WEIO

The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics started today in Fairbanks. I went mostly to check out the crafts -- the incredibly soft sea-otter-fur hats, the homemade ulus -- but stayed to watch the preliminaries of the one-hand reach. A sealskin ball is hung from a line at a specific height, and the challenge is to touch it with one hand while balancing your whole body on the other hand. Some made it look easy. Others strained, fell flat on the floor, jumped up shaking their wrists. Contestants and spectators clapped not when someone succeeded at a given height, but when someone gave it their all for three tries and failed. The ousted contestants jumped up with smiles. Over and over, when someone reached and missed, or couldn't get high enough, another competitor would come offer tips -- where to place the bottom hand, how to arch the back. It was amazing to watch.
From my seat in the stands, I figured I could do this, at least at the low heights, where it seemed you could rest a hip bone on the arm bones. I've know for years that I could balance on my hands; getting to one hand seemed mostly a question of strength. I got the sense there hadn't been much training among the contestants. One bounced like a boxer to warm up, and a few others stretched, but most just waited their turn and competed.
Now, having tried at home, I am humbled. Whether it's a lack of strength or technique I don't know, but I cannot imagine balancing on one hand, let alone reaching 46 inches into the air with the other. Power to the tall guy in Adidas soccer shoes. Power to the girl in beaded moccasins.