For thousands of years, the indigenous tribes of the northernmost parts of the globe relied on a set of athletic skills needed to survive in harsh conditions. Over the centuries, these skills became cultural athletic contests involving kicks, jumps, reaches and other tests of endurance and strength.

Then in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1971, in order to preserve these traditional contests in a quickly developing world, the first ever Native Youth Olympics (NYO) were held. Interest and participation in NYO, or what is often known as arctic sports, has exploded in the decades since. It has now extended far beyond indigenous tribes and even sometimes beyond the global north to countries like Mexico and New Zealand.

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Held in March in Whitehorse, a city in the Yukon territory of Canada, the 2026 Arctic Winter Games were a celebration of athleticism, competition and cultural pride. Around 2,000 athletes participated, with Team Alaska taking home the most medals (227, 78 golds). The Arctic Winter Games are held every two years and can be thought of as a “Northern Olympics.” These Games include, but are not limited to, arctic sports competitions. It may be the most important athletic competition in Alaska.

Two Team Alaska athletes (who appear in the video above), Daniel and Joseph Rodgers, are brothers who share a passion — and an aptitude — for arctic sports. Daniel, a 16-year-old who was born prematurely and lives with a variety of disabilities, won gold in the teen arm pull and silver in the Alaskan high kick at the Games. Meanwhile, he also took home an impressive three Fair Play Awards recognizing his sportsmanship. And sportsmanship, Daniel’s mother, Elizabeth, says, is highly valued in arctic societies.

“For this culture, to receive a sportsmanship award,” Elizabeth told Sports Spectrum, “it’s more important than receiving a gold because it’s what you can contribute to the community that gives it the highest value.”

Daniel is well aware of the significance of his sportsmanship awards.

“I really feel honored about that,” he told Sports Spectrum. “I’m really happy that the other teams chose me.”

Not to be outdone, Joseph, 14, also captured two silvers and two bronzes at the Games. Joseph’s ability in arctic sports at such a young age is exceptional.

Both brothers currently hold records in various events, sometimes having to surpass each other to reach them. Elizabeth can hardly believe the success her teenagers (she also has a younger son named Luke) have had in arctic sport competition, but she is certain it’s been a divinely inspired journey.

“It’s almost like God’s brought us full circle in a story that we never even thought about, (that) there could be cross-cultural sports,” she said. “So all the giftings that we have, God’s using in a completely different way that we never picked for ourselves.

“It’s just amazing to me to see how we can be involved as a whole family in the different ways that we’re created.”

Daniel winning an award. (Photo courtesy of Rodgers family)

Elizabeth and her husband, John, were missionaries in Mexico when Daniel was born at just 26 weeks. He was 1 pound, 15 ounces, and quality medical care was hours away. He was profoundly deaf, his vision was impaired, he has severe myopia, and he was diagnosed with ADHD.

“Every breath that he took was a miracle,” Elizabeth remembered.

That little baby, barely heavier than the balls he now soars to kick, changed everything. Gone were the Rodgers’ dreams of missionary life. Instead, they moved 13 times in Daniel’s first few years trying to meet his extensive medical needs. American Sign Language (ASL) was necessary. Communicating any Biblical truth seemed a pipe dream, as the Bible hasn’t existed in ASL until recently.

“That was a pretty rough start for me,” Daniel said. “I was pretty much fully deaf when I was born.”

Yet with each passing milestone, the message God first delivered to Elizabeth during those early days in the NICU — as she scoured the Psalms for an ounce of hope — grew louder.

“I saw, as clear as could be, this lion roaring over Daniel in the NICU and over his incubator,” she said. “It was really vivid, dramatic, and that kind of set the tone I feel like for his whole life where God’s roared over him. Circumstances and things change, and He does the impossible. So that’s kind of a repeated theme in his life.”

The Rodgers family with a painting of a roaring tiger. (Photo courtesy of Rodgers family)

By third grade, Daniel was excelling with bilateral cochlear implants, and he had found an athletic outlet in the form of arctic sports.

“I just really enjoyed the event itself,” he said. “… I just had the passion to compete for it.”

It’s a challenge that for Daniel is intertwined with his faith in Jesus.

“I view Him as my Lord and Savior,” Daniel said. “I dedicated my life to Him. I’ve asked for forgiveness. … I try the best I can to hold the morals in the Bible and what it talks about.”

Daniel finds himself praying often during competition, and his awareness of God’s presence gives him a deep sense of peace.

“[Daniel’s story is] not a story of ‘try hard and your dreams will come true.’ It’s a story that God chose him from his birth, and He’s writing his story and He’s doing things by the power of His Spirit,” Elizabeth said. “And when we cooperate with Him … He can do things we could never dream of.”

Faith in Christ is at the forefront of Joseph’s mind when he competes, as well. With Christian music thumping in his headphones and a faith-based necklace around his neck, several Bible verses often come to mind as he sizes up his next jump or kick. His nights often end by spending time in God’s Word.

“As I got older,” Joseph said, “I wanted to look deeper into [Christianity]. You know how some people say they’re Christians but don’t know anything about it? I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to actually understand why I believe what I believe.”

Elizabeth often finds herself struck by God’s goodness to her and her family.

“To me, it just feels absolutely miraculous,” she said. “Like it’s a story that I could never have conceived and ever dreamed of. … I feel that one of my jobs as a mom is to help [my kids] discover God’s mission for their life and His calling for each one of their lives. And in our family, it happens to be that they have this wild calling for NYO!”

Joseph competing in the high kick. (Photo courtesy of Rodgers family)

At each competition, when Daniel and Joseph aren’t busy winning medals, the Rodgers family can be found passing out tracts with a picture of a roaring lion and Daniel’s story on the back. It’s a story that doesn’t make medical sense, but in God’s equation, it’s just one example of His perfect power and steadfast love for His children.

And as they seek to spread the Good News of the Gospel to the arctic sports community and spread the excitement of arctic sports to the rest of the world, they are ambassadors who one day dream of seeing arctic sports included in the Winter Olympics. It may seem unlikely, but they’ve each seen God do much, much more.

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