Now that the North American Indigenous Games Council has approved Arctic sports on a trial basis for its 2027 games in Calgary, fans of Native Youth Olympics believe there’s good chance the games might get a foothold in the Lower 48.
Kyle Worl, the head coach for Juneau's NYO program, took a team of six athletes on a tour of schools in New Mexico and Kansas to promote Arctic sports. He says the were well received.
“Every school and community we’ve gone to, they’ve been very engaged,” Worl said, “and it’s just been fun.”
The team was in Lawrence, Kansas on Friday at the Haskell Indian Nations University. They demonstrated seven games, including the One-Foot and Two-Foot High Kick, the Alaskan High Kick, Scissor Broad Jump, Seal Hop, and the Inuit and Dene (deh-nay) Stick Pulls.
Worl says the students were very interested in the stories behind the games and their connection to Arctic survival.
“I think this sport really resonates with Indigenous people, because it’s an Indigenous sport and it’s about community.” Worl said. “And I think all tribes know that community is really important.”
Worl says he’s hopeful the sport can take root at Haskell, which has two Alaskan students who can help with the coaching. The team also left behind a kit with equipment that includes a kick stand, a hand-sewn sealskin ball and three types of sticks. Worl says the Calgary games will take place four years from now, which gives new teams plenty of time to train for NYO games.
He says it’s important for teams outside Alaska to compete in the North American Indigenous Games, so Arctic sports can become an official sport.
The Juneau athletes also traveled to the nearby Kickapoo Nation School to plant some seeds among kids who are not yet in college. Worl says the Juneau NYO team gave them a chance to try out the games for themselves, which they seemed to enjoy.
“To be able to be in a space where your Indigenous identity is represented and honored," he said, "you feel a sense of belonging —and that you don’t have to shy away from who you are.”
The Juneau NYO team also traveled to New Mexico to visit the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribal school, the Santa Fe Indian School, and the Institute of American Indian Art. They return to Juneau on Saturday, where they will jump right into preparations for next month’s Traditional Games.
This is Southeast Alaska's seventh annual competition, relatively new to the region compared to other parts of the state. But Worl says their popularity has spread quickly, starting first in Juneau and eventually including ten other Southeast communities. Worl says the students from the Haskell Indian Nations University are planning to attend.
The tour was sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA).
