“I think NYO also helps my jumping for

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Rodgers said he’s been participating in NYO competitions for six years, usually in about a half-dozen locations each year, and considers those events his primary sports, although he also competes in track.

the high jump and I feel like I get faster because NYO builds up my leg muscles,” he said.

There were about 50 members of the Chickaloon team before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number dropped to about 10 or so when activities resumed after the pandemic, Rodgers said. He said country wise email marketing list participation is slowly building back up again and visiting events like the one in Juneau helps further stir interest.

Out-of-state teams from Washington, Colorado, New Mexico and New Hampshire were among those participating in this year’s Traditional Games — in part due to Alaskans who were attending schools in those areas.

“I’ve been competing in NYO since I was in second grade,” said Bay Rose Kauffman, 19, who grew up in Alaska and is now a student at Colorado’s Fort Lewis College, after winning first place in the Open Division Inuit Stick Pull on Sunday. The college offers a tuition waiver to Native Americans, luring her and other Alaska Natives there, and this year they sent a seven-member team back for the Traditional Games.

“We’re practicing in the gym and stuff, and people are like, ‘Oh, what is this? What are you guys doing?’” she said. “We have to explain it’s games for Alaska Natives, and so we (now) have some players on our team that are from, like, Oklahoma or Arizona. They’re not Alaska Native, but they are Native.”