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Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004, Issue #3

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Page 1: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004
Page 2: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

s&ffiewstrwffiKsWORLDWIDE MAGAZINE

THE MAGAZINE OF COMPETITIVE SLED DOG RACING AND CAREDISTANCE - DRYLAND - SPRTA'T - SKIJOR

Sled Dog Sports Worldwide Magazine is a monthly publication dedicated to thesport ofsled dog racing as well as the care and well being ofthe dogs that provide uswith so much love, enthusiasm and enjoyment. Our goal with this publication is toenhance participation in the sport by presenting it as the exciting, adventurous, andhigh-level endeavor that it is.

Editorial Subrlrissions are welcome and highly encouraged. We cannot, however,be responsible for the damage or loss of unsolicited malerials. The best way to sub-mit articles or photos for consideralion, or lo inquire about specifics and guidelines isto do so via email at the address below.

Advertising Submissions are even more welcome, please email, call or visitrrrww.sleddogsportsmag.com to download a rate packet. Reach your target market inan economical, efficient way. Sled Dog Sports Magazine reserves the right to rejectadvertising that is not appropriate.

Deadlines for ads and editorial copy are the 15th of the month prior to the month ofpublication. ie: deadline for the December 2004 issue is November 1sth 2004.

Subscriptions are available for $30 yearly in the U.S., $3B yearly in Canada, and $50yearly in Europe via airmail. Subscriptions are mailed out via Presort Standard Majland arrive in about 7-10 days from date of mailing, Note: Presort mail to Alaska is veryslow, sometimes taking 2-3 weeks. 1st Class l\4ail subscriptions usually arrlve in 1-3days from date of mailing and are an additional $10 per yearly subscription. Newstandand single copy price is $4.99 per issue,

Mailing lists are not currently available for purchase,

EDITOR & PUBLISHER:GREG SELLENTIN

635 Route 94Newton. NJ 07860r:917-929-6118F: 973-300-0455

ei [email protected]: www.sleddogsportsmag.com

Cover: Mitch Seavev in the 2004 lditarodPhoto: @ 2004 Jeff Schultz AlaskaStock.com

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Page 3: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Page 4: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Mitch Seaveylditarod GhamPion 2OO4

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Mitch Seavey and team on their way to first place in the 2004 lditarod photo: @ 2004 Jeff Schultz www'alaskastock'com

Page 5: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

I spoke with Mitch Seaaey in early lrtrooemberthis year.He was packing up the dog truck and on his way out of the SouthCentral Alaskan town of Sterling to travel north to get some snowtraining with the dogs. They usually go for a couple of weeks at a time,and it is a yearly event for Mitch and his team. Various winters he hasspent a large portion of the winter up in Nenana, Two Rivers, or overin Lake Louise. "This time of year we need to be on snow, and they aremore likely to have it than we are," Mitch says. "We are kind of shutdown right now, it is frozen pretty hard without a lot of snow"SDS: Hi Mitch, for our readers out there who may not know how youcame to be an Iditarod champiory tell me a little about your back-ground?MS: I was born in Minnesota, and grew up in Seward, AK. We movedthere when I was 4 yrs. old, just in time for the 1964 earthquake. Mydad got into dogs almost immediately through a fellow school teacherin Seward. Running dogs was one of my dad's dreams, and was themain reason we moved to Alaska in the first place.

SDS: Did you have dogs in Minnesota?MS: No.SDS: Wow, that is quite a "follow your dream" type of move, to justpick up and take the family to Alaska.MS: That is exactly it, Alaska was a dream {or my dad. So at age 4, Ibecame an Alaskan. Almost immedi-ately my dad became acquainted andfriends with foe Redington Sr. Theyhad the Aurora dog mushers club, andas a small kid, I can remember run-ning races off of Knik lake over there.This school teacher friend of mydad's, Tom Johnsory is one of the peo-ple along with joe who is connectedwith originating the Iditarod race. Hewas a close family friend, and com-

"I had been thinking that 2004zlould be our year. As each monthu)ent by, I had more end more con-

fidence that I would be right."

