As Ridley approached the ball, she thought through what she calls “the journey” of the jump. She thought about how she would brace herself on the floor on one hand and loft one leg upward, stretching her body to its greatest length. Her foot, toe pointed, had to make contact with the ball.

Chances were it would. Ridley, who lives in Anchorage, is one of the best female high kickers in the world. As she approached the ball on the floor of the Fairbanks Carlson Center, she already held the world record in the Alaskan High Kick, as well as for a similar event that involves hitting the ball with both feet, the two-foot high kick.

To help focus, Ridley thought of her family, of an uncle, also a noted kicker, and her grandmother, who is from the Inupiat village of Wales, the westernmost mainland community in North America, on the edge of the Bering Sea.

Then it was time for the attack. Shoulders up. Hips up. Explosive leg. Toe to sealskin. Applause rolled down the stands. She gestured for the ball to be moved higher. Her best, the highest ever, was 83 inches, but she wanted to beat it.