Sports

Bill Holt sits in the maintenance shed at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. Holt retires as facilities and equipment manager on Friday. He started working at the trails in the winter of 1993-94. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

‘Time to be a beginner again’

Holt steps away from Tsalteshi after over 25 years of driving the expansion and refinement of trails

Bill Holt sits in the maintenance shed at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. Holt retires as facilities and equipment manager on Friday. He started working at the trails in the winter of 1993-94. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Fletcher Stevens, of Kenai, skis the Porcupine Loop on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Ski gear flies off shelves of local retailers

Pandemic prompts surge in outdoor activity

Fletcher Stevens, of Kenai, skis the Porcupine Loop on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
The Peninsula Oilers play the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks on Sunday, June 16, 2019, at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

From Cape Cod to Alaska, college leagues eye MLB changes

Collegiate summer leagues like the ABL were hit by another potential obstacle recently.

The Peninsula Oilers play the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks on Sunday, June 16, 2019, at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Victor Rodriguez is awarded the Alaska Fighting Championship bantamweight title on Feb. 26, 2020, at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Maria Bundy)

Hitting the big time

Soldotna’s Rodriguez signs 4-fight deal with UFC

Victor Rodriguez is awarded the Alaska Fighting Championship bantamweight title on Feb. 26, 2020, at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Maria Bundy)
Kenai's Eric Thomason competes in the Moab 240 Endurance Run from Oct. 9 to 13, 2020, near Moab, Utah. (Photo by Eric Thomason)

Going long

Kenai’s Thomason finishes Moab 240 Endurance Run

Kenai's Eric Thomason competes in the Moab 240 Endurance Run from Oct. 9 to 13, 2020, near Moab, Utah. (Photo by Eric Thomason)
Football jamboree marks return of prep sports

Football jamboree marks return of prep sports

“We watch each day with our fingers crossed hoping there won’t be an explosion of cases.”

Football jamboree marks return of prep sports
Brown Bears prep for October launch

Brown Bears prep for October launch

General manager says team has many issues to address

Brown Bears prep for October launch
Soldotna assistant football coach Eric Pomerleau checks the temperature of sophomore Joseph Whittom before summer workouts Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Back to school? COVID cases to decide

“We are on a tightwire between a rock and a hard place.”

Soldotna assistant football coach Eric Pomerleau checks the temperature of sophomore Joseph Whittom before summer workouts Wednesday, June 17, 2020, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
photos by Megan Pacer / Homer News A youth rider takes a turn riding a bull calf during the 60th annual Ninilchik Rodeo on Saturday, July 4 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik. The rodeo lasted throughout the July Fourth holiday and celebrated a return to the event’s roots.

Riding high in Ninilchik

Ninilchik Rodeo celebrates 60 years with events new and old.

photos by Megan Pacer / Homer News A youth rider takes a turn riding a bull calf during the 60th annual Ninilchik Rodeo on Saturday, July 4 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik. The rodeo lasted throughout the July Fourth holiday and celebrated a return to the event’s roots.
Tsalteshi summer racing won’t be the same

Tsalteshi summer racing won’t be the same

Mountain bikes, Salmon Run Series get new formats

Tsalteshi summer racing won’t be the same
The three collegiate-size wrestling mats at the All American Training Center just outside of Soldotna, Alaska, take up about 7,000 square feet. Wrestlers from the Future of Champions camp use the facility Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

‘The kids deserve it’

Wrestling devotee opens massive new training center

The three collegiate-size wrestling mats at the All American Training Center just outside of Soldotna, Alaska, take up about 7,000 square feet. Wrestlers from the Future of Champions camp use the facility Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Boys of summer return

Boys of summer return

Alaska 20 players glad to return to sports

Boys of summer return
Lost Lake, Soggy Bottom 100 canceled

Lost Lake, Soggy Bottom 100 canceled

The U.S. Forest Service will not be allowing any recreational permits for the remainder of 2020.

Lost Lake, Soggy Bottom 100 canceled
The women’s field takes to the course Tuesday, July 4, 2017, at the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska. Eventual winner Allie Ostrander is to the right of Christy Marvin (1). (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Mount Marathon Race canceled for 2020

The 93rd running of the race up and down the 3,022-foot mountain is rescheduled for July 4, 2021.

