The four young men from Chukotka Oblast, Russia, journeyed from Anadyr and Provideniya to wrestle at Kotzebue High School. The flight from Provideniya to Nome is an hour and a half, and from Nome to Kotzebue is about an hour. The Kotzebue wrestling team typically travels farther for matches within the state of Alaska. Seven Russian wrestlers, most of them ethnic Chukchi, spent a week in Kotzebue and learned about life on the other side of the Strait. They did well in the wrestling competition, winning 7 and loosing 7 matches.
Video games, which are keeping their American cousins indoors and away from traditional Arctic activities, got the most interest from the Russian boys. The boys at upper left and upper right are Inupiaq Alaskans.