AWG Tryout Tournament drew youthful participation

Nov. 13, 2011  Young athletes from central, southcentral and southeast Alaska participated in the Arctic Winter Games Tryout Tournament at the AT & T Sports Pavilion in Anchorage.  Adults and juniors were also welcome to enter the Skill Singles A, B, C & D divisions and the A/B Doubles and C/D Doubles.  27 total participants, 17 of them were condenders for the AWG covented 8 spots.  With only ONE official AWG team tryout entry on the morning of the tournament, 16 players dropped in and signed up on the day of the tournament.  An unusual and stressful situation for the myself as the tournament director as the entry deadline was on Thursday Nov. 10th.  

Bill Cotton from Anchorage and Gretchen Wehmhoff from Chugiak will be the coaches for Team Alaska when traveling to Whitehorse Yukon, Canada for the 2012 AWG on March 4-10.  After registration and check in the coaches informed the young athletes about the opportunity to represent Alaska at this international gathering.  The closes comparison is the AWG is the Olympics of the Arctic.

Grown to over 2000 althletes the AWG is the world’s largest northern multi-sport and cultural event. The Arctic Winter Games are a celebration of athletic competition, culture, friendship and cooperation between northern contingents. Athletic competition features sports that enjoy worldwide popularity alongside traditional Arctic Sports and Dene Games.

I was honored to represent Alaska in the 1976, 1982, 1994 & 1996 as junior athlete, adult athlete, coach and sport coordinator.  My first experience was in 1976 held in Shefferville Quebec, Canada.  Coached then by Boyd Bennett, now 83 who still actively supports table tennis by opening his home for training in Eagle River.  Myself and fellow juniors teammate David Evans are still active today.  That year I finished with 2 Silver and 1 bronze Ulus.  Major contenders then was Team Yukon.  Today the Greenland and Yamalo-Nenets are the strongest competitors with a great coaching and training.  

This years tryout included many new faces to the sport and produced a strong participation in the junior male division with 10 attendees bidding for the 2 slots.  Female atheltes was another surprise with enough tryouts to form the female team.