Alaska's Youth Olympics Revives Heritage
Special events are a way to celebrate the unique traditions of Alaska's Native people. The Alaska Native Youth Olympics are held each April in Anchorage. More than 40 teams and a total of 350 students from around the state join together to compete in events such as The Stick Pull, The Wrist Carry, The Kneel Jump and the Seal Hop. Each event is based on traditional Native activities. For instance, the Scissor Broad Jump is based on the ability of hunters to jump from one ice floe to another while maintaining their balance on melting, shifting and breaking ice. In this event in the Native Youth Olympics, the landing is just as important as the jump, and is scored accordingly. The Native Youth Olympics are widely popular with visitors and Alaskans and spectators are welcome.#