There is enough of us between my boys and I that are Iditarod veter-ans, that the information we give out is extremely high qualiry wefeel. We know what we are talking about, we've been doing it all ourlives. It is not a1l serious though, it has a decidedly humorous bend toit. People really have a good time. The tour has been ranked as oneof Alaska's top twenty attractions, and it was voted by AlaskaMagazine readers as Alaska's best sled dog tour. We are very proud ofit, and have been doing it for 11 yrs. We host thousands of people, andwe need to represent the sport to the public in a positive upliftingmanner. It is extremely rare to have a negative comment, some peoplecome in with a certain mind se! but on that note, we are pretty happywith the number of people we have had whose points of view aboutthe sport we have turned around. When you hook up 12 dogs andthey are all happy and excited to go, it is pretty hard for people to clingto their misconceptions that the dogs are abused or forced to run.SDS: Your sons have grown up around dogs and dog racing much thesame as you did.MS: Yeall, only more so!SDS: Do they want to make a career out of working with dogs?MS: They are not necessarily talking about making a career out of it.My oldest son Danny is about to graduate from college with a busi-ness degree, he is an extremely important part of the management ofour sled dog tour company. He is also an excellent dog musher and Iwouldn't be surprised if you see him signed up for the Iditarod again

in the near future. My second oldestson Tyrell is signed up to run theIditarod this year, he spent one year incollege, didn't think too much of it, sohe took some time off to work in thefamily business and run dogs. He hasa full four year scholarship so he'llprobably go back, but he is also theone that I would think would end uprunning dogs in the end. Dallas is thethird oldest son he is an outstanding

mercial fishing partner with my dad. One of our early contacts with

Joe was leasing a fishing boat from him, but that is whole other story!The boat sits now, as it has for decades, beached on the tidal flats outin front of the Knik bar.SDS: Your dad ran the first Iditarod, and how many did he run total?MS: He ran the first two, 7973 & 1974 and then because he was a highschool teachel it was difficult to get time off, so he took a hiatus thenran again in 1,997, when it was the 25th anniversary of the race, thenagain in 2001 when my son Danny raced.SDS: Was it always a natural thing, to want to be involved with dogsor did you want to do more traditional sports while you were grow-ing up?MS: I did quite a few other things, we had horses as well, we didhunting with horses. I was also involved with high school wrestling,my dad was the wrestling coach at Seward high school. I always tookto the dogs though, and my sister took to the horses which she is stillinvoived with. Growing up, I mean my dad had a good job and all,but we moved into a house that didn't have electricity when wemoved iry there was no phone there at any time when I lived there, wewere 5 miles out at the end of the road, had to plow it ourselves, thatsort of thing.SDS: The real Alaskan lifestyle.MS: Exactly, we were busy just living there.SDS: I find it interesting that mushers can make a living with dogs inaddition to racing. Or maybe I should say the opposite, but in anycase, you run a hugely successful touring business outside of thesport, can you describe that a bit?MS: Our tour at our property in Seward, which is my parents proper-ty, is about an hour and a half tour including a two mile ride on a "cus-tom wheeled sled". The ride goes through the woods, up the canyonnext to a mountain it is really beautiful. It is a real wilderness ride, itis not just around a parking lot. It is enough that people can get asense for what it is like to be out in the woods with dogs. It is extreme-ly popular. We also have kennel and equipment demonstrations.

wrestler - Greco Roman national champion in his age group, and he islooking at a wrestling scholarship to go to college. His goal is to wres-t1e in the Olympics for the U.S.A.SDS: I saw you and Tyrell talk at the ADMA symposium, and wasreally impressed by the focus and maturity of a young adult his age(20). Do you think the demands of taking care of the dogs and the 1es-sons learned working with them, from touring to competitiory havebeen helpful lessons in raising children?MS: That is exactly the case. We also home school all of our childreryso they spend a whole lot of time around adults rather than aroundyounger kids. I meary they have friends and all and do normal kidstuff too. We are really proud of them.SDS: Can you describe the strain of Alaskan Husky you use for theIditarod, and are they the same dogs you use in the touring business?MS: We use the same dogs year round. I have currently have 150dogs plus puppies. My main racing dogs are off duty from the end ofthe Iditarod until the middle of June. They do touring all through thesummer, get a few weeks of complete rest time in August, then inSeptember we start ATV training for racing. Our strain of dogs is across of traditional distance dogs with sprint dogs and our own spe-cial blend of herbs and spices!SDS: You've entered three teams in the Iditarod, how many dogs arein training for this?MS: At the present time Tyrell and I are training 66 dogs, we are train-ing together. Dallas has another group of 35 dogs for the puppy teamin the Iditarod. Our puppy team are really dogs all over 2 yrs old. Wedon't run yearlings, or young dogs in the race. We have another groupof 35-40 yearlings and older leaders to keep them going in the rightdirection. Those dogs do the tours in the winter when the other dogsare training to race.SDS: In August after you've rested the tour dogs that are going torace in the upcoming yea1, does it take a long time to get them to adaptto training for racing versus touring?MS: Well, you are getting into the good stuff here. First of all our cart

continued on next page

Page 6: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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rides aren't that slor'v. Our touring cart .holds 7 peop.le, and the {irst I have are extremelv driven, high attitude and ph.ysi.cally extrem.elyrnileisuphillslightly, thc-1. r'tall,v have to \^,r)l-k. Cjoingbackdonn we capable. We trait-r them st'r they have an immense anrount of confi-are on the brakes t l-re r,vholc way. When lve start ATV t lairr ing in dence,i treal l-vneveroccrrrstothernthattheycanfai l . TheythinktheySeptembel,weffoevenslowel. Youcan'tgoarwslolvert l lanlvegoin can do whatever we ask of thenr. In turn we lre\/er ask them io do

more than they are capable of. We set up all of our training scssions,even pu.ppy walks, so that the dogs can succeed. 13y the tinr.e they get

