Sports

The international Arctic Winter Games took place last month in Wood Buffalo, Alberta. Thousands of athletes, coaches and spectators gathered for the events. One of those athletes was from Bristol Bay.

In the early 2000s, Dillingham girls had to petition the school to let them join the team. Then, they were wrestling against boys. But wrestling in Bristol Bay — and Alaska — has come a long way since then.

Basketball is a huge part of life in rural Alaska. But the COVID-19 pandemic means that in Bristol Bay, teams haven’t been able to play against each other since 2020. That changed at the end of January, when Dillingham held the region’s first major high school basketball tournament. One of the schools wasn’t able to fly to Dillingham. So the athletes took matters into their own hands.

The Dillingham Wolverine wrestling team brought home two state champions in an amazing comeback last season. Those athletes continue to grapple with how the pandemic changed their approach to sports even after the season.

After two years without competition, the crowd of spectators in Dillingham’s gym was thrilled to be back in the stands — and the athletes were happy to be back on the court.

It's the region's first major basketball tournament since 2020. Teams from Togiak, Newhalen, Port Alsworth, Bristol Bay Borough and New Stuyahok compete in Dilingham from Thursday through Saturday.