Chatter Marks EP 143 More than a game with Kyle Worl

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Kyle Worl is an Alaska Native athlete, coach, and cultural advocate who has spent most of his life competing in, and helping pass on, Arctic Sports and Traditional Games. He’s earned more than 100 medals, been named an Outstanding Athlete multiple times at the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics, and competed in Traditional Games throughout the circumpolar North. He’s even competed on _American Ninja Warrior_. But as important as all that is, a big part of his life now is making sure the games continue with the generations coming up behind him. Through coaching, he’s helping rebuild Juneau’s Native Youth Olympics program and creating opportunities for a new generation of athletes to learn the games. That means advocating for their growth, while making sure the culture, history, and sense of community at the heart of the games aren’t lost along the way.

Kyle’s dad, Rod Worl—who competed in Arctic Sports in the 1980s and ’90s—introduced him to the games. He was an accomplished athlete, too. In fact, for almost 40 years, he held the world record for the Knuck Hop—a game that leaves your knuckles bloody and your body exhausted. These days, Kyle reflects on what it took for his dad to push himself that far—to establish a record that was only recently beaten—and how differently he understands that accomplishment now that he’s tested those same physical and mental limits. It’s a lot to think about, especially when you consider that these games carry histories much older than the competitions themselves. Their movements grew out of life in the North—hunting, communicating, testing endurance, and preparing the body and mind for an environment where those abilities mattered. So, every time these games are taught to another athlete, they pass along something that goes beyond technique: a connection to people, place, and lifeways.