MS: I'm talking 1-2 mph going up the hills, my dogs learn and know into my group a ferv years laier, they have never failed at anything.horv to pu11. The ATV is in trsl gear r'vith the motor off ! That's lrow we They just believe that they can do anything they set oltt to do. Thatsta|t merr l .a l i ty is imnrensely r a luable i r r lorrg distance lacing.

SDS: Do you think r'-orking that slor""' and hard limits how fast they SDS: Do you ever buy dogs, and if vou do, do 1.ou notice a differcncccan. go nhen they h.ave the chance, I mean because of muscie devel- in thcir statc of nrind from the dogs that have the r,vhole "seavey con-opment and a trained pace? f i dencc proF,r . r m " ab:o |bcd I r . rnr pu ppvhot 'd ?

MS: Well it stalts r,r'ith genetics, my dogs are irrclined and physically MS: In buying dogs, I try b buy dogs tirat are similar to the ones I amable to really \,vant to go fast. In terms of training, there are diffcrent raising. I'm more likeJy to buy dogs for breeding. Thi.s pasi summerways to train differcnt dogs. Ycals ago I had dogs that'r.vele slowcr I bought cluite a {ev,, clogs, and some of them arc outstandins and I'mandlneed.edtotrainthemtogofaster. T1-rereisar,."'holedif{erentmen- .really impressed witl-r them, and some of then-r are disappointing.talitl, in training a slor,r-er dog to go faster. What I have nor,r, are dogs Thev all went into the puppy group (n,ith the 2 yr olds) beiause eventhat tend to be too fast for the lditarod. I have to train them to go if they are older they havcn't been in my program and I carr't expectslower. I reallv clon't knorv if it limits iheir top end because I could thern to do what I'm about to go do.cafe less aboni 23 mph. I can 5;o 20 mph clown hills an<l not a dog SDS: Where does someone r.,n'lio has won the Iditaro,.l go to buy dogs?J.ooks back ol misses a step, a.rrd that is way faster than I r-reed to go in J. m.ean w.here do you go from there?the race. There are some clogs that sirnply can't do th.rt. Those a re the MS: I'm looking at bloodlines so I'm looking for breedir-rg potential.same dogs I have four-rd that have tror-rble going 11 m.pl-r for days and There are some people th.rt have awesome dogs tJr.rt aren't racing ordays. M1, goal is to have dogs that are so physical.l_v capable that they aren't fitting into their proglams if they are racing. Maybe I can takedcln ' teverreal lygett i red. Inradeacommelr tatWhiteMount.r inthis thatdog,theunderachiever,andmakeasuperstaroutof i t .year, that this was the {irst time my clogs looked tired. That lr'as SDS: Did your dad. use the same bloodlines, or have you taken vourbecause I had a l4 hr. run, nhich was lor"rger than it should have been ou,n breetling progranr in a different direction?because the trail markers lt'cre screu-ed r-rp. lt botirerecl me that thel' MS: t havc dogs in the yard that are relatcd back to his older lines oflooke. l t i lecl .bccatr 'eLJrel rhpl l l i6 lharebeen. fhelvpeof c logr1f i31 dog, ' . fhr '*e t l r ,8: wt ' r l b igg, t ' r . hcaviur and nton' l ike t ladi l ional

The tditarod trait travets through some of the most beautitul, and desotate places on the planet, even if they don t look like this planet.photo @ 2004 Jeff Schultz www.alaskastock.com

