And some told these stories sporting shiny new ulus they won in competition.
Of the 11 Homer and Anchor Point athletes who competed in the Games last week, nine brought home hardware, as Team Alaska won 191 total medals, the most of any contingent.
The junior female basketball team, coached by Homer resident Deb Lowney, won gold Friday night beating Northwest Territories 74-63.
The team included players from Kenai, Soldotna and Wasilla as well as three from Homer — Piper Daugharty, Jill Temple and Lindsey Layland.
Layland finished the week scoring 107 points, second only to Nunavut’s Melissa Aknavigak who scored 122.
“Winning the gold was pretty sweet,” Layland said Monday. “But hanging out with those girls (was a highlight). I made some good friends there.”
With only one practice under their belt, the team of former rivals gelled quickly, Layland said.
“There was a lot of natural talent on the team and a good coach,” Layland said. “All the girls bonded.”
The three Homer girls had just finished their season on the Mariner JV squad and Layland said they kept an ear on the varsity team’s progress through the Northern Lights Conference Tournament at Colony High School.
At a dinner after their gold-winning game Friday, the team listened in as the Mariner varsity girls team beat Colony to advance to state.
“All the Homer people were jumping up and down and screaming,” Layland said. “Gold and state in one day was pretty sweet.”
Homer’s other gold came in wrestling on Friday, as Derek Verburgt won the Inuit wrestling competition in the 82-kilogram division.
Verburgt also was Homer’s only two-medal winner, as he took the individual silver on Thursday.
Homer’s Reidun Todd won silver in the Snowshoe Biathlon 4x3-kilometer junior mix relay.
Katie Connor won individual bronze in the 56-kilogram wrestling division. Mike Pate and Tanner Pollack won bronze ulus in basketball.
Port Graham’s Dannielle Malchoff won three ulus, including one silver and two bronze in Inuit games competition.
Girdwood’s Kami Cabana thrilled her Homer-area relatives with three gold ulus in snowboarding.
And Anchor Point’s Chance Rockett was in the net for the Team Alaska bantam male ice hockey team that won silver.
Team Alaska dropped the gold medal game to Team Alberta North in overtime 3-2.
Rockett, who plays comp hockey in Soldotna, stopped 37 shots in the final game.
“They have a lot of firepower,” Rockett said. “Two years ago, (Team Alaska) got beat 29-0.”
Rockett said the Games were the first chance he’s had to play against Canadians in competition and he was impressed with their skill level and hospitality.
“They could read where the puck went before it got there,” he said. “It’s a really big difference, it was crazy.”
During the week the teams got together often to talk hockey and Rockett said he met some great people during competition.
Like the girls basketball team, the boys ice hockey squad was made up of players who usually play against each other throughout the year.
“Usually when you make a team of past enemies, you don’t go out that well,” Rockett said. “But the whole team meshed. Everyone played great and everyone had fun. It was definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had.”
Ben Stuart can be reached at ben.stuart@homernews.com.
Gold Ulu
Piper Daugharty — Basketball, Junior Female
Lindsey Layland — Basketball, Junior Female
Jill Temple — Basketball, Junior Female
Deb Lowney, coach — Basketball, Junior Female
Derek Verburgt — Wrestling, Male Inuit up to 82-kg and Alaska Team ulu
Silver Ulu
Chance Rockett — Ice Hockey, Bantam Male
Reidun Todd — Snowshoe Biathlon, Junior Female 4x3-km relay/junior mix
Derek Verburgt — Wrestling, Male Individual up to 82-kg
Dannielle Malchoff — One foot high kick
Bronze Ulu
Katie Conner — Wrestling, Female Individual up to 56-kg
Mike Pate — Basketball, Junior Male
Tanner Pollack — Basketball, Junior Male
Brianna Goins — Dene Games
Dannielle Malchoff — Two foot high kick and Alaskan high kick
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