Nome celebrates its champions

By Peter Loewi
The community came out on Saturday, April 30 to celebrate the Nome-Beltz High School Boys Basketball’s state championship win at the Rec Center, but in the process, ended up celebrating a lot more.
This year, Nome had state championship wins in Boys Basketball, Girls Wresting, Native Youth Olympics and Esports.
The basketball championship is Nome’s 10th, and many alumni from earlier winning teams were in the audience, welcoming them to the club.
Nome-Beltz Activities Director and Basketball Coach Pat Callahan took time to celebrate the teams which, while they didn’t win their own state championship, contributed to Nome’s success, such as the Cheer Team and the Girls Basketball Team.
The celebration went on for far longer than the originally planned two hours and included performances from the Cheer Team, as well as the Nome St. Lawrence Island Dance Group and the Nome-Beltz Dance and Drum Group, a community dinner and a silent auction.
Callahan said during the presentation that the win was celebrated by more than just Nome and the region, but that rural Alaska, from Bethel to Utqiagvik, had been cheering for the Nome Nanooks.