Page 7: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Siberian Huskies. Mine are a little dif{erent.SDS: How much, and how, . lo you thin-1. th. 'dogr that run the ld i tarodcornpet i I ively have changed ?MS: In general the size of the dog has gotten smalle4 but there are stillsome good size dogs that can do well in the Iditarod, they are not theMalaiiute types oieven the Siberian bodv types, they are more of thehound-cross type. I t depends on the whole package of mental at f i tudeplus physical capability. Part of it is the trail is probably better than itwas in the past, and we can race different types of dogs then we couldin the pa:t .SDS: Why is the trail better now?MS: Wel l , as much as we complain about the I ron Dog Snowmobi lerace that uses the trail be{ore Iditarod, at least there has been soitre-thing over most of the trail before u,e get there. Parts ol it does getdemolished though, and you wish they didn't go over it wi'th sn iw:mobi les.SDS: This year you are fielding three teams: yourself, T}te1l andDallas. I ary assuming you are getting the "A" team, are Tyrell:andDallas taking adults that are competitive, or are they just trainirlg dogqfor [uture races?MS: It iq going to be interesting. I know I'll have the best team, lrutTyrell will have a goocl team we ate planning something like milrbe aday behind. It is or*y his second race, he knows what he is,doingthough and plans on being competitive,SDS: Although it is an accomplishment just to finish the raleit)touhave had vary,ing amounts of success - placing only in the top ien |n1q98 & 2000 (4th & 9th) out of 10 other attempts. In 2001 you droppedto 42nd,place. What happened in that race, how <Jid you bquqce b;ak?MS: That race I probably could have done a little betteu may!,e 28th

or something, but that was the same year we had 3 generatioris ofSeaveys in the race. My dad and Danrry were running also. ls [artcdout the race on my compet i t ive schedule, had varying problems. wel lyou could say meltdowns, so I ended up stayirrg in Crayl ing for some-thing l ike 50 hrs. I could have scratched or s l ruggled on, but I took acouple day* rest . le l lhe dogs rest and waited for my other lami lymembers. It's important !o say that the dogs never quit. They wouldhave plowed through it, but I knew we wouldrltbe a top finisher andii wouldn't be productive We had a really great itfip together fromthere, ' . ' . . , . . .SDS: Well you bounced back after Lha[, and 3 vears later won. Did

Vou e\pect to run dt the front in this racelia i ' r ! "p". ,J t " a. pr"r f much what I d id. I krew I had a real lygood team, we had made a tot of changes in recent years. We changedour geneiics during a four year process. I had been thinking that 2004would be our year. As each month wenl . by dur ing that previous 4yeais, I had more and more con{idence that I would'be righ1,, I ignev.er a,slam dunk" even if we had a really good race.and ended up inthe top 5, Iwould have bccn happy. You can' t control whaI posi t ionyou are going to f irr ish in, but you have a feel ing at the end of the raceif i t has been a success or nol.SDS: Do you think you caught anyone by surpr ise wi th your resul t?MS: I imagine I caught everyone by surppiss. When you look aL lhemedia in the ear ly part of the race, I might as wel l not have even beenthere. Not al l reporters are real ly al l that astute as to what i : real lygolng on,: They see tlie names, they see the checkpoint time$, &ey

iump in l ine and say the same thing. Meant ime, I had faster and fastert imes and an ever improving posit ion, and was in the running before

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most of the media realized it. co ntin ued. on. ne xt p4 ge

Page 8: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

Mitch Seavey interview continued from previous pageSDS: Was that the plan from the beginning, to hang back from thefront and then make a move later in the race, or did it morph as therace played out?MS: Looking at the stats, that is kind of a way to describe it. I can'tcontrol what other people do. What you're seeing as a reporter isMitch is in Bth, in 4th, in 1st whatever. What I'm seeing is that I'm run-ning the race on a conservative schedule. The closer to the end of therace, the less conservative I have to be. If that puts me ahead of all theother teams, then I'm winning the race.SDS: Do you ever take into account what the other teams are doingas far as it affecting your own race plan?MS: I do take into account the other teams. Thisyear it meant that I was able to give my dogsextra rest. I could see that I was running fasterand getting closer to the front. By allowing thedogs to rest more, it was like money in the bank.If you are fast, well rested and at or near thefront you are pretty dangerous. Take away oneof those and it is different. Having said that,there may be some situations where you maywant to jump out ahead of someone, but we arerunning this race really close to what we eachfeel is the limits of our dogs' abilities. If I'mdoing that already, if another musher leaves acheckpoint before I'm ready to go, what do I gainby shorting my dogs on rest and jumping outthere to go with him? I gain nothing. I'm alreadystaying the minimum that I feel I can stay.

