Sports

Will this be the year that the Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race will make it into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame?

Nov. 14 marks one month since registration opened for the 2020 Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race. Eighteen mushers have currently signed up. As usual, the list includes champions from some of Alaska’s toughest races, including Bethel musher, four-time K300 champion, and reigning Iditarod champion, Pete Kaiser.

It’s that time of year again: sled dog race season! The Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee will be opening the registration for its signature 300-mile race on Monday, Oct. 14. This year's K300 will take place on Jan. 17, 2020.

The Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee welcomed two new board members this year: current Iditarod champion and four-time K300 race winner Pete Kaiser, and longtime race volunteer Ashley Glasheen.

The Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee has a new manager: Paul Basile.

He’s the race's first full-time race manager, and will oversee the three signature races and the local races. The K300 Race Committee had relied on two part-time employees for the past few years, but the organization felt that it was time for a change.  

The Bethel Freestyle Wrestling Club amassed over 50 podium finishes in the Alaska USA Wrestling State Tournament last week in Wasilla. The club racked up nine gold medals, with many athletes collecting multiple medals in different categories.

Landon Smith was undefeated in the tournament, taking home gold in both freestyle and folkstyle in the Cadet 16 and under 113 pound weight class. 

This year, athletes from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region brought two first-place finishes back from the Native Youth Olympics. 

Kaeli Amik took a first in the girls' Alaska high kick, and Tristan Anaver came in first in the boys' seal hop. They are both students in the Lower Kuskowkim School District. 

As sled dog fans and mushers wind down from the Iditarod, they can mark their calendar for one of next year's big mid-distance races.