Galena high school athletes Jacob Moos and Carolyn Sam are going to Greenland this week to participate in the Arctic Winter Games.

Both athletes are participating in the snowshoe biathlon. The biathlon events include the individual (5.0 km), sprint (3.0 km), mass start (4.0 km), along with a relay.

Carolyn, a senior from Galena, said she’s looking forward to “interacting with athletes all over the Arctic region, this includes Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Russia and other [circumpolar nations]. I am also looking forward to the competition that the games will bring.”

Both Carolyn and Jacob got invited to represent Team Alaska at the Arctic Winter Games following outstanding performances at the 2015 WISA ski meet.

“I have been running and dry-firing all up until now, and hopefully it will all pay off,” she said.

“I have been training in my AWG snowshoes and running for about 3 miles or more a day. Along with training for this, I am also in basketball, which requires a lot of agility. Snowshoeing and shooting is really all a mental sport, so I’ll be going into this with a positive attitude looking for a positive outcome.”

The 2016 Arctic Winter Games will be in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 6-11. The Arctic Winter Games brings together athletes from Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Russia, and others for cultural awareness and understanding according to the Arctic Winter Games website.

Jacob, a sophomore from Galena, said he’s been doing a lot of snowshoeing and shooting for the Arctic Winter Games. “I look forward to being in a different country,” he said.

This is the third time for Jacob and Carolyn to be honored as representatives from Alaska in the Arctic Winter Games.

According to a Hawk Highlights article from March 2015, Jacob was invited to last year’s Arctic Winter Games after he won two gold medals in the 2014 games in the snowshoe competition in the 2.5 and 5 kilometer races. Carolyn was invited after she won winning two gold medals and one silver medal in the snowshoe event.