Opportunities in sports continue to grow for MSBSD elementary students

About 200 young runners will hit the Michael Janecek Running Trail at Palmer High School Sept. 30 for the annual Mat-Su Borough School District Elementary Cross-Country Running Championships. The meet is the first of a half-dozen major events for the district’s youngest athletes during the 2026-27 school year, and part of the continued growth of elementary athletics in the Mat-Su.

Shaw Elementary physical education teacher Chris Stewart, the district’s elementary school sport coordinator, has been with the MSBSD for about 20 years. During that time, the district has expanded to offer sports such as volleyball and flag football at the elementary level. The foundation for all elementary sports is built on priorities such as opportunity and participation. That, coupled with the district staff’s teaching and coaching philosophy. has allowed programs to continue to grow and helped those involved thrive.

“Each one of our leagues has grown from either student participation every year or schools added in,” Stewart said. “What I believe makes it grow is one of the most important pieces of our program, that we coach in an amazing, positive way where we coach at multiple levels. Everyone’s included. Our coaches apply teaching strategies to their coaching, so everyone has a positive experience. Everyone is included, at whatever ability they have.”

District programs also incorporate adaptive abilities for students who experience special needs, and it all goes back to the main goals.

Opportunity and participation. It’s a chance for the younger students in the district to give a sport a try and experience something new.

“You get to participate, learn skills, have a positive experience with a coach, a positive experience with classmates,” Stewart said. “They get to figure out if they like a sport. They might not know they like it, but they’re getting a chance to try it.”

The district currently offers traditional sports such as cross-country running, co-ed flag football, boys basketball, girls basketball, co-ed volleyball and track and field at the elementary level.

Coaches do not stress the competitive nature that out-of-district programs at this age level might. Stewart said district coaches want to maintain a balance in the competition to help ensure that students enjoy the experience. Coaches also want to make sure all participants see fair playing time.

The number of schools with programs and the number of squads at each school, “ebbs and flows,” in the team sports, Stewart said. Participation across the district varies on available staff to help coach and participation interest in the sport at each school.

Flag football, a rapidly growing sport in the state and across the nation, is the most recent addition at the elementary level. It’s been around about five years, Stewart said, starting with about three or four teams. This year there are about a dozen teams spread across seven schools.

“It grows every year,” he said.

The district flag football jamboree is Oct. 3 at Teeland Middle School.

Co-ed volleyball has also been added within the last decade. The fifth-grade co-ed volleyball jamboree is Feb. 27 at Wasilla Middle School.

Basketball also continues to grow. The district’s fifth-grade boys jamboree is Nov. 14 at Wasilla Middle, and the girls event follows Nov. 21 at WMS.

The track and field meet is, by far, the district’s biggest elementary sporting event, drawing more than 600 students participating each year.

“It’s one of the largest track and field meets in the state,” Stewart said.

Palmer High will host the meet May 8.

Another incredibly popular option for elementary-aged students is Junior Native Youth Olympics, which is coordinated in partnership with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council. The program is more inclusive simply because it's available to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and the activities offer a wider variety than traditional team sports.

“That’s one that everyone in the school could have the opportunity to participate in,” Stewart said. “You might have kids that might not be basketball or hockey stars, but they can do the stick pull.”

The JNYO season is typically in January and February.

Support from the parents has also been an integral part of the growth of elementary sports in the district, Stewart said. Everything from a parent adjusting their daily schedule to bring their child to or from a practice to volunteering at practices or events has helped make it possible to continue to offer organized sports at the elementary level.

The district cross-country championships start at 3 p.m. on Sept. 30. There is a 1-mile course for the fourth- and fifth-grade open classes. That helps encourage and allow more students to participate. Fourth graders run 1 ½ miles and there is a 2-mile course for the fifth graders.

Jeremiah Bartz is the community relations coordinator for the Mat-Su Borough School District.