The women’s field takes to the course Tuesday, July 4, 2017, at the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska. Eventual winner Allie Ostrander is to the right of Christy Marvin (1). (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Grayson Bruton (left) and Stephanie Meilleur check the health of one of Mitch Seavey’s dogs Friday afternoon at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex, in advance of the Tustumena 200 sled dog race. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

T200 race hits the snow running

Twenty mushing teams took off Saturday with hopes of taking home the win in the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race. The Tustumena 200 is a… Continue reading

Grayson Bruton (left) and Stephanie Meilleur check the health of one of Mitch Seavey’s dogs Friday afternoon at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex, in advance of the Tustumena 200 sled dog race. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
It Is What It Is: Reading baseball

It Is What It Is: Reading baseball

I think I’m at a point where I enjoy reading about baseball more than watching it. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy a good ballgame.… Continue reading

It Is What It Is: Reading baseball
Jen Showalter of Kenai navigates her fatbike through a deep icy puddle on the Wolverine Trail during the 2018 Choose Your Weapon race at Tsalteshi Trails on Sunday, April 15, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. Racers completed two 5-kilometer laps around the lower trails by running, biking or skiing, with the option of switching between laps for extra points. Most of the trails had some snow with patches of wet mud sprinkled throughout as spring temperatures begin to dominate the central Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Choose Your Weapon returns to Tsalteshi Trails

On Earth Day, April 20, 2013, Mike Crawford had a vision. Sunday, almost a full five years later, that vision finally became reality. The vision… Continue reading

Jen Showalter of Kenai navigates her fatbike through a deep icy puddle on the Wolverine Trail during the 2018 Choose Your Weapon race at Tsalteshi Trails on Sunday, April 15, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. Racers completed two 5-kilometer laps around the lower trails by running, biking or skiing, with the option of switching between laps for extra points. Most of the trails had some snow with patches of wet mud sprinkled throughout as spring temperatures begin to dominate the central Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Harris “Biz” Richardson, a bartender at the Main Street Tap and Grill, draws a cheer from the crowd gathered at the restaurant for the Superbowl on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles battled it out in Minnesota for the Superbowl LII title Sunday, with the Eagles triumphing 41-33. Football fans packed bars like the Main Street and the Back Door Lounge in Kenai on Sunday to watch the game, and the bars hosted parties and giveaways in response. The Back Door drew tickets for T-shirts and the Main Street hosted a Super Bowl Party sponsored by Corona with a giveaway with a theater recliner as the grand prize. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Amping up

Harris “Biz” Richardson, a bartender at the Main Street Tap and Grill, draws a cheer from the crowd gathered at the restaurant for the Superbowl… Continue reading

Harris “Biz” Richardson, a bartender at the Main Street Tap and Grill, draws a cheer from the crowd gathered at the restaurant for the Superbowl on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. The New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles battled it out in Minnesota for the Superbowl LII title Sunday, with the Eagles triumphing 41-33. Football fans packed bars like the Main Street and the Back Door Lounge in Kenai on Sunday to watch the game, and the bars hosted parties and giveaways in response. The Back Door drew tickets for T-shirts and the Main Street hosted a Super Bowl Party sponsored by Corona with a giveaway with a theater recliner as the grand prize. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Carly Reimer pins a bib on her son Gus Reimer, 4, for the 1-mile run at the Turkey Trot run held at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Runners work up an appetite at Turkey Trot fundraiser

One piece of pumpkin pie has about 350 calories in it. The runners at the revived Soldotna Turkey Trot race earned at least that on… Continue reading

Carly Reimer pins a bib on her son Gus Reimer, 4, for the 1-mile run at the Turkey Trot run held at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
River City Academy teachers Annaleah Karron, Chris Kolishchak and Thomas Degray defend their goal in a Monday morning game of goalball at River City Academy in Soldotna, Alaska. Since the game is meant to be played by those with visual impairments, each team member had to wear blindfolds and listen for the ball, which is equipped with a jingling bell. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

A quiet crowd — district embracing goalball

There is one objective in goalball: get the ball across the goal line. Each team has three players and one teammate propels the ball towards… Continue reading

River City Academy teachers Annaleah Karron, Chris Kolishchak and Thomas Degray defend their goal in a Monday morning game of goalball at River City Academy in Soldotna, Alaska. Since the game is meant to be played by those with visual impairments, each team member had to wear blindfolds and listen for the ball, which is equipped with a jingling bell. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)