Mitch Seavey and wife Jeanine celebratein Nome, 2004. photo : @ 2004 JeffSc h u ltz www. al askastock. co m

race the past few years. Has this kind of experimentation with mush-ing tools always been there but not publicized, or are there genuinelymany new things being tried currently?MS: A lot of things we do we've been doing for years. Then otherthings show up and immediately articles appear and they are toutedas the greatest thing since dog booties. We've had spreaders in ourtow lines for at least B yrs. and I've never been asked about it, it justbaffles me. Now we've added spreaders in the harnesses which Ithink is the single most important innovation that has happened in along, long time. We do have many other inr-rovations that aren't read-ily apparent. The reporters and journalist notice the most obvious

things at the starting 1ine, but they don't come toour kennel, they don't come to us and ask us, orlook closely enough at the starting 1ine, or cometo training sessions, so they notice only the bigobvious things. For me innovation means thatyou can improve a situation or solve a knownprobiem without creating other problems. If yougive up one probiem for another set of problemsyou really haven't helped yourself.SDS: What is really interesting to me is hearingyou speak about your harnesses on the samestage as Jeff King this past Fall. You were talkingabout how these harnesses and gangline setupsal1ow your dogs to pull more and hardel, andbasically Jeff was saying the exact opposite. Hebelieves by having the dog pu1l less, it avoidssome injuries, and allows him to take a larger

SDS: Is it more important to draw out a plan and stick to it, or is it team to Nome. It was as if you guys were speaking a different lan-more helpful to be able to "read" the race and your team and run the guage, but you were both talking about Iditarod. It is hard to faultrace accordingly? either result this past year.MS: You have to read the race to the extent that you pencil in approx-imate running time between checkpoints before you leave. This yearruns were taking at least a couple of hours longer. You have to react tothat based on what your team is doing. If they are handling it maybeyou don't have to react at all.SDS: If your run takes longel, do you rest them an equal amountlonger?MS: That depends on what you see in your team. If your dog team canhandle i! if a run takes 2 hrs longer than expected and your team looksgood you maybe don't have to adjust. If they don't look so good,maybe you better give them an extra two hours rest or plan on split-ting up the next run. There are a lot of variables. It is easy for us toplan a winning schedule at home. Getting it done is a little harder.SDS: Ok, on paper, at home, is your run/rest schedule equal amountsof time?MS: In general my run to rest schedule is negative for resting. Butthat is because when you look at the times and the schedule, at the endof the race you are doing some phenomenal things and the finish linecomes along and saves you, basically.SDS: Robert Sorli, the 2003 winnel, will be back for this race. He toldus in the last issue that his plan is the same as it was in 2003, to get outfront and stay out front. In your opinion is this a good plan, would itwork for you?MS: My opinion is thai plan would work really well in theFinnmarkslopet, which is only a 600 mile race. It worked reasonablewell in the 2003 Iditarod, because it was flat and because the race startmoved to Fairbanks that year, everyone else was also a rookie on thefirst part of the trail. Its effectiveness on the traditional trail, let's sayIast year's Northern route, was pretty good. I thought Kjetil Backenran a really impressive race. The Southern route is even tougher thanthe Northern route, so that leaves the open ended question and wewon't know until March.SDS: Other than the Iditarod, what other races do you plan on doingin preparation this year?MS: I'm planning on the Kusko, I may run the Knik 200, and we'Il runthe Tustemena 200 also.SDS: There seem to be many new pieces of equipmen! from harness-es to sleds; some high-tech some low-tech, that are popping up in the

MS: Yes, there is a friendly argument going on between us. We cer-tainly admire each other for taking the steps to look at something dif-ferent. Most people just buy what is on the shelf and never thinkabout it again. I wish Jeff hadn't finished so well this year, so that Icould really point to my harnesses and say how much better they are!My philosophy is that my dogs have got to pull, and puIl hard. Butthere is certainly no design in my harness that mandates the dog pullshard, it can rest. That gets to the meat of the subject, which is the train-ing. Like I said earlier I have a lot of high energy dogs and we spenda lot of time getting them to settle down, if they know in their brainsto settle down and pace themselves, than our harness is ideal.SDS: What companies have you partnered with to help you run theIditarod each year.MS: Taiga harnesses have made all the different prototypes and havedone a real good job with that.SDS: Are those harnesses for sale to the public?MS: Yes, they are making them and selling them through different out-lets. Last year we switched to Blackwood 7000 dog food as a result oftesting a lot of different dog foods in our kennel. That was the one thatseemed to perform the best. After the race this year, they became asponsor. I think it is important to note that I was a customer and paidfor the product well before I even asked them for a sponsorship.SDS: What kind of sled do you run in the race?MS: I build my own, but it is based on one of the best sled innovationsof all time, and that is Charlie Bouldings easy rider model sled. Thatis an innovation that took hold immediately because it is clearly better.Essentially the front two stanchions are angled forward and there is arear stanchion that doesn't come up higher than the bed of the sled.The sled rides very nicely, is extremely flexible and is very lightweight.SDS: How many more years do you see yourself entering theIditarod?MS: I can't see the end of it yet. I have no plans to change or do any-thing different.SDS: Well thanks for the time Mitch, I know it is a busy time of yearfor you.MS: No problem, I'm really glad to see the magazine out there.

