Middle school boys One Foot High Kick at the Northern Regional Traditional Games. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
Northern Regional Traditional Games brings athletes together in Juneau for COVID-conscious competition
By Lyndsey Brollini
Athletes from Juneau and four other communities, Hoonah, Anchorage, Unalakleet, and Kotzebue, competed in the Northern Regional Traditional Games held May 8-9.
Last year’s Traditional Games occurred before the pandemic shut down the city, so this was the first Traditional Games during COVID-19.
Most all Native Youth Olympics (NYO) competitions were canceled or held virtually last year because of COVID-19. With these competitions canceled or virtual, there were no events for athletes to look forward to in the same way.
Head coach Kyle Worl wanted an in-person event for this reason. With many changes made for COVID-19 safety, the event in Juneau was able to occur. The Traditional Games event in Juneau, the first of three events scheduled for 2021, was dubbed the Northern Regional Traditional Games (NRTG).
During the opening ceremony of the NRTG, Sealaska Heritage President (SHI) Rosita Worl praised the strength and resilience of the athletes.
“I know that we have a good future with you because I can see that you have the discipline to overcome the hardships that you’ve endured in the past year.”
SHI President Rosita Worl singing a song to athletes at the 2021 Northern Regional Traditional Games on May 8. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
Normally at the opening ceremony of Traditional Games, there is a cultural performance. However, this year, a performance was not possible because of COVID-19 safety measures. To bring the ancestors into the gym that day, Worl brought her drum and sang a song to the athletes.
Juneau School District Superintendent Bridget Weiss was moved by all the athletes in the gym that morning.
Northern Regional Traditional Games moderator Lyle James presenting a gift to Bridget Weiss, superintendant of the Juneau School District. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
“I have lost many, many nights of sleep worrying about you, and my heart is full today to see you here in person with each other,” Weiss said. “The athleticism, the culture, the honoring of each other and this place is incredible.”
The Games
Even with a smaller Traditional Games event, athletes competed just as hard as in previous years.
New Traditional Games records were made this year in four out of 10 events: the Scissor Broad Jump, One Hand Reach, Alaskan High Kick, and Seal Hop.
Nicole Johnson served as the head official at the Northern Regional Traditional Games.
High school and middle school girls Scissor Broad Jump. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Eden Hopson, ANC, 25’1’’
High school, boys - Alukka Ivanoff, UNK, 34’9 3/4’ (*New Record)
Middle school, boys - Nathaniel Blake, DHMS, 25’10 ½’’(*New Record)
High school boys Kneel Jump. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Tezlyn Kerrone, YDHS, 40’’
High school, boys - Reggie Joule, OTZ, 46’’
Middle school, boys - Dominic Siverly, FDMS, 23 ¾’’ \22 ½’’\ 16’’
Middle school boys Wrist Carry. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Leah Moss, HNH, 0:13.43
High school, boys - Arthur McVey, JDHS, 0:36.03
Middle school, boys - Elliot Welch, DHMS, 0:15.16
Middle school boys One Foot High Kick. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Victoria Fisher, UNK, 80’’
High school, boys - Sage Worl, ANC, 100’’
Middle school, boys - Nathaniel Blake, DHMS, 82’’
High school boys Dené Stick Pull. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Tezlyn Kerrone, YDHS
High school, boys - Reggie Joule, OTZ
Middle school, boys - Easton Berger, FDMS
Middle school boys Inuit Stick Pull. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High school girls - Elena Bennett, YDHS
High school, boys - Ellsworth Mike Haugen, UNK
Middle school, girls - Riley Mulkey, FDMS
Middle school, boys - Shawn Mills, HNH
High school and middle school girls Two Foot High Kick. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Eden Hopson, ANC, 64’’
High school, boys - Sage Worl, ANC, 88’’
Middle school, boys - Nathaniel Blake, DHMS, 58’’ 1 miss
High school and middle school girls One Hand Reach. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Eden Hopson, ANC, 56’’
High school, boys - Ezra Elisoff, TMHS, 62’’
Middle school, boys - Tyler Frisby, DHMS, 54’’ (*New Record)
High school and middle school girls Alaskan High Kick. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Eden Hopson, ANC, 66’’ (*Tied Record)
High school, boys - Ezra Elisoff, TMHS, 84” (*New Record)
Middle school, boys - Nathaniel Blake, DHMS, 74’’(*New Record)
High school boys Seal Hop. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
First place winners:
High/ middle school girls - Victoria Fisher, UNK 97’2’’ (*New Record)
High school, boys - Ezra Elisoff, TMHS, 69’4”
Middle school, boys - Tyler Frisby, DHMS, 100’ 4 ¼’’ (*New Record)
To find a full list of results of the athletes who placed first through fifth, go here.
