Staff
Harlow Robinson – Co-Founder, Executive Director
Harlow is a founding member of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. He and Van Williams established the Alaska Sports Blog in 2009 as a way to provide more media coverage of Alaskans doing great things in sports around the world. The Susitna Valley High grad has a degree in journalism from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and his writing has appeared in numerous publications over the years including Alaska Magazine and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. An accomplished mountain runner, adventurer and sports enthusiast, Harlow is involved in either participating or organizing numerous Alaska sporting events. Contact Harlow at harlow@alaskasportshall.org.
Van Williams – Co-Founder, Editor
Van has worked for the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame since 2009, providing daily coverage of Alaska athletes all over the world. He has covered Alaska sports for 30 years and in 2022 was inducted into the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Van turned pro straight out of East High in 1990, signing with the Monroe Journal daily newspaper in North Carolina. He returned to Alaska to work for the Anchorage Times and later the Anchorage Daily News, where he spent 15 years and progressed from clerk to Sports Editor. Email him at alaskasportshall@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter @AKsportshall.
Doyle Woody – Reporter
Doyle covered Alaska sports for 34 years as a reporter/columnist for the Anchorage Daily News. The Bartlett High grad was the ADN’s principal hockey writer and is the only multiple-time winner of the ECHL’s Most Outstanding Media Award, which he won four times. He is a nine-time finisher of the Crow Pass Crossing backcountry marathon and two-time finisher of Mount Marathon. Find him on Twitter @JaromirBlagr
Matt Nevala – Reporter
When Matt, a veteran, award-winning storyteller, met his future wife Kristen in his hometown of Kalamazoo, Mich., back in August 1995, he moved to Alaska months later to see about building a life together. A few years and 3,000-plus miles later, the Detroit Red Wings won their first of four Stanley Cups since Nevala’s relocation across the continent. Oh, Matt and Kristen have also been happily married for 20-plus years and daughters Maggie and Moira couldn’t be more marvelous. Nevala cut his journalism teeth as a teenager and college student with the Kalamazoo Gazette before enjoying a decade-long, successful run as part of the uber-talented Anchorage Daily News staff. Reach him at matt.nevala@gmail.com or find him on Twitter @MNevala9
Beth Bragg – Reporter
Beth covered sports in Montana for nearly a decade before beginning a long career in Alaska. She arrived in April 1986 — a couple of weeks after Susan Butcher won her first Iditarod. As a sports writer and sports editor for the Anchorage Daily News for 35 years, she covered four Winter Olympics and won multiple awards at the national, regional and state levels. In 2022, Beth won the Joe Floyd Award presented by the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. In 2023, she was given with the First Amendment Award by the Alaska Press Club. Find her on Twitter @akbragg
Arielle Himelbloom – Reporter
Arielle is a Kodiak High graduate, a running connoisseur and a collegiate athlete at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she runs cross country and track for the Seawolves. She has earned five GNAC all-academic honors and was part of the 2018 UAA cross country team that won the GNAC championship. She has raced every distance from the 100 meters to half-marathons. In 2021, Arielle graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a minor in athletic training. She plans to pursue a Masters in public health at UAA. With the Alaska Sports Report, Arielle will write about track and field and running. Reach her at runnerarielle@gmail.com.
Chanda File – Reporter
Chanda grew into her love of sports after being introduced to the National Women’s Soccer League and college softball. She is now a passionate supporter of girls’ and women’s sports of all kinds and plays hockey and softball. Some of her favorite sports moments are attending the record-breaking 2023 University of Nebraska volleyball match in Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium and meeting her favorite professional wrestler during a WWE house show in Fairbanks. Raised in Fairbanks and a University of Alaska Fairbanks alum, Chanda currently works as a senior communications director in Anchorage. Her professional background includes stints in the Alaska State Legislature and University of Alaska. Chanda is excited to be part of the Alaska Sports Report team covering prep volleyball, softball, and girls’ hockey. Reach Chanda at chandafile@gmail.com.
Matias Saari – Reporter
Matias, a former sportswriter at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, is a coordinator for Healthy Futures, the signature program of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. He directs the Mount Marathon Race, an event he won in 2009, along with the Crow Pass Crossing and Kesugi Ridge Traverse. He won Fairbanks’ Equinox Marathon six times and wrote a book about its history. He especially enjoys reporting on skiing, running, biking and mushing. Matias regularly accesses mountains and trails from his doorstep in Bear Valley on the Anchorage Hillside. Reach him at matias@healthyfuturesak.org.
Stephanie Burgoon – Photographer
Stephanie picked up a camera to shoot her son playing youth sports and fell in love with sports photography. From Pop Warner to high school football, YMCA to UAA basketball, Little League to Legion to Alaska Baseball League, and any other sporting event she can get into, Stephanie loves the emotion and athletic talent that can be captured through the lens. Her love for sports stems from growing up in soccer, martial arts, cheer, dance, power lifting, and softball as well as being part of the teamwork and camaraderie that comes with sports. When she isn’t shooting sports, she loves following Texas A&M athletics and spending time with her husband, son and dogs.
Shelley Romer – Development Director
Shelley has been with the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame for seven years and has more than 15 years of building a strong resume in fundraising, grant writing, planning and business development. The West High grad, who got her Masters from Alaska Pacific University, grew up in both rural and urban Alaska being active/enjoying the great outdoors (especially rock climbing, skiing, running and hiking). Being healthy and enjoying our amazing state, especially with her fur child Gus, is very important to Shelley and she feels very passionate about our organization’s cause. Email her at shelley@healthyfuturesak.org to inquire about Alaska Sports Report sponsorship opportunities