Page 9: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Page 10: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

"The skijoring dog should be strong. I pre-

fer it to be 30 kg or more. Long legs and along back. But the head is the most impor-tant factor", L"nuBoysen Hillestad

In Sweden and Norway competitors in the pulka style have been dom-inating their sport for years at all the bigger championships. But thepulka sport has been struggling for the last 5 to 10 years with less andless entries at their races, finding it harder and harder to recruit newcompetitors. The only class that actually has increased and attractsmore mushers every year, is skijoring. With this new wind blowingover the sDort, even some of the most successful pulka racers havemore or less changed over to this popular formof their sport, skijoring.

To find out where the skijoring sport is headingin Norway and Swedery I decided to talk to,Lena Boysen Hillestad, Mikkel Myhre and P-O\orgren three top athletes in their sport.

First a little Scandinavian history lesson:To use one or two, or even three dogs to pull aperson on skis, with or without a sled, has along tradition in Norway and Sweden. This wasa way to work with, and to use dogs during thewinter, long before any one did know of it as"skijoring" or pulka sport.In Sweden the first race in the pulka sport washeld 1938 in Sundsvall. The majority of entriesin races during these days where militaries andmost of the dogs that they used were GermanShepherds. Since than the sport has grown andgrown.

Lena Boysen Hillestad knows what she wantsfrom her dogs and from the sport that she loves P-O Norgren, Sweden, atthe European Champtonshipwith all her heart. Lena lives just outside Oslo 1995 at Serre Chevalier in France. PO Norgren, within Norway and is one of the most successful ski- Killroy and Vegard coming towards finish line in thejoring mushers in the world right now. She is pulka 2 dog class 11 km. P-O finished second and

one of the top mushers in the part of the sled got a silver medal'

dog sport that is growing and attracts more and more mushers worldwide year by year. Before Lena became a successful skijorer she alsodominated the oulka soort with several medals in both World- andEuropean Championships.But where is ski jor ing standing r ight now?Lena answers my question rapidly:"We have some "pu1ka-diehards" that really want to stop the skijoringfrom taking part in the championships here in Norway. But skijoringis accepted as a recruiting part of the sport. Some of us hope that ski-joring will have the same acceptance as pulka have. Because skijoringis bigger than pulka in Europe, and we need all the participants we canget. And maybe some of the skijorers will try pulka later...".

When I ask the same question to P-O Norgren, in Sweden his answeris: "Right now it is quiet and kind of still in the sport here in Sweden,actually quite a big decrease in participants at the pulka races. Buthopefully this trend will change, for the coming season we have lots ofraces on the calendar and maybe we will se an increase of startingteams since we now have skijoring classes as well."P-O Norgren is one of Sweden's most experienced mushers in pulka

What do you look for when you choose a good skijoring dog?"Head and body. I must like his/her attitude!" Do you consider anyother breed of dogs to be used in skijoring? "The dog should be strong.I prefer 30 kg or more. But the head is the most important factor. A bigAlaskan/Greyster or German Shorthaired Pointer is also good. But it'shard to find a big enough Alaskan, not for recreational skijoring, butfor winning the WC."

Tiaining

I feel a little bit humbled when I ask Lena about training. Just listen tothis: Lena entered her first race1979; it was in pulka style. And she didjust great. Since then she has won 20 Norwegian Championships. 13European Championships and 13 World Championships. She mustknow exactly how to train dogs to become winners and champions.How do you do it? "Keep the motivation high; always make the train-ing fun. Try to change places, distances and methods" Lena answersmy questions. "Huppy dogs that trust you will give you so much back.It is all about having fun with the dogs. But remember they are notmachines, they deserve respect. The dog and the skier are a team. Both

ls Skiioring the new Pulka?by Helen Lundberg

and skijoring."I have been working with dogs stnce 1979; I started out with hunt-ingdogs and in 1987 I started training rny dogs with skis and a pulka."P-O Norgren has during his career competed at multiple nationalchampionships, three European Championships and one WorldChampionship. He is now the team leader for the Swedish Nationalteam in pulka and skijoring.

Skijoring dogs

I remember cross-country skiing, years ago back in Sweden. I nevertried skijoring but I am sure that you need a dog that is strong and hasa lot of self-confidence to help pull the skier around the trail, a dog thatis not scared of skis and that can be a leader all bv him or her se1f. Iwonder how big a part of a successful skijoring team the dog makes

up - compared to the musher?

