3/28/05 - NYO Offers Visitors Opportunity To Learn
News Release
Anchorage, Alaska – March 28, 2005
NYO Offers Visitors Opportunity To Learn About Native Culture, Sport
Chances are, you’ve never seen anything quite like the Alaska Native Youth Olympics (NYO). The highlight events are the one- and two-foot high kicks, where an athlete attempts to kick a small ball hanging high in the air and land on his or her feet. Many of the athletes come to Anchorage to compete from small villages such as Kipnuk and Chickaloon. Competitors, ages 14 to 17, are supportive of each other and have even been known to give pointers on how to improve technique to a competitor. Best of all, it’s absolutely free to be a spectator at these Olympic games.
“Experiencing the Native Youth Olympics is like taking a journey back in time,” said Courtney Sullivan, a special program manager for Cook Inlet Tribal Council and coordinator of the 2005 NYO. “These are traditional games that test strength, agility and develop young people’s Arctic survival skills that were developed by the ancestors of today’s Alaska Natives.”
The 2005 Native Youth Olympics will be held in Anchorage, Alaska from Thursday, May 5 – Saturday, May 7, 2005. More than 400 athletes competed last year, representing 61 teams. The competition is open to Alaskan students in grades 7 to 12, regardless of ethnic origin.
The first NYO were organized in 1971, as a way to ensure that Alaskans would not forget the many traditional contests of their forefathers. During the last 34 years, the games have grown in size and in popularity. The games not only provide insight into Alaska’s rich cultural heritage, they also help promote a healthy lifestyle among today’s young people. The NYO have become so popular for spectators, the competition moves to Anchorage’s largest venue, the Sullivan Arena, for the first time in 2005.
Competition runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Following opening ceremonies and a welcome from Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, the event will include a grand entry of teams and dance performances. Competition includes the kneel jump, where kneeling athletes leap as far as they can to a standing position and the Scissors Broad Jump, which requires balance and quick reflexes similar to those that helped seal hunters jump from one ice floe to another. Other events include the wrist carry, Alaskan high kick, the stick pull, seal hop, foot pull, one hand reach and one- and two-foot high kick.
Other attractions visitors to Anchorage who are interested in learning about Native culture may want to include in their itinerary include the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. The Center offers a chance to learn about all of Alaska’s Native cultures in one facility including a Welcome House, five traditional village settings, a two-acre lake and walking trails as well as Native dancers, singers and storytellers performing and artists working and sharing information about their arts and crafts. More information can be found at www.alaskanative.net. The Museum features permanent displays of Alaska’s cultural heritage including information on early contact with Russians and New England whalers, the Gold Rush era and what present day life is like for Alaska’s indigenous people. The Museum’s web site is at www.anchoragemuseum.org.
For more information about the NYO, explore www.Anchorage.net.
The Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s mission is to attract and serve visitors to the Municipality of Anchorage. ACVB’s marketing functions are funded by half of the bed tax collected by the lodging association. The other half goes to the Municipality’s general fund. ACVB receives no state or federal funds.
Media Contacts:
Courtney Sullivan
Alaska Native Youth Olympics (NYO) Coordinator
(907) 297-1772
Kathy Day
(907) 868-4884
(907) 229-2470
Erika Siegel
Public Relations Manager
toll free: (800) 446-5352 x 331
direct: (907) 257-2331
esiegel@anchorage.net
Nance Larsen, APR
Director of Communications
toll free: (800) 446-5352 x 310
direct: (907) 257-2310
nlarsen@anchorage.net
