Arctic Winter Games
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Contacting Team Alaska At the Games
The phone number for the Team Alaska Mission Office at the Games is 907-714-2801.
If no one answers that phone, leave a voice-mail message and we will retrieve it soon. Also, refer to this website during the Games for information updates.
Ticket Purchase Information
If you are interested in tickets to Arctic Winter Games events, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, etc., please go to the website for the Kenai Games Host Society. To find out more details before you go to their website, click here for a press release from the Host Society with details about how to purchase tickets for sport and cultural events.
IMPORTANT: NOTE DEPARTURE TIME CHANGE FOR FAIRBANKS BUSES
Team Alaska 2006
Final Travel and General Games Information
for All Team Members
1 General:
With the exception of Team Alaska members on the Kenai Peninsula, members
of Team Alaska MUST travel to the Games on the motor coaches with the
whole Team.
2 Team Members off the Highway System:
All flight arrangements have been made for all those off the highway
system. All members who will be away from home Thursday night in
Fairbanks, Anchorage or Juneau will have their hotels paid for. We
will have Mission Staff members from the Anchorage area at the Anchorage
International Airport to meet all the incoming flights on Friday.
We will have buses to provide rides over to the departure point at the UAA
Sports Center. The buses will depart the airport at 3:15PM. Please be
ready to board the buses shortly after 3:00PM. Mission Staff members Eric
Morris of White Mountain and Noel Shima of Juneau will be in charge of
operations at the airport in the afternoon.
If you WILL NOT need a ride from the airport to UAA, please inform a
Mission Staff member, or have your coach inform a Mission Staff member.
Those under 18 may leave the Airport only with their coaches and remain
with their coaches throughout the time they are away. Mission Staff
members Eric Morris and Noel Shima will be at the airport throughout the
day, so any athletes under the age of 18 who do not have coaches around
will be able to stay with Eric and Noel.
3 Team Members on the Highway System
For those who live on the highway system, with the exception of those on
the Kenai Peninsula, we have two motor coach departure points, Fairbanks
and Anchorage. It is your responsibility to get to the departure points on
time.
Fairbanks: Meeting time 7:00AM at the main parking lot of Pioneer Park. Departure time not later than 8:00AM Friday, March 3. If the buses are loaded early, we will leave early. Don't be late. These buses are scheduled to arrive in Anchorage to meet the Anchorage motor coaches at approximately 4:00PM.
Mission Staff members Dave Lorring, Tom Helmers, Deb Wilkinson, Linda
Bode, Gina Kalloch, Cole Carson and Heidi Ritchie will be at Pioneer Park
to assist
with the departure.
The Fairbanks buses will stop in Nenana to pick up one passenger, and at
Talkeetna Junction to pick up two passengers. Other than that they will
continue
straight to the UAA Sports Center.
Anchorage: Meeting time 3:30PM at UAA Sports Center. Departure time 5:00PM
SHARP! Don't be late. Bob Voris will be the Mission Staff person in
charge, and will be assisted by Mission Staff members Karen Voris, Geno
Dicervo, Eric Morris and Noel Shima. We will need coaches to assist with
this task.
In Anchorage, food and drink will be provided to all motor coach
passengers to eat on the way to Kenai. Kenai Peninsula team members:
you must arrive at Kenai Peninsula College between 7:30PM and 8:00PM on
the evening of Friday, March 3.
4 Luggage and Luggage Tags
Other than cross country and alpine skiers, snowboarders and biathletes,
you may bring one and only one piece of luggage. Space is limited on the
motor
coaches, and we don't have space for people to bring more than they need.
Those in the sports of badminton and snowshoeing should bring their
rackets and snowshoes as carry-ons, or several of you get together and
pack all your
equipment in a single, sturdy bag that the coach can check. Coaches in
most sports will receive a couple of extra baggage tags so that they can
bring along a couple of additional bags of equipment or other necessities.
At the bus loading areas in Fairbanks and Anchorage, each person will be
issued luggage tags for their bags. These luggage tags are color-coded.
Each color
is associated with one of the seven accommodations venues. It is very
important that you tag all your non-carry-on baggage with these colored
tags.
“Checked” baggage with the colored tags will be loaded onto the buses
by color code. For the most part, luggage with only one color tags will be
on a single bus. Your checked luggage may or may not be on the bus you are
on – don’t worry about it!
Upon arrival in Kenai, we will give the people who have arrived from the
Kenai the appropriate color luggage tags, and they will tag their luggage
appropriately, and put it on the appropriate buses.
When we get to Kenai, after accreditation, all the luggage will be taken
from the buses, loaded onto trucks and delivered to the accommodations. In
order for this to be efficient, we need to load the buses as described
above.
5 Dog Mushers
Dogs for dog mushing competitors must be driven to Kenai by the mushers.
