Two Galena athletes headed to 2016 Arctic Winter Games

Jacob+Moos%2C+a+freshman%2C+is+one+of+the+two+Galena+athletes+headed+to+next+years+Arctic+Winter+Games+following+their+performances+at+the+WISA+meet+at+White+Mountain.+Thanks+to+Connie+Moos+for+this+photo.

Photo courtesy Connie Moos

Jacob Moos, a freshman, is one of the two Galena athletes headed to next year’s Arctic Winter Games following their performances at the WISA meet at White Mountain.

Galena student athletes Jacob Moos and Carolyn Sam have been selected to represent Team Alaska at the 2016 Arctic Winter Games following outstanding performances at the WISA ski meet.

Jacob, a freshman, will be competing in the snowshoe biathlon at the Arctic Winter Games, which will be in Greenland in March 2016. Carolyn, a junior, is also competing in the snowshoe biathlon.

The honor for the two skiers came at the conclusion of the WISA ski meet in White Mountain. Galena’s junior high boy team came in first place among the half dozen teams at WISA. The high school girls came in second place, and the high school boys came in third place.

Jacob was named high school boy skimeister at WISA, and seventh-grader Daniel Kopp was named junior high boy skimeister.

This is the second time for both Jacob and Carolyn to be honored as representatives from Alaska in the Arctic Winter Games. Jacob won two gold medals in the 2014 games in the snowshoe competition in the 2.5 and 5 kilometer races. Carolyn competed in the 2012 games as a juvenile competitor, winning two gold medals and one silver medal in the snowshoe event.

Jacob came in first place in the 7.4 kilometer cross-country ski race on March 26 against eight other skiers on packed powder with a light wind at 21 degrees, according to WISA. Jacob’s time of 26 minutes, 31 seconds was more than a half minute ahead of the second-place skier.

In the junior high race on the same day, Daniel skied the 3.9 kilometer course in 12:33, almost one minute ahead of the second-place skier. Daniel also came in first place in the biathlon ski race on March 27 with a time of 23:02.

Fifth-grader Joe Riddle came in third place in the cross-country ski race with a time of 14:43 and the biathlon contest with a time of 25:43 and eight hits on the target.

Galena sharpshooter Breanna McLain, a sixth grader, hit 10 out of 10 shots in the junior high girl’s biathlon, coming in second with a time of 25:17. Landen Olin-Duncan and Ian Esmailka, both fifth graders, hit the target nine out of 10 times in their biathlon efforts.

The WISA results for Galena:

Cross-country ski race, high school boys
Jacob Moos – 26:31, first place
Cross-country ski race, high school girls
Carolyn Sam – 31:55, third place
Sarah Brown – 33:14, fourth place
Cross-country ski race, junior high boys
Daniel Kopp – 12:33, first place
Joe Riddle – 14:43, third place
Landen Olin-Duncan – 15:58, eighth place
Paytyn Cleaver – 16:37, tenth place
Ian Esmailka – 17:38, fourteenth place
Cross-country ski race, junior high girls
Breanna McLain – 14:39, second place
Sable Scotton – 20:09, eleventh place
Biathlon, high school boys
Jacob Moos – 19:35, five hits, second place
Biathlon, high school girls
Carolyn Sam – 24:24, three hits, fourth place
Sarah Brown – 28:03, one hit, fifth place
Biathlon, junior high boys
Daniel Kopp – 23:02, four hits, first place
Joe Riddle – 25:43, eight hits, third place
Landen Olin-Duncan – 28:31, nine hits, seventh place
Paytyn Cleaver – 30:30, six hits, eleventh place
Ian Esmailka – 31:16, nine hits, thirteenth place
Biathlon, junior high girls
Breanna McLain – 25:17, ten hits (perfect score), second place
Sable Scotton – 36:44, six hits, eleventh place