The previously scheduled rally to #savealaskaskiing suddenly became more a celebration than a wake, as local supporters gathered in Anchorage on Thursday afternoon to celebrate that morning’s decision and talk about what comes next. Another gathering was held in Fairbanks at the same time.
University of Alaska officials previously suggested that all sports had been viewed equally as they attempted to balance the budget. But new documents appear to suggest that men's ice hockey is more equal than others.
The Anchorage community lost an extremely influential coach, skier and volunteer on Dec. 12 when Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage President Lars Spurkland unexpectedly passed away.
"It's not about skiing," Shungnak School Principal Roger Franklin wrote in an email to FasterSkier about NANANordic, newly expanded and known as Skiku. "It's much more, and it's saving lives daily." This year, the program brought skiing to 27 villages in Northwest Alaska.
Wishing you were with NANANordic teaching skiing in Northwest Alaska right now -- or wonder what the program's like? Check out these videos.
Holly Brooks felt like she had been punched in the stomach when she heard the news from Alaska Pacific University (APU) development coach Charlie Renfro. One of their skiers, 13-year-old Mary Robicheaux, had been hit by a car while riding her bike the night of Aug. 28, and it was unclear whether she was going to survive. A driver ran a stoplight and struck the eighth grader, who was in a crosswalk with the traffic...
While most of his cross-country skiing brethren kicked up the last bits of snow at Spring Series in Craftsbury, Vt., Lars Flora was hard at work at home in Anchorage, Alaska, crunching numbers and finalizing details of his upcoming trip. It would have been easy if he had been the only one traveling to Northwest Alaska, but Flora had 17 volunteer coaches and two doctors to accommodate, the NANA Development Corporation to run by, and...