Anchorage Daily News

A saying that has floated around the Kelter household for years has kept the kids traveling from one state to the next and their parents flying by the seat of their pants.

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Alev Kelter of Chugiak plays on national soccer and hockey teams.

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"Our Kelter mentality is to do everything to our fullest potential," said Chugiak junior Alev Kelter. "And if there's more, don't stop."

For example, Kelter boarded an jet headed for Honolulu just before 2 a.m. Saturday, to compete in a girls club soccer tournament with her twin sister and teammate, Derya.

Roughly seven hours before departure, the girls hadn't packed their bags, which is another story, and were thinking about romping around Hidden Lake near Eagle River for some last-minute Alaska fun.

"Yeah, it's kind of non-stop," admitted their father, Scott Kelter. "They've been go-getters since they were little."

And it's the go-hard, play-harder mentality in girls soccer, boys hockey, girls flag football, and competing nationally on two different U.S. national teams -- soccer and hockey -- that led Anchorage Daily News sports writers to select Alev Kelter as the 2008 Daily News Girls Athlete of the Year.

Kelter gave a lot of credit to her twin, who's a minute older, because their ongoing sibling rivalry keeps her competing at the highest level.

"I'd love to share it with her," Kelter said. "We've been competing against each other since we were born and she's always there for my support."

Kelter is the only the second Chugiak athlete to win the award. Brit Jacobson, a standout in basketball and track and field, won in 1994 and 1993.

In a Daily News Web poll, readers voted East swimmer Meghan Cavanaugh as the top female athlete of the 2007-08 school year for breaking two state records. Cavanaugh took 37 percent of the vote, while Kelter finished with 25 percent. Distance runner Leah Francis of Juneau was third with 23 percent.

"This is exciting," said Kelter after hearing the news of her award. "It's a great honor."

What set Kelter apart from her peers was her three superlative sports seasons.

All three teams she played for made it deep into the playoffs. Chugiak's girls flag football team finished a perfect 17-0; its boys hockey and girls soccer teams both advanced to the state semifinals.

"Any sport she plays, she dominates," said Bartlett track and field coach John Schmitz.

There was a time, Alev said, back when the Kelter sisters lived in Arkansas, they played six sports -- soccer, hockey, softball, swimming, tennis and basketball. But one day after moving to Alaska nine years ago their parents suggested they should slow down and narrow the field to just two.

Now people are wondering which sport (soccer or hockey) Alev will choose after her senior year when she heads off to college. For her, it's simple: She wants to play both.

"People say I have to narrow it down," Kelter said. "But hockey helps train me for soccer, and soccer helps train me for hockey. If I'm running for 90 minutes it's going to help me skate on the ice."

Going from one sport to the next never bothers Kelter.

"I love it," she said. "My family and friends coincide within our teams, so it's my social life. I wouldn't change it for anything."

The school year started with a bang as Kelter helped Chugiak's flag football team beat Service to capture its first Cook Inlet Conference title.

A week later she suited up in hockey gear to play defense on the boys varsity hockey team. It's not uncommon to have girls playing boys hockey around the state, but this season Kelter was the only girl to play in the Cook Inlet Conference, arguably the toughest high school hockey league in Alaska.

Kelter had the option to play in the all-girls league, but her style of play is more suited to skate with the boys.

"She likes to play a physical hockey game," said Chugiak coach Rod Wild.

In December, she temporarily left the team to play girls hockey for Team USA and scored a goal in its victory over Canada in the Women's World Under-18 Hockey Championships.

In the spring, Kelter and company tried to lead Chugiak to its second consecutive state title, but fell short in a 2-1 loss to South.

"She brings more than just skill to the team," Chugiak soccer coach Dan Pinkerton said. "She brings team leadership."

Several Chugiak hockey players graduated this year, so Wild said she'll have big shoes to fill on the blueline. Wild isn't the least concerned with her work ethic -- or gender.

"She always has the goal of getting better," he said. "She spends a lot of time comparing today to yesterday."

Asked whether she has the skills to play Division I girls hockey, Wild replied, "She can go wherever she wants."

The Kelter sisters left Saturday morning for Honolulu to play in the Far West regions for the Alaska Rush girls soccer team. But they're also scheduled to be in Lake Placid, N.Y., to attend the Girls Select U-17 national hockey camp.

So they packed hockey bags and soccer bags for the Aloha State. They could be the only Alaskans to ever check hockey bags for a Hawaii flight -- at least in June.

"I wonder if USA Hockey picked up the bill?" Wild said.

Find Kevin Klott online at adn.com/contact/kklott or call 257-4335.

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