Mushers should plan to arrive Friday afternoon or evening, and to attend
the pizza
party Friday night at Kenai Peninsula College.
6 Arrival in the Kenai/Soldotna Area
Upon arrival in Kenai, the buses will go to Kenai Peninsula College, where
a pizza dinner will be provided. During our time at the Kenai Peninsula
College, all the coaches will gather with their teams to make sure that
everyone has made it. We'll have a brief meeting for the whole team,
and then move on to the accreditation center at the Kenai Airport.
7 Accreditation and Accommodations
The JPEG files that you have sent to Team Alaska will be used by the Host
Society to produce your photo ID for the Games. If you've provided a
suitable photo, we should be able to pick up those ID cards very quickly.
These ID cards are your most important possession during the Games. With
your ID Card, you can get into your accommodations, get into the dining
hall, get into all the sport events, and ride the Games buses. Without it
- well, you're just another person. Keep this ID with you at all times.
The best thing to do is to hang it around your neck first thing in the
morning, and leave it there until you go to bed at night - and keep it
close to you when you sleep!
At the Accreditation Center, in addition to your accreditation, you
will receive your sleeping bag and your souvenir games duffel/backpack.
This duffel/backpack is a really nice item - the nicest one I've seen in
the past 6 games. The sleeping bag and souvenir bag are yours to keep. In
addition to the sleeping bag, you'll get a bunch of other goodies in the
souvenir bag.
After we get our accreditation and gear, we will be taken to the
accommodations. All Team Alaska members will be staying in school
buildings in one of three areas: the area immediately surrounding Kenai
Central High School, the area surrounding Soldotna High School, or Skyview
High School.
You will be sleeping on bunk beds in school classrooms. Each team will
stay in a single room, although it is likely that there will be other
sport teams in the rooms, as well. Most teams will stay in accommodations
very close to their competition sites, so, with a few exceptions, you
won't have to commute to your competitions by bus.
Upon arrival, your coaches will help you get settled in. It will have been
a long day, so you'll probably want to get some rest.
8 What Team Alaska will Provide You
Team Alaska will provide each member of Team Alaska with:
• A Team Alaska jacket that you will wear throughout the week, as well as
during Opening and Closing Ceremonies. You can trade this, but only after
Closing Ceremonies.
• A Team Alaska fleece vest with shell front
• A Team Alaska hat (ski hat style, very similar to 2004's hat)
• A Team Alaska hooded sweatshirt
• A Team Alaska t-shirt
• A Team Alaska pin set, for trading
When packing, please keep in mind that you will be receiving these things,
so you can leave a couple of similar items at home.
We will, as much as possible, try to distribute the jackets, hats and
vests prior to the Games, however, some of you will receive these items
when you arrive
at the Games.
9 What to Bring
Most importantly, bring a pair of dark pants to wear at the Opening
Ceremonies. These can be dark jeans (not light-colored, faded jeans) or
very dark or black pants.
Besides your everyday clothing, sport clothing, and any sports equipment
you need, you should bring only a few things: toiletries, a pillow, a
towel, a facecloth. All your meals and transportation around the area
during the Games will be free of charge, so you only need to bring enough
money for souvenirs and snacks.
Bring along still or video cameras if you would like. However, keep in
mind that it might be difficult to find secure and convenient storage for
these items, so if you bring them, be prepared to have them with you at
all times.
10 Coaches’ Meeting
There will be a coaches’ meeting Saturday afternoon, exact time and place
to be determined. Coaches, please ensure that you have at least one hour
available
between 2PM and 5PM for this important meeting. Attendance is mandatory.
At this meeting we will go over some important information. You will need
to be familiar with this information in order to get the most out of your
Games experience, as well as to be able to help your athletes get the most
out of the Games. Be there.
The likely location is the Mt. View Elementary school, but we will
determine that between now and the Games.
11 Opening Ceremonies
For Opening Ceremonies on Sunday Afternoon, you need to wear a pair of
dark pants. These can be dark jeans (not light-colored, faded jeans) or
very dark or black pants. Coaches: please ensure that all your team
members dress with dark pants. As soon as we have a final schedule for the
preparations for the Opening Ceremonies, we will get this information out
to you. It is likely that this information will be distributed at the
Games, on Saturday.
The Opening Ceremonies are the highlight of the Games for the Host
Community, and it is up to us to make sure that we do everything possible
to make the Opening Ceremonies go well. Be sure to be ready to board the
buses to the Opening Ceremonies at the appointed time. Usually you will
board the buses between one and two hours prior to the time the Opening
Ceremonies actually begin. This seems too early, but it is necessary in
order to get all the teams assembled and lined up properly. Don’t be late!
