Native Youth Olympics brings competition, community to Soldotna

Dozens of athletes gathered in the Skyview Middle School gym this weekend both to compete and to celebrate being together at the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational.

Native Youth Olympics are a series of events derived from traditional Alaska Native feats of athleticism. Across the three-day competition, athletes competed in a dozen events, including the Alaskan high kick, the scissor broad jump, the wrist carry, the seal hop and more.

Represented this weekend were teams from the central Kenai Peninsula fielded by the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Salamatof Tribe, as well as several others from around the peninsula and beyond — Sterling, Homer, Ninilchik, Chickaloon and Colony High School.

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During events like the one-foot high kick on Sunday, athletes could be seen giving tips to their peers from other teams, the crowd erupting into celebration as an athlete pulled off the challenging feat — leaping up and kicking a suspended ball before landing back on the kicking foot without then toppling over.

Every NYO tournament is a special experience, Ninilchik coach Rick Dunaway said Tuesday. The camaraderie is “infectious.” Looking around, he said he saw athletes helping one another, and he “couldn’t be more proud” to see Ninilchik’s squad bring home the sportsmanship award — “the best award you can possibly win.”

Ninilchik brought 26 athletes to Skyview this weekend, and Dunaway said they’d been preparing since as early as November. Because NYO features such a wide variety of events, he said there’s “something for every kid.”

Before the one-foot high kick on Sunday, athletes competed in the wrist carry, where athletes hang suspended from a wooden rod by only their wrist; and the Dene stick pull, where two athletes stood side by side and tried to pull a greased wooden stick from their competition.

On Friday and Saturday, athletes took on the scissor broad jump, the one-hand reach, the kneel jump and the Alaskan high kick, among others.

The tournament also offered more than just competition. An Alaska Native craft fair was held in the Skyview Middle School commons, a potluck was held on Saturday night, there were displays of traditional drumming and a traditional blanket toss.

In the blanket toss, during the lunch break on Sunday, more than 50 people — including athletes, coaches and spectators — together pulled on a blanket of seal skin to hurl someone sitting in the middle high into the air.

An organizer told the dozens of people with their hands on the blanket that they shouldn’t be working too hard to move the blanket. Pulsing the blanket up and down, he told them they should imagine and hear the sound of a heart beat.

“You’re learning how to work together,” he said. “Unity, cooperation, commitment and trust. The person in the middle is definitely going to need to trust.”

Several people were thrown into the air atop the blanket, reaching near to the gymnasium ceiling. They soared largely straight up and down, which the organizer said showed that everyone was working well together — that the person in the middle otherwise would be thrown toward the weaker side.

Dunaway said Tuesday that he’d brought a lot of new athletes who hadn’t ever competed before a large audience before. From those new to the sport and those with year’s of experience alike, he saw “a love of the game and a desire to compete.”

Ninilchik’s being chosen for the sportsmanship award, he said, reflects well on the athletes and on their coaches and parents. He said he encouraged them to be respectful to one another, to respect the school they were visiting, and to represent their community.

“They went out there and they tried their best,” he said. “They’re going to represent our team in a good way.”

For more information about the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational, find “Kenaitze Indian Tribe” on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

An athlete leaps up to perform the one-foot high kick during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

An athlete leaps up to perform the one-foot high kick during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

An athlete leaps up to perform the one-foot high kick during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

An athlete leaps up to perform the one-foot high kick during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

An athlete prepares to attempt the one-foot high kick during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

An athlete prepares to attempt the one-foot high kick during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

More than 50 people work together to perform a traditional blanket toss during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

More than 50 people work together to perform a traditional blanket toss during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

More than 50 people work together to perform a traditional blanket toss during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

More than 50 people work together to perform a traditional blanket toss during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

An athlete leaps up to perform the one-foot high kick during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

An athlete leaps up to perform the one-foot high kick during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

More than 50 people work together to perform a traditional blanket toss during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

More than 50 people work together to perform a traditional blanket toss during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Athletes compete in the Dene stick pull during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Athletes compete in the Dene stick pull during the Kahtnuht’ana Hey Chi’ula Native Youth Olympics Invitational at Skyview Middle School near Soldotna, Alaska, on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)