Native Youth Olympics Team Heads Out

Today the NYO team from Barrow headed out to Anchorage.  I'll not be able to do justice to the acrobatic skills of these young people in my writing.  But imagine yourself crouching on the floor.  Then place one elbow in your gut...near your belly button.  Place the palm of the same hand on the ground and then rise to balance your body on this hand.  No, nothing else can touch the floor.  While you're at it, reach up quickly with your other hand and smack a seal-skin ball hanging from the ceiling, about two feet off of the floor.  Good luck with that!

Or, you could stand with your feet together on the floor and place a wooden dowel in front of you on the floor a foot away.  Then jump forward, tap the dowel with your toes, and then land beyond the dowel.  Yes, and don't fall on your tail bone or stick your feet on the rollable dowel and face plant into the floor.

Next...simply hang the seal skin ball about four feet off of the floor.  Then jump in the air, both feet together, and kick the ball with both feet.  Yes, and stick the landing on the floor.

For another impressive move, hang that ball above your head about six inches.  Then jump up off of one foot, and with that same foot kick the ball.  Yes and stick the landing on the same foot WITHOUT falling over.

You could work on your seal hop.  Push up position on the floor, knuckles down.  Then hop on your knuckles and toes across the floor.  Last one there is a rotten seal!

The wrist carry?  Two people hold a horizontal bar between them.  Then hook one wrist over it and let them pick you up.  And ride down the hall!

Yep.  Those are a few of the skills in the NYO.  Good luck with that!  But these athletes are both nimble and amazing!