FCVB President & CEO Deb Hickok, Kory Eberhardt and Greg Allison (past AWG athlete) presenting the Fairbanks Arctic Winter Games bid package to Karen Thomson from the International Committee.

For more information about Fairbanks’ bid for the Arctic Winter Games, visit this recent article by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

You’ll notice the ball is suspended at a height that is almost beyond the reach of a competitor, who then (almost effortlessly) kicks that ball with both feet together, landing without a stumble. Wow.

You can see more high kick video from WEIO 2009 here.

Here are descriptions of the events you see above from the WEIO website:

Ear Pull

In this event, there are two people sitting down facing each other with twine looped around each other’s ear – right ear to right ear, left to left. The two begin a “tug-of-war” to see who the winner is. Best two out of three wins the match. There are times when the loop will slip off one opponent’s ear – that person is the loser of that round. Each participant alternate each round using alternate ears. A game of stamina to pain, the victor demonstrates he/she can withstand pain, a trait sometimes needed to survive the harsh realities of the North.

Two-foot High Kick

This event is similar to the one-foot high kick with the difference being the athlete jumps off the floor using both feet, hits the suspended target with both feet together, and maintains balance upon reaching the floor. When landing both feet must touch the floor at the same time.

Years ago, in the coastal whaling villages, in order for the village to know that a whale has been taken, a runner would run back to the village and when within sight of the village, the messenger would jump and kick both feet into the air while running. In that manner, the people of the village would know a what was caught and prepare themselves to help in “beaching” the whale.

WEIO has a great website. Be sure to check it out for more. Also check the Inside Alaska archives for more photos and videos of WEIO from previous years.

Tell us what you think about this story and make your 2010 Iditarod predictions in the comments section. Can Lance win his fourth in a row?

WEIO 2009 Two Foot High Kick from insidealaska on Vimeo.

The WEIO homepage is a great place to find more video and lots of information on the games. Also check out  our previous posts on WEIO. Is this cool stuff or what?

…sits on the floor below a target with one hand grasping the opposite foot. With his/her remaining free hand planted on the floor, the athlete springs up and attempts to kick the target with the free foot. After kicking the target, the athlete must show balance upon landing – he/she is at the original position before kicking. Height is the objective.

Here are a few of the images we captured during the event. Click on one of the images below and use the ‘next’ and ‘prev’ buttons (bottom left) to see them all. These tiny thumbnails just don’t do them justice.

Find out more about the 2009 World Eskimo-Indian Olympics in Fairbanks and see video at the WEIO website. Or take a look at a few of our other posts about the event from past years.

Lance is also a four-time Yukon Quest champ. Dubbed the “toughest sled dog race in the world” it runs from Fairbanks to Whitehorse Yukon. Two of Mackey’s Iditarod wins came just days after winning the Quest. People said that couldn’t be done…so Lance did it twice to prove them wrong.

2009 Open North American, Fairbanks from insidealaska on Vimeo.

The GCI Open North American Championships begin in the heart of downtown Fairbanks and have been run since 1946. The field of 18 this year includes many former champions and is continuing throughout the weekend. Stop by the starting line this Saturday or Sunday on Second Avenue, and if you have a chance walk down the street to the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center and say hello.

At this very moment Lance Mackey has a substantial lead on the last leg of the 1,000 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Mackey is a Fairbanks resident and a four-time winner of the Yukon Quest, which also runs 1,000 miles from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon. Lance was the first ever musher to win those races back to back, and just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, did it two years in a row (2007 and 2008).

Lance’s closest competitor is the reigning Yukon Quest Champion Sebastian Schnuelle. His Quest victory this year was close, as currently 14th place Hugh Neff came into the Fairbanks finish just a matter of minutes behind. Other Interior mushers or Quest veterans in the  Iditarod 2009 top 20 include Aaron Burmeister of Nenana (4th), Jessie Royer of Fairbanks (8th), Aliy Zirkle of Two Rivers (11th), Sonny Lindner of Two Rivers (15th), Ken Anderson of Fairbanks (16th), three-time Quest winner Hans Gatt (17th) and Jeff King of Denali (18th).

The Yukon Quest is gaining more and more prominance as the mushers and mushing fans begin to realize this “toughest sled dog race in the world” has become the crucible in which the elite teams are formed. So if you’re not tuned in, get to the Quest website and get an education. The sled dog racing champions of tomorrow and today are already there!

Keep up with the current race standings at IronDog.org.