"I estimate that the dog is 75 percent of the teamand the musher is 25 percent." Mikkel Myhredoes not think twice before he gives me this for-mula. Mikkel Myhre has been racing since 1983and is now one of Norway's top competitors inthe pulka and skijoring. So what kind of dogwould you choose, Mikkel? "I would get astrong and fast purebred German ShorthairedPointer (Vorsteh)," Mikkel answers. Do youthink that there are any other breeds that can dowell as a skijoring dog? "Of course, there arelots of different breeds of dogs that can be usedas skijoring dogs but for me there is only onebreed."

When I talk to P-O Norgren about dogs suitablefor skijoring his answers is: "I consider all dogsthat can maintain a high speed for a longer dis-tance good for skijoring and another importantfactor is that they have to do that all alone. Ibelieve that we will see more proven sled dogsin the skijoring classes in the future. LenaBoysen Hillestad knows what her perfect skijor-ing dog looks like. "Long legs, long back and agood head. I like a "Greyster", a mix betweenGerman Shorthaired Pointer and Grevhound"

Page 11: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

parts must be good. The mental part and signals between the team areveryr important." Lena won't go out training if it is warmer than 1BC."That is my heat limi!" she tells me. ,,I startlall trainrng in August ancltake mv dogs out for 5 to 15 km with my bike. I keep-the do"gs loop_ing, but no stress. We stop for one or two times, take a swim Ind justhave fun together." Later onin the fall and early winter, trainir-rg forLenas dog's means to be out 5 to 6 times a week for 10 to 25 km. Thistr:aining is a rnix between free running and bikejoring. ,,As soon as weget good snow conditions I try to do 75 p"..",-,i of tire training skijor-ing with mv dogs and mix this with free running. I actually uiro tiuir.lmy skijoring dogs witl-r a pulka or with sled once a week and this typeof trai.ing is short a.d fast. But this training is only for aclult dogs, n'otfor yearlings. A lot and hard training during the fall gives me'a bigadvantage in the racing season, Lena explains.,, During"the ru.ing seulson Lena prefers to train her

10 cm longer than your height, usually you use shorter skating skis. Jam pretty sure that the longest skating skis are 195 cm. It is hard to findany longer than 190 cm in the skishop. When it comes to po1es, therule is that they should be 10 percent ihorter than vour o*rl h"ight.,,

Lena tells me tl-rat she uses all the same skis as cross country_skiersuse. "l use Fisher ancl Swix. Remember to always bnng spare parts foryour equipment when you are racing. A broken pole could be the dif_ference between a victory and a last place.,,

Race preparation

The.right equipment is of course important for the outcome of a racebut how do the top athletes pr"pu.u their dogs for a very rmportant

dogs four times a week at dis-tances from 5 to 15 km. ,,We goout skijoring and this is shortand fast. Lots of fun for thedogs, no hard training becausewe did that in rhe fall. Al1 thehard work has to be done beforeyou start racing."

P-O Norgren, Sweden's nation-al team leader has his opiniorrabout training."The human part of the skijor-ing team has to train as hard asa harcl traininp; cross-countryskier. Actually it depends onhow you handle the t ra in ing,some have to train mor.e andsome iess. When it comes totraining the dog I suggest lots oftraining with harness and line.\ot too much free runnirrg,because that is just for fun. No,instead try to train intervalt ra in ing. lbel ieve in a t ra in ingprogram that comes as close toraclng as possible. I mean, wedo not race with clog's free run-ning, so why shoulcl you trainthem free running? Tiain themto become really hard workingskijoring dogs and that meansrunning in harness." p-O iseager to tell me more about histraining methods."You have to train your dog andprepare them for racing. youhave to improve their weakestpoint. Let's say that you have adog that's not strong enough,then you have to strengthen that

photo by Karl Heinz Raubuch

championship race?"Lots of hard training fromSeptember to January. And as Isaid earlier; concentrate on hav-ing fun with the dogs duringthe racing season. Just easy andshort training," Lena tells meand she continues - "Try to getthe motivation as high as possr-ble. It's no problem with lesstraining between the races ifyou have a rea1ly good basiccondition built up during thehard Fall training." She alsoblood tests her dogs just for ahealth check up and she supple-ments the dog food with extravitamins and minerals fromSeptember through the racrngseason. "And I also feed yogurtto my dogs just to avoid stom-ach problems during the race.Before a big race like the WorldChampionship I use bootiesduring all training, just to avoidany foot problem."

P-O Norgren does nothing spe-cial to prepare his dogs for a bigrace. "I do not want to changeanything in my routine,,, hetells me. "Does not matter if it isa smaller; not so important raceor if it is a big championship.

