The Unalaska Raiders brought home several awards from the Native Youth Olympics tournament held in Anchorage last week, including several first place titles.
The wrist carry team consisting of senior Louis Amora, junior Nic Kitsyuk and sophomore Kaidon Parker took first place for a carry with a distance of 472 feet.
Amora also took second place in both the Kneel Jump and Seal Hop. He scored 13 individual points, earning him the male Autumn Apok Ridley Overall Athlete Award.
Junior Anatoly Fomin took first place for the One-hand Reach event with a height of 66 inches.
Kaidon Parker took second place in the Scissor Broad Jump, with a distance of 34 feet, 7.25 inches.
Junior Aaron San Luis and sophomore Hannah Baum placed in Indian Stick Pull. San Luis took second and Baum placed sixth.
Coach Rainier Marquez, a former Raider himself, said he was honored to work with such an amazing group of athletes for his first year as the boys head coach.
“NYO is an amazing sport that tests our students’ mental toughness and athleticism and is a great display of sportsmanship and Alaska Native values,” Marquez said. “It’s a sport like no other, and I am thankful that our students get to experience ancient games that show how rich our Alaskan culture is. It’s a great way for our students to appreciate and immerse themselves in the ways of the ancestors that have lived on this land before us for thousands of years.”
Girls Head Coach Genee Shaishnikoff said she had a young group of athletes this year, most of whom had never been to the statewide competition.
“It was good to have the other girls be able to experience state and what it is all about so they could see how it was and what they need to work on for next year to try to place at state,” she said. “They all did amazing … and I am very proud of all of them. All the events are very hard, it takes a lot of determination and hard work to do them every day, especially if you are doing more than one event.”
A total of 14 Unalaska student athletes attended the state competition. Together, they placed fifth overall for team awards.
