007 - 2011 Male, Parker Hampton

Arctic Sports Sledge Jump Open Male, Kyle Worl

Biathlon Ski 5.0 km Mass Start 2007 or later Female, Ourea Busk

Cross Country Ski 400m Sprint Classic 2008 - 2010 Male, Jack Leveque

Cross Country Ski 800m Sprint Classic 2006 - 2008 Male, Grayson Miles Stanek-Alward

Cross Country Ski 800m Sprint Classic 2004 - 2006 Male, Eli Lammers

Gymnastics Vault 2004 or later Female, Emma Marsh

Gymnastics Balance Beam 2004 or later Female, Jillian Beckley

Gymnastics All Around 2004 or later Female, Jillian Beckley

Cross Country Ski Relay Freestyle 2006 - 2008 Male, Team Alaska