Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 115, No. 20	May 14, 2008

Journey of a lifetime
Alaskan archers enjoy Meade hospitality first-hand

Photos by Larry See Jr.
Participants from an Alaskan archery team, some on their first visit to the lower 48 states, took time out for a picture from their welcome dinner Thursday night to pose in front of their donated transportation from Ray’s Ford. The team competed at the national archery competition in Louisville.

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

The nearest movie theatre is a three-hour ride, via ferry, in Ketchikan.

If you’re yearning for a fast-food sandwich, you’ll need to spend another three hours on a ferry.

That’s the life of Alaskan students who visited Meade County last week to take part in a national archery tournament in Louisville.

Meade County archers shot Friday afternoon, while their Alaskan counterparts took the stage at the Kentucky Fairgrounds and Exposition Center Saturday.

The team started their homeward trek Sunday morning and afternoon.

The students, competing in three age groups (4th to 6th grade, 7th and 8th grade and high school) took 24 out of the 27 placings in their state competition.

“They all shot in separate schools,” chaperone and coach John Stevens said. “Their points were counted and it was decided based on their points. We then learned we were the first in the state.”

The trip, estimated to cost $10,000, was funded by borrowed funds and will be repaid through fundraisers.

Stevens said one fundraiser might consist of purchasing 20 to 30 sandwiches to take back to their area to sell.

“We got some money from a local bow hunters association and the local Moose lodge also gave us some funding,” Stevens said. “The kids are going to have to fundraise to cover the rest of it.”

Excitement and nervousness greeted the team upon arrival, Stevens said. While here they stayed at Otter Creek Park, a place reminding them of home.

“One of the kids said it was great as they were going to learn what this was all about and plan for next year,” he said. “That’s a good outlook on it.”

Parent chaperone Chris Minnillo said arranging the airline tickets was a nightmare in itself. She said several team members flew on the airline’s “companion fares” which saved some money

“It took us one day, or 24 hours (to get here),” said participant Schance Watkins.

“We had to drive to the ferry, take it to Ketchikan, and from there we flew to Seattle. After that a group of us took a plane to Chicago and another took a plane to Dallas. We finally met up with each other in Louisville,” he said.

Participant Celia Bower, who lives in what she termed the “bush country” of Alaska had a similar travel experience, but it started aboard a trolling boat she took to Sitka.

She then flew to Juneau, Seattle and Chicago, meeting with the team in Louisville.

“There are no roads, no cars and we have to make our own electricity,” chaperone Charlie Bower said.

“We get to see a mailboat one time a week with freight, mail and groceries.”

Gas prices range about $4 for regular and $4.59 for diesel, Charlie said. His gas comes on the mailboat weekly, where it is emptied into a 55-gallon drum and hauled to the house.

Charlie had nothing but praise and appreciation for the welcome the team received.

“We totally appreciate and want to thank everyone in Kentucky who supported us,” he said. “They have treated us so well and we feel indebted for their generosity.”

Local supporters include Alec Stone, attorney at law, Ray’s Ford, John and DeMaret Day, Save-A-Lot, McDonalds, Pamida, Huddle House, Cox’s Variety and Garden Center, Mr. Gatti’s, Dairy Queen, the Meade County Messenger and Floorscapes.

The Alaskan archers said Kentucky is a lot greener than the area they come from.

“Your trees are more leafy,” one said. “All we have is needles on our trees.”

“We also have rocky mountains and you have grass on yours,” another commented. “We also have black and brown bears.”

In addition to dealing with the time change (at 7:30 p.m. in Kentucky, it was 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon in Alaska), the team was adjusting to our night and dark differences.

“On June 21 we are going to start going to darkness,” Charlie Bower said. “We’ll start out by adding a few seconds and then in November and December it will be dark almost all day.”

In the summer, according to Charlie, it gets dark about 11:30 a.m. and daylight returns about 2:30 a.m.

In Port Alexander, where the Bowers live, the phones occasionally go out of service, and there isn’t suitable cell phone service, so they rely on satellite communications.

“At one time they (the phones) went out a week,” Celia said. “In addition we had the water freeze at school and at home so we all had to stock up on water.”

Charlie, a fisherman, brought fresh-caught halibut, salmon and shrimp to the potluck dinner at the fairgrounds, a treat enjoyed by all.

Educational opportunities are prevalent, with the top student in each graduating class getting the opportunity to attend any state university tuition-free.

“It works out really well if you’re the only student,” Charlie said.

Bower attends school in what she called “a one-room schoolhouse.”

“We have all grades, K-12, in the same school and we take the same classes,” she said.

In one district school, there are 60 kids enrolled, she said. Schools are broken into three grade levels, kindergarten through 2nd, 3rd through 5th, 6th and 7th and high school is considered 8th-grade and up.

When students aren’t attending school or practicing archery, basketball and outdoor sports are enjoyed.

The district is composed of eight schools, covering most of the unincorporated southeast Alaska areas.

The schools range from one to seven teachers with a student population spanning from 12 to 75 students.

Following a Powerpoint presentation, also presented earlier to area students, the Alaskans were peppered with questions.

Some answers included:

• Students can drive at 16 and acquire a learner’s permit at 14.

• Temperatures range between 80s and 90s in the summer and 30 to a low of -14 in the winter.

• School is in session from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with dismissal occurring at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Schools last 180 days.

• Students don’t get out of school for snow, despite the fact 85 inches tends to fall at her residence in the winter. “The only day we get off is when the water pipe broke in the city or if the power shuts off,” Celia said.

• “We don’t have reptiles in Alaska and we don’t have any rats,” parent and chaperone George Vasquez said. “But we do have insects.”

Team members consisted of Linda Shedlosky, Celia Bower, Meche Self, Christian Vasquez, Michael English, Schance Watkins, Kyler Looper, Anthony Minnillo, Jon Christensen and James Stevens. Chaperones were Coach John Stevens, Charlie Bower, George Vasquez and Chris Minnillo.

T-shirts worn by several at the dinner summed it up.

“Changing lives – one arrow at a time.”

They certainly are – whether it be Kentucky or Alaska.

Click Here to Go Back