Matias Saari
Sports writer
Call Matias at 907-459-7591.
Matias Saari, 37, grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan a quarter-mile from Lake Superior. After surviving a teenage year in Chengdu, China (his dad is a retired history professor) and spending many joyful childhood summers in Austria (his mom grew up on a dairy farm in the foothills of the Alps), he attended Michigan State University, where he “earned” a degree in journalism. Saari took his first newspaper job as a general assignment reporter for the Ketchikan Daily News in 1995 not because it was a dream to move to Alaska but because nobody else had offered him a job. Three and a half years later he moved to Fairbanks, thinking he wanted to pursue a creative writing master’s degree at UAF. Really he didn’t, so he tried a panoply of jobs — Census Bureau, herb farm, park ranger, library, used bookstore — before landing as a sportswriter at the News-Miner in April 2006. He lives near the top of Murphy Dome in a humble cabin he built (with much help) that still needs a lot of work. On his eighth attempt, he won the Equinox Marathon in 2007; Saari expects the book he’s begun about the history of the race to take at least as many years to finish.
Recent Stories
- Ailment can’t slow down defending champion swimmer Goering
- Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009
- As if swimming wasn’t already a tough enough sport, Anne Goering has an extra challenge: chlorine-induced asthma.
- Wildfeuer, West Valley claim regional gymnastics crowns
- Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009
- Zoe Wildfeuer dominated the all-around competition — but a team effort is what secured West Valley’s fourth straight Region VI Gymnastics Championships on Saturday.
- Laine’s marathon effort helps Alaska swimmers claim win
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009
- Nearly two years ago, Kinsey Laine of the Alaska Nanooks swam the 1,650-yard freestyle — then told a teammate she’d never do the grueling event again.
- Nanooks volleyball swept at Northwest Nazarene
- Friday, Oct. 16, 2009
- The troubles for the Alaska Nanooks are mostly mental but are manifesting in tentative play on the volleyball court, coach Phil Shoemaker said Thursday.
- Nanooks hoops squads get back in the Patty
- Friday, Oct. 16, 2009
- The Alaska Nanooks practiced for the first time on Thursday — and two priorities for the men’s basketball team in 2009-10 were immediately clear: conditioning and defense.
- Lanning, Loud gelled quickly for state title
- Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009
- Lathrop High School seniors Drew Lanning and Tyler Loud had barely played doubles tennis together before they became the Malemutes’ first state champions last weekend in Anchorage.
- Seawolves sting Nanooks with volleyball sweep
- Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009
- FAIRBANKS — Senior Megan Thigpen had never experienced losing to the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves at the Patty Center.
- Seattle’s depth sinks Nanooks in pool
- Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009
- FAIRBANKS — Mariya Pavlovskaya wasn’t too concerned that her Alaska Nanooks were swept in season-opening swim meets against Seattle University.
- Ice Dogs fall in home opener
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
- FAIRBANKS — Goaltender David Eland was just trying to set up an Ice Dogs teammate for a rush up the rink.
- Nanooks to take on Seawolves
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009
- FAIRBANKS — A home match against a team ahead of them in the standings qualifies as a crucial volleyball match for the Alaska Nanooks. Throw in that the opponent is the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, and tonight’s contest gets even bigger.