12 Housing
Because this Games is in Alaska, it may be tempting for some members of
Team Alaska from the local area to stay in their homes. However, this
violates the spirit of the Games. International Committee rules
specifically deal with this issue. Team Alaska rules are that all Team
Alaska members must reside in the housing provided by the Host Society.
This does not change just because we are in Alaska.
13 Vehicles
Use of personal vehicles by athletes at these Games is prohibited. Because
housing will be provided, as well as bus service between the housing and
all dining and competition venues, there is no need for personal vehicles.
Again, we will have the same rules as when the Games are not in Alaska.
14 Dining
Meals will be served at all three high schools at which there are
accommodations: Kenai Central High School, Soldotna High School and
Skyview High School. Those staying at Sears Elementary and Kenai Middle
School are nearby Kenai Central High School. Those staying at Redoubt
Elementary and Soldotna Middle School are nearby Soldotna High School.
Dining will be on the “grazing” plan. The cafeteria will be open from
early in the morning until late at night. Warm food and main courses will
be served during breakfast, lunch and dinner hours. Between those times,
snacks and cold food will be available. You must have your ID with you to
dine in the dining halls.
15 Other
Parents wishing to attend the 2006 Games are responsible for making their
own travel arrangements to and from the Games.
16 Sport Schedules
To find a schedule for the sport you're interested in, go to
www.awg2006.org, click on “Sport Schedules” on the right-hand side of the
page. Click on the schedule for the sport you want. The most up-to-date
schedules will be posted here. We at Team Alaska will not be able to
provide you with any better information than what you can get there. That
is where any changes in schedule will be posted first.
17 Travel Home
Team Alaska will depart from the Games via motor coach immediately after
the conclusion of the Closing Ceremonies on Saturday, March 11. For this
trip, your
luggage will need to be loaded on the bus that you will travel on when you
leave Kenai, so that upon your arrival in Fairbanks, Anchorage or at a
hotel in Anchorage, you will be able to get your gear.
We will load 2-3 buses with Fairbanks people and those will go straight
home to Fairbanks with no stops. We will load 2-3 buses with those people
who have
flights Sunday morning and will be going to Hotels. Those buses will go
straight to the hotel where we have reservations for you (we cover the
cost of the hotels for those who spend the night), not to UAA. The
remaining 4-5 buses will go to the UAA Sports Center and will disgorge
people at that point.
Arrival in Anchorage will be around midnight or earlier, arrival in
Fairbanks will be in the early morning hours.
18 Not Going Home on a Bus
If you are 18 or over, and you traveled to the Games on a bus, but plan to
travel home some other way, you must inform us in advance and sign a risk
waiver.
We have no problem with you going home some other way, but we do not
want to hold up buses after the Closing Ceremonies waiting for people who
aren’t going
to be on the buses.
Coaches: it is very important that you help us with this. Please confirm
individually with your team members how they are departing from the Games,
and whether or not they will be on the buses.
19 Traveling Home with Parents
Parents who want to bring their kids home with them following the Closing
Ceremonies must fill out a Parental Permission to Travel form and have it
notarized. Children will be "handed off" to parents physically after the
Closing Ceremonies. Team Alaska will not release children to any
substitute or proxy for the parent who filled out the release form.
20 IMPORTANT!!!!!
All Kenai Peninsula members of Team Alaska who are under the age of 18
must complete the Permission to Travel Home with parents form in the
registration packet.
This may seem to be excessive, but it is our objective to do all that we
can to ensure the safety and well being of all our team members, and
especially our younger members. If we don't know you, then we have no way
of being sure that the person your child is departing with is the correct
person.
We will need the people picking up young Team Alaska members to show photo ID at the time they pick up the young person(s). If you have not provided us with one of these prior to the Games, you will have the opportunity to have your parents provide us with one during the week.
Athlete Registration Forms now available on-line
Click on "Registration/Forms" link at left to get to a link to registration forms for athletes. If your child is a member of Team Alaska, he or she must complete one of these forms and submit it, along with a digital photo (passport-style head shot) to the AWG Team Alaska office
Registration Fee Set
The Arctic Winter Games Team Alaska Board of Directors has established the registration fee for the 2006 Games at $200.00.
The registration fee is a comprehensive fee which includes: bus travel to and from the Games, all room and board while at the Games, a Team Alaska jacket, vest and hat, to be worn as a uniform during the Games outside of competition (retail value over $100); additional Team Alaska garments, including a t-shirt and hooded sweatshirt; and a Team Alaska pin set for trading (retail value over $20). In addition, team members who require transportation from their home town to the bus departure points (Fairbanks or Anchorage) will have that travel paid for by Team Alaska. All in all, it's a pretty good value.
See the latest press releases from Team Alaska concerning team selection, tryouts, etc.