Luck can be hard to find, so we often look for it in small places: in a pair of old socks, a rabbit's foot, or a four-leaf clover. For the Fredericks family in Bethel, it always came back to the number 10.
"I started my guesses at 12:10, and I went to 1:10, and 2:10, and 3:10, and 4:10, and 10 is a lucky basketball number for us," Jerry "Dada" Fredericks explained. "And our son plays basketball. He's a number 10. And I just use 10 every year."
The Kuskokwim Ice Classic is an annual river breakup guessing fundraiser for community groups throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where anyone can buy a guess at the exact day, hour, and minute the ice tripod in Bethel will break free from the shore and float down the Kuskokwim River, tripping a clock on land.
This year, that occurred at 4:10 p.m. on Monday, May 5. And one Bethelite guessed it exactly. Dada won the 2025 Kuskokwim Ice Classic jackpot of $15,845.
But Dada wasn't the only one to use the lucky number. In the Minute Madness competition, guessers can "buy" a minute of the hour, good for whatever day the ice breaks, for a smaller pool. Dada purchased minute 10 for his wife, Melanie Frederick's, birthday. She won a prize of $10,000.
Then, his twin brother, Gary "Isa" Fredericks, also used minute 10 in another round of Minute Madness, and also won $10,000.
Throughout the Kuskokwim Ice Classic guessing season, Dada purchased 20 guesses, which cost him a total of $80. He said that as a loyal Kuskokwim Ice Classic competitor, the win has been a long time coming.
"I'm a lifelong Bethelite, so I grew up here," Fredericks said. "I've been buying tickets for the last 40 years. And I'd sure like to thank Bethel Community Services (Foundation). They put this stuff on every year. It's good for the community, good, healthy guessing, and it goes to a good cause."
Dada and Melanie also extend their thanks to Kuskokwim Ice Classic manager Haley Hanson, as well as to Bethel Community Services Foundation Executive Director Michelle DeWitt and other volunteers.
Down at the riverfront where the Kuskokwim Ice Classic winner was announced, Dada's twin brother, Isa, drove by in his truck. Rolling down his window he called out to Dada, asking how many people won.
Dada held up one finger.
"Nice," Isa called back before driving away.
When a breakup date and time have multiple correct guesses, winners have to split the pool. Dada wasn't just feeling lucky for his correct guess. He said that he was also surprised to be the only one to have guessed it.
Dada and Melanie said that the winnings will go towards the construction of their new home, underway this spring and summer.
"We just made a barge order yesterday afternoon on the second floor," Dada said. "So that's going to help a lot. So pay a little bills and stuff and just keep going forward."
Melanie said that the new house is close to the river. It's been exciting to anticipate living next to the Kuskokwim, to be nearer to the life in Bethel that happens around it. She said that as a family they talk about being close enough to watch the Kuskokwim 300 sled dogs run by, attend Breakup Bash, and watch the river flow.
"We spend a lot of time on the river," Melanie said. "I mean, we're river people. We love the river. And it's just been unreal, unreal that him and I just happened to win at the same time or win something at the same time. It's awesome."
"The river gives everything, you know, gives us fish, food, and a little winnings," Dada said.
Dada said that the family immediately celebrated by cashing in on local restaurant The Three Tortillas' Cinco de Mayo taco special. When they later met up with Isa at his house, Dada joked that they're definitely twins by how they celebrated the Kuskokwim Ice Classic wins: Isa was also eating The Three Tortillas tacos.
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