Caught Doing Something Good: Demi Levi
![Demi Levi of St. Michael prepares to compete in the Wrist Carry.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-04-20-2432px-001-1200x900.jpg)
Demi Levi uses her competitive nature to reach her dreams of helping her community.
Camaraderie and Culture
![Side-by-side pictures of an NYO competitor preparing for, then executing, a one-foot high kick inside the St. Michael school gym.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2018-SMK-NYO-Games-2-Up-2432px-1200x800.jpg)
If you ask a Western Alaska school-aged child to name their favorite sport, the most common response will likely be “Native Youth Olympics,” or NYO. The games aren’t just a way for students to compete and develop athletic skills; they’re also a means for youth to connect to subsistence culture and learn to support each other.
Unalakleet Teens Reach New Heights at NYO
![Wrist-carry competitors race at the 2018 BSSD NYO tournament in St. Michael, Alaska.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-20-bssd-nyo-st-michael-alaska-001-7-1200x900.jpg)
Two Unalakleet competitors, Allie and Arctic Ivanoff, were the highest-scoring athletes in the 2018 statewide Native Youth Olympics. They placed in the top 5 nine times over six separate events during the games held at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.
What Makes Native Olympics Special? ‘Camaraderie’ and a Helping Hand, Athletes Say
![NYO competitors from Unalakleet lend each other a helping hand at the 33rd annual BSSD NYO Tournament.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-20-2432px-001-10-1200x900.jpg)
Last weekend’s NYO tournament in St. Michael for the Bering Strait School District showed a strong display of sportsmanship and support. But for those familiar to the games, it’s just business as usual.
Unalakleet Teen Sets Three District-Wide NYO Records
![Allie Ivanoff competes in the Canadian One-foot High Kick in the 2018 BSSD NYO.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-20-2432px-001-3-1200x900.jpg)
Allie Ivanoff of Unalakleet broke three district-wide records at last weekend’s BSSD NYO tournament in St. Michael.
With Dance and the Stick Pull, NYO Opens in St. Michael
![Competitors in the Indian Stick Pull during the 33rd Annual BSSD NYO.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-19-2432px-001-1200x900.jpg)
The 33rd Annual BSSD NYO started Thursday evening in Saint Michael.
Nome, Kotzebue Competitive Against NW Arctic Schools in Native Youth Olympics Meet
![Aucha Johnson of Unalakleet two-foot high-kicking at BSSD's NYO tournament in Gambell. Photo Credit: KNOM (2014)](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014-04-17-untitled-209-2-1216px-2-1200x800.jpg)
Nome athletes Kastyn Lie and Amber Gray took first in events like the Girls Seal Hop, the Kneel Jump, and the Two-foot High Kick. Kotzebue’s Zaida Baldwin and Ayianna Browning qualified for the State competition in the Indian Stick Pull and the One Handed Reach, respectively. The State Native Youth Olympics competition is scheduled for April 26-28 in Anchorage.
Hope for the Journey
![Miss Alaska, Rosemary Berg](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2016-12-13-static-miscellany-001-2.jpg)
“Just know that you are not alone… and that you are loved.” That’s among the many lessons of the incredible journey of the current Miss Alaska, Rosemary Berg, whose story was heard on KNOM thanks to you.
An “Eskimo Ninja” Inspires
![Nick Hanson scales a “salmon ladder” in his hometown of Unalakleet.](https://knom.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2015-09-12-nick-hanson-001-2-1200x800.jpg)
Through your support, a recent episode of KNOM’s Story49 featured a young man from Unalakleet, Alaska, whose training in Alaska Native Youth Olympic games helped turn him into a competitor on the nationally-televised show “American Ninja Warrior.”
Re-connecting with family
Volunteer Eva DeLappe (pictured, left) had a special guest earlier this spring: her twin sister Sarah (right), who spent a week visiting Nome. The week included a special celebration: both sisters’ birthday. The two also co-hosted an on-air music show, went snowshoeing near Nome, and traveled together to the community of Unalakleet (YOU-nuh-luh-kleet) to report […]