ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Solstice Football Camp at West Anchorage High School drew just over 300 teens for its three-day event in 2026. Organizers expanded the camp to include all football positions after previously limiting attendance to offensive and defensive linemen.

Camp attendance for 2026, which included incoming freshmen to rising seniors, marked an increase from the previous year's attendance of nearly 150 participants. Duncan Shackelford, the camp organizer, stated, "Instead of calling it the Alaska Solstice Linemen's Camp, let's make it the Alaska Solstice Football Camp and get everybody here." The first camp in 2015 had 14 youths participate. Walter Harmon and Tim Davis co-organize the camp.

Over a dozen Alaska football figures, who coach or played at the college or NFL level, were featured at the 2026 camp. Camp attendees participated in position drills and heard about former players' experiences. Edefuan Ulofoshio, a third-year inside linebacker with the Cleveland Browns, and Chris Kuper, a former NFL offensive lineman who coaches for the Philadelphia Eagles, served as camp ambassadors.

Ulofoshio, a former South Anchorage High School standout, said of the camp's growth, "It means the world." He noted, "When I was a kid and tried to look up football players, you'd see (Anchorage's) Mark Schlereth and that was about it." Ulofoshio added, "I always believed that we could get kids to come down here and be NFL athletes."

Kuper, a former Dimond High School standout, played nearly a decade in the NFL, all with the Denver Broncos. He spoke about his journey, stating, "I just worked and worked and put my head down and got drafted." Kuper emphasized the importance of local role models, saying, "Being that guy for these (kids) to say that I grew up in Anchorage, that doesn't mean that football ends for me in Anchorage."

Jackson Harmon, a former South Anchorage High School player who recently completed a national championship run at Montana State, and Alani Makihele, a former West Anchorage High School player who concluded his college career at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, served as counselors for the 2026 camp. Shackelford noted, "These are the kind of kids that are getting the opportunity to get out there in front of colleges these days." He added, "Colleges aren't afraid to come up to Alaska and take a look at a kid now."