As if I need to feel any older than I already do, I managed to tweak my knee yesterday. Fortunately, it seems to be improving and with any luck I'll be 100% soon. Unfortunately, now is definitely not the time for anything to be slowing me down. There's volleyball practice and literally dozens of boxes of books to haul. Oh, and there's the piano to move, too!
I'm beginning to wish we had a football team here in Bethel! No doubt I could convince some linemen to help me get the piano into the house! Football players are always happy to show off their physical prowess. We've got quite a few wrestlers here that would probably be willing to help, but all the wrestlers I've managed to meet are of the 103-lb. variety! Seems like I'd need quite a few of them to handle the piano chore!
I have to admit, however, that I actually enjoy the lack of a football team. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE football, but for whatever reason, it seems most football teams manage to intimidate their way to the top of the high school (probably college too) heap. If anything, the wrestling and basketball teams here are the athletic royalty and there's hardly enough of them to overwhelm the rest of the student body. Honestly, it is rather refreshing to be at a school that isn't solely focused on athletics.
We have tons of opportunities for kids to be involved in a multitude of activities. School sports are open to everyone (not just the elite athletes), choir and band, student government, some theater arts, construction trades, auto shop, and welding to name a few. Judo, karate and dance are also available for youth and adults alike.
My favorite of all the activities available for students would have to be NYO, or Native Youth Olympics. These contests of endurance and skill would astound many from the Lower 48. The competition was organized in 1971 and athletes compete in local and regional meets for the chance to compete at the state level against nearly 70 other schools. Events are variations on the skills needed for hunting and survival in the Alaskan Bush.
Some of the events include:
The Eskimo Stick Pull - This blister-maker has competitors attempt to pull a stick out of their opponents grip. Apparently, this contest simulates the effort needed to pull a seal (I presume a successfully hunted one!) out of the water onto the ice. Needless to say, I probably won't go seal hunting anytime soon!
The One-Hand Reach - This event is interesting because it looks like the athletes are practicing Jedi mind tricks instead of a survival skill, (Although I could probably successfully argue that Jedi mind tricks are, in fact, necessary for survival!) but apparently it simulates the body control necessary to keep from tipping over in their kayak!
The Kneel Jump - Similar to track and field's Triple Jump event, this skill is used by hunters (probably the aforementioned seal hunters) to jump from one ice sheet to another. I'm sure this is necessary for subsistence living up here, but I know that none of my kids will ever be allowed to jump from ice floe to ice floe with me watching!
The Alaskan High Kick - I don't know how to describe this, but "Alaskan High Kick" doesn't quite do it justice. I'd like to see any of you jump on one foot, kick a small ball suspended nearly 8-feet off the floor with the same foot you jumped with and then land on that same foot. One word to describe this event...Crazy!
The Seal Hop - This is my favorite event to watch. Athletes get into a down push-up position and then hop on their hands and feet (Imitating a seal I presume!) across the floor. I'd be lucky to get two hops in before I broke every bone in my wrists!
As near as I can tell, NYO is the ultimate endurance test, but also a bit of torture. As an elite athlete in high school, I can attest that we never did anything as hard as the NYO events! If you get the chance, check out the NYO videos on YouTube! I can guarantee you'll be amazed!
