What began as a breast cancer awareness walk in Nome has grown into a staple of the Nome-Beltz Middle High School Lady Nanook’s volleyball season. The two-day event, known as the Arctic Pinkies Tournament goes back more than a decade.
Nome resident John Handeland took part in the original “Walk For the Cure” in 2007. The goal was to raise funds for a mammogram machine.
“It was started by a group of women in the community, and they called themselves the ‘Arctic Pinkies’,” Handeland explained.
One of the original organizers, Christine Anne Carpenter Perkins, developed breast cancer herself and died from the disease in 2010. The event was renamed in her honor, and eventually evolved into the volleyball tournament.
Lena Danner was the Lady Nanook’s head coach in 2018. Danner said she used to work with Carpenter’s sister, Gigi Carpenter-Immingan, and is still close with the Carpenter family.
“The Lady Nanooks inherited it with permission from the Carpenter family to call it the Arctic Pinkies volleyball tournament,” Danner said.
Throughout the history of the Arctic Pinkies tournament, the Lady Nanooks have supported numerous people in the community receiving treatment for cancer. This year, the proceeds from the tournament are going to Nome resident Meredith Ahmasuk.
Ahmasuk is receiving treatment for stage two colon cancer in Anchorage. At this year’s tournament, the Lady Nanooks are wearing pink warm up shirts with “#Meredithstrong” across the front in Ahmasuk’s honor.
Friday is the second last day of the Arctic Pinkies tournament. Residents can catch the Lady Nanooks, as well as teams from Bethel, Kotzebue, Nikiski and Glennallen in action.