To watch the livestream of the event, go to the Traditional Games website or to the Northern Regional Traditional Games YouTube playlist.
As with each Traditional Games and NYO event, athletes showed great sportsmanship with one another and shared tips with fellow athletes on how to push themselves to reach their personal best.
This is the spirit of the games.
Athletes and coaches at the event said that NYO competitions gave them a sense of community.
Destiny Cleveland competing in the One Foot High Kick at the 2020 Traditional Games held March 7-8. Last year she was a competitor in the Traditional Games and this year she was an official at the Northern Regional Traditional Games. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
“These few days that you’re with your peers and mentors and coaches… You kind of get close as a family, and you build relationships that you will have probably for a long time,” Destiny Cleveland said. She has been competing in NYO for about three years now, starting in high school and continuing into college.
Ezra Elisoff competing in the Alaskan High Kick at the Northern Regional Traditional Games. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
Ezra Elisoff has been competing in NYO for about three years now with the Thunder Mountain High School team from Juneau.
“Don’t be afraid to join, it’s a very open community,” Elisoff said. “We will graciously accept you with open arms.”
Many athletes who previously participated in NYO in Juneau became coaches of NYO in the Juneau middle and high schools or officiated at this year’s NRTG.
Kyle Worl cheering on middle school athlete Tyler Frisby in the Seal Hop. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
Kyle Worl encourages anyone to try the games. One of his goals is to make NYO a sport that continues past high school and into college.
“It does take some courage. It does take some risk-taking to try something new,” Worl said. “I’ve been in the games for 13 years now and it was one of the best choices I ever made. And I love the community. I always feel supported in Native games. So I just encourage people to try it out. Have fun with it.”
With two more events happening later this year, this is just the start of the Traditional Games.
The next event, Traditional Games: Open, will be next month in Anchorage on June 19-20. To register for that event, go here.
SHI Technical Director Kai Monture, left, and MCs Kolene and Lyle James, middle and right, at the Northern Regional Traditional Games. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
A different, COVID-conscious event
This year’s Traditional Games looked different than past years.
The stands were not filled with spectators. The public was not allowed to attend the event to keep the number of people inside the gym to the bare minimum.
Instead, parents and friends watched the games from SHI’s live feed on YouTube, which featured commentary and interviews from MCs Lyle and Kolene James.
Athlete competing virtually in the high school and middle school girls Two Foot High Kick. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
A couple athletes even completed virtually through Zoom.
There were also fewer athletes at the Traditional Games than in years past. That is because the Traditional Games was split into three separate events this year to minimize the number of people at the event and people traveling.
Athletes lined up in the athlete parade at the Northern Regional Traditional Games. Photo by Lyndsey Brollini.
The Northern Regional Traditional Games hosted middle and high school athletes from Juneau and four visiting communities: Hoonah, Anchorage, Unalakleet, and Kotzebue.
The Southern Regional Traditional Games will be held in Ketchikan in the fall for middle and high school athletes in Ketchikan and surrounding communities.
The third event is an open event for athletes ages 16 and over. It will be held in Anchorage next month and be limited to 50 athletes.
For the Northern and Southern Traditional Games, traveling teams are limited to eight athletes, and host communities can have up to 10 athletes per local team.
Everyone at the Northern Regional Traditional Games, whether it was athletes, coaches, or staff, had to wear a mask and go through temperature checks and symptom screenings each day. Each person had a rapid COVID-19 test 72 hours before the event.
Stations were cleaned after every event and two large air purifiers were in the gym for the entirety of the program.
Nicole Anderson, one of the coordinators of NYO at SHI, wanted to make sure every possible precaution was taken at the NRTG.
“We wanted to go the extra mile, because the way we’ve been thinking about this event is envisioning all the athletes and all the volunteers and all the participants as our children,” Anderson said. “And so, are we comfortable with what we’re doing if it were our own children? If the answer was ‘no,’ then we’re doing something wrong.”
Sponsors
Gunalchéesh, Háw’aa’uu, T’oya̱xsut ‘nüüsm to the sponsors who made this event possible.
The Traditional Games and Juneau’s NYO team are a community collaboration made possible by the following major sponsors: Sealaska, Sealaska Heritage, University of Alaska Southeast, Central Council of Tlingit and Haida, SEARHC, Select Physical Therapy, Tlingit & Haida Community Council, Kindred Post and Trickster Co., and in partnership with the Juneau School District, Ketchikan Indian Community, Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, Goldbelt Heritage, Zach Gordon Youth Services and UAS Wooch Een.
Crystal Worl provided the Alaska High Kick formline design used on the Traditional Games shirts and masks. Rico Worl designed the medals.
