A Day On Wikipedia

Alaska is home to a number of sports teams and events, nearly all of which are based or located in [[Anchorage, Alaska]], the state’s largest city. In Anchorage, the [[Sullivan Arena]] is home to the [[Alaska Aces]] of the [[ECHL]] and the [[Alaska Anchorage Seawolves]] of the [[NCAA]] [[division I]]. The city’s only other professional franchise is the [[Alaska Wild]], an [[arena football]] team that began playing with the [[Intense Football League]] in April 2007. A third professional franchise scheduled to begin play in November 2008 is the [[Alaska Dream]], a basketball team in the [[ABA]]. The [[Anchorage Bucs Baseball Club]] is a summer collegiate [[baseball]] team, attracting players from universities throughout the world. The [[Anchorage Glacier Pilots]] are a member of the [[National Baseball Congress]]. Both baseball clubs play at [[Mulcahy Stadium]].

The [[University of Alaska Anchorage]] (UAA) is a member of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]]. It has [[Division I]] teams in [[gymnastics]] and [[hockey]], as well as several other [[Division II]] teams.

Anchorage hosts a number of sporting events. UAA sponsors the annual [[Great Alaska Shootout]], an annual [[NCAA]] Division I basketball tournament featuring colleges and universities from across the [[United States]]. Anchorage is the finish line for the [[Sadler’s Ultra Challenge]] wheelchair race, and holds the ceremonial start of the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]]. The city was a candidate for hosting the 1992 and 1994 [[Winter Olympics]], but it lost to [[Albertville]] and [[Lillehammer]] respectively.

Anchorage is probably the premier cross-country skiing city on the planet, in terms of density of groomed trails within the urban core. There are 105 miles of maintained ski trails in the city, some of which reach downtown. The same trail system also provides access to Chugach State Park, a 495,000-acre high alpine park.<ref>http://www.muni.org/parks/Trails.cfm”</ref> The Tour of Anchorage is an annual 50-kilometer ski race within the city.<ref>[http://www.tourofanchorage.com/ Tour of Anchorage<!– Bot generated title –>]</ref>

There are four [[Rugby union|rugby]] clubs in Anchorage, including the Bird Creek Barbarians RFC, Anchorage Thunderbirds <ref>[http://www.thunderbirds.20m.com Home<!– Bot generated title –>]</ref>, Mat Valley Maulers RFC, and Spenard Green Dragons. <ref>[http://www.birdcreekrfc.com/ Alaska Rugby – Bird Creek Barbarians RFC<!– Bot generated title –>]</ref> The season runs from April through September.

Many notable professional sports figures are from Anchorage. They include:
*[[Matt Carle]], [[National Hockey League|NHL]] [[ice hockey|hockey]] player for the [[Tampa Bay Lightning]]
*[[Brandon Dubinsky]], [[National Hockey League|NHL]] [[ice hockey]] player for the [[New York Rangers]]
*[[Scott Gomez]], [[National Hockey League|NHL]] [[ice hockey|hockey]] player for the [[New York Rangers]]
*[[Trajan Langdon]], [[United States|American]] [[basketball]] player for [[PBC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]]
*[[Josh Phelps]], [[Major League Baseball|MLB]] [[baseball]] player for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]
*[[Mark Schlereth]], Former [[National Football League|NFL]] guard and current [[ESPN]] [[American football|football]] analyst
*[[Dave Williams (baseball)]], MLB pitcher for the [[New York Mets]]
*[[Shawn Chacon]], Pitcher for the [[Houston Astros]]
*[[Ty Conklin]], [[National Hockey League|NHL]] goalie for the [[Detroit Red Wings]]
*[[Curt Schilling]], former starting pitcher for the [[Boston Red Sox]]
*[[Erik Ellington]], [[Skateboard|Professional Skateboarder]]
*[[Mario Chalmers]], guard for the [[Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball]] team
*[[Zackary Bowman]], cornerback for the [[Chicago Bears]]
*[[Alan Alborn]], American Olympian Ski Jumper, [[2002 Winter Olympics]]

[[Category:Anchorage, Alaska]]