Students competing in NYO event stick pull in a gym surrounded by onlookers

AISD students travelled to Juneau to compete in the Native Youth Olympics with Coach Naomi Leask and chaperone Mark McCarty!

Here are the students and their events:

Porter Hudson: Scissor Broad Jump, Dene Stick Pull, Inuit Stick Pull, Seal Hop, Kneel Jump, One Foot High Kick
Ashlynn Leask: Scissor Broad Jump, Dene Stick Pull, Inuit Stick Pull, Seal Hop, Wrist Carry (placed 4th)
Elizabeth Anderson: Scissor Broad Jump, Dene Stick Pull, Inuit Stick Pull, Seal Hop, Wrist Carry
Micah Bergtold: Dene Stick Pull, Inuit Stick Pull
Josiah Bergtold: Dene Stick Pull (made it to the final bracket and was so close to placing - not bad for his first year!), Inuit Stick Pull

Congratulations all of our student athletes for their hard work and dedication to such a great competition! And a special congratulations to Ashlynn who placed 4th in wrist carry (an event that she practiced once!) and Josiah, who went to the finals for dene stick pull!  

The students planned to compete both days, but due to a cancelled flight back from Juneau, they had to pack and leave early and head home by ferry.  According to Naomi: 

"The 30 hour ferry ride turned into a 45 hour ferry ride because the stabilizers went out which made us take the long way through Chatham Straight - open ocean! Athletes handled it like champs though."

A huge thank you to Naomi for leading the NYO team, and Mark McCarty for chaperoning!  And congratulations again to our athletes- we're so proud of you!

You can watch the first day events below: