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WEIO 2008

Scenes from the 2008 World Eskimo-Indian Olympics in Fairbanks.

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Photo by Johnny Wagner

FAIRBANKS -- Jarvis Prince, in his first-ever Native games performance, needed a little crowd support in the one-foot kick preliminaries Saturday.

As he had seen others do at the World Eskimo- Indian Olympics, he started a slow clap that spread throughout the athletes around him, then across the Carlson Center floor and into the stands.

While hundreds of palms slapped in unison, many were ululating short bursts of “oo-ie, oo-ie.”

Amid the noise, he strode toward his 8-foot-high target and nailed the kick, landing to fervent applause.

The message was clear: Welcome to the family.

It’s hard to tell who’s related to whom at WEIO, mostly because it’s harder to tell who’s not related. Athletes often refer to each other as “family,” and with the amount of hugs and other displays of affection, the event is more like a reunion than a competition.

“The athletes show a lot of love, and they’re really good competitors,” Prince said. “They all look out for everybody. They help you out if you need help, and they’re always there for you.”

Prince, 19, had never competed in Native games before WEIO began Wednesday, but he knew what to expect because he went to see his older brother, Jermaine Jackson, in the Native Youth Olympics.

When Jackson returned to Alaska to take part in WEIO, Prince, who has plenty of talent from his job as a breakdancer, decided to join.

“Now I see how high I can really kick,” Prince said. “When I first saw him do it, it seemed like I was never going to be able to kick that high, but once you get up there, it’s pretty easy.”

Jackson, a 21-year-old defensive back for the University of Michigan, and Prince are used to being in a big-family atmosphere. They are the fourth and fifth oldest of 15 siblings.

“We don’t necessarily take over as a father figure, but as the older brother, you make sure that they’re safe and everything like that,” Jackson said.

Prince said he’ll return next year and sign up for more events so he can win one, though he’s still not going to try the ear pull. Jackson already has achieved that goal, winning both the Eskimo stick pull and the arm pull as of Saturday night.

“No matter who you are or what race you are, you can come in here and compete and people will cheer you on,” Jackson said. “That’s WEIO for you.”

And in that kind of environment, no one stays anonymous for long.

But even in the “everyone knows everyone” atmosphere of WEIO, no one is more social than the Tahbone sisters.

Marjorie, 19 and Vanessa, 18, are seemingly omnipresent at the festivities. Each in their second WEIO appearance, they can constantly be found on the sidelines talking strategy, joking, kneading sore muscles or giving tips to some of the less-experienced athletes.

“That’s pretty much how they are all the time,” said their father, Carelton Tahbone. “That’s their natural being, I would say; smiling laughing, joking and meeting new people.”

Marjorie said their many trips to Native games events has led them to automatically knowing most people at WEIO.

“It’s pretty cool, you just walk into a room and line up with a whole bunch of hugs,” Marjorie said. “Ten hugs at least, it’s so awesome.”

But that doesn’t mean they’re here just to socialize. They are longtime participants of the Native Youth Olympics and have been competing since about second grade.

Carleton raised Vanessa and Marjorie as “country girls” showing them how to hunt and fish since they were small.

The sisters from Nome can wield a shotgun and carve a seal proficiently, which is probably why they have firmer handshakes than some men twice their size.

The 5-foot-even Marjorie’s size belies her athletic abilities. She’s already taken the gold in the toe kick and silver in the Indian stick pull and the blanket toss.

“I really want to show the crowd that you don’t have to be tall to get into the higher placings as tall girls would,” she said. “I try to be as much as I can be when I’m short. Even then, it’s still really rewarding.”

Vanessa has yet to earn a medal, though she came close in the one-arm reach — her favorite event.

“Next year, I’ll get gold and I’ll break the record,” Vanessa said.

“She says that every year,” Marjorie interjected.

“Yeah, I do,” Vanessa admitted.