But if it is a shorter sprint race Itry to get the dog really eagerand fired up before the start. In ashort race, every second countsand I do not want to have a slowstarter. When it comes to myself,preparing for a bigger race and

dog. Or if a dog is slow running up hill, train it to run fast up hill. I myself once had a dog, his name woi Kill.oy, that was extremely fast thlfirst 10 to 12 km, but the race was 15 km so we would lose the race inthe last 3 km. What I did was to start to train Killroy,s endurance with_

:", lgorilq,gpeed. I tell you_that we got o.r. ,"*u.d for this training.

Together Killroy and I started to win ail the races we entered. oh, whita nice feeling when you have success with your training.,,

Equipment

The skijoring team needs a fast, strong dog, a good skier and of courseyou need good skis. p-O Norgren knows exacily what I need to know:"When it comes to choosing skating skis the rule is that they should be

w C, an d national Ch a mpi onship.., Jtll ; ro,"tot""hll T.irT:? I l;muchrest and sleep as possible the days before start. I eat health"y andtry to load up my batteries. It is important that your body is ready and,hll y:" your. self are eager to go out and do a hurd wo.kout togetherwith the dog.""Helen I have a few more things I want to tell you,,, Lena says."It is important to understand that dogs read a human mind 35 timesfaster than human's read each otheq, dogs understand if somethings iswrong. Remembel, if the owner is satisfied ancl happy, the dog wiii bethe same."Lena's words stay in my mind and I am sure she will have anothersuccesful racing season.

ww

Page 12: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Glub ReportsLet the mushing community know about what is going on in your local sted dog club. Contactthe editor: [email protected] to have your club's information listed in this column.

The DESDC held it's first DrvlandChampionships at a new venue. Pineland Farms inGloucester, Maine hosted the evenl. The event wasa huge success says club organizer HeatherBrannen. Heather won the 4 dog rig race, Her hus-band Jeff won the Canicross and the Men's 1 & 2dog bike events which used a 2.1 mile trail. SaraVandemood ran a consistent 1 dog bike race in thewomen's division with an identical time both days towin that division, beating the men's 1 dog winnertime on Sunday. ln the Women's Canicross, Jil l ianPerron was the winner. The types of dogs used inihis event varied, but most used traditional AlaskanHuskies, with many pointer and greyster crossesdoing well also. The trails were described as chal-lenging yet safe. with a smooth surface, trght turnsand some hil ls. The DEsDc hopes to run the eventnexl year with a purse, and to continue IFSS sanc-tioning of all classes.

The NEsOc also had an early season rig race at anew race venue where they will also be hosting asnow race. Hil l Vil lage has been a long time lrain-ing area for New England teams dating back toLombard and Dunlap. Paul Therriault swept theopen and 8 dog classes and was second in the 6

dog. Liz Bailey won the six dog class, and shouldbe in fine shape for good results this winter. SueEain took top honors in the 6 dog sports class. 4dog sports class saw Jenna Carlton topping thefield. Peter Franke won the bikejoring class,tlizabeth Bennett won the 3 dog class, and RachaelColbath topped the 1 dog class. Club PresidentVince Buoniello was happy with the turnout, and thefact that il was a good 'dry run for a new group ofrace officials that will be in place for the club's seriesof 7 sprint races this winter. The Hil l Vil lage trailsare super. and when the snow comes, we shouldhave a great race here" Vince tells me.

Phillips, Grant Beck, Tim Hunt, Melanie Shirilla,Frank Teasley will cross the starting line of thebrand new GRANDE ODYSSEE...This new race,the brain child of Nicolas Vanier, and Henry Kam, inthe French Alps uses modified stage/distance raceformats and rules. Last July the race organizationselected 25 mushers to be invited to race. The invi-tation included for North American mushers: roundtrip airl ine tickets for the musher and one handler.14 dogs, one sled and gear. The race organizationwill also provide for each musher a truck and lodg-ing during the race. The mushers were not selectedonly for their race results but their occupations andreputations. Arr France is a partner for the race andwill transport the dogs over the Atlantic. The racewill be held on hvo different 100 mile courses, whichthe racers will navigaie 3 times in each location fora total of 600 miles, From a 14 dog pool, racers canchoose a maximum of 12 dogs each day. Musherscan only receive assisiance and switch dogs aftereach 100 mile loop. The race will pay out a $93,000purse, $15000 to first place. and paying to 20thplace. Mushers wil l wear a jacket with a built in GPStracking system, so each team can be tracked onthe internet real{ime. More information is availableat: www.grandeodyssee.com.

On January 8th 2005 around 4pm North Americanmushers: Jeff King, Jessie Royer, JohnSchandelmeier. Bil l Steyer, Jacques Phil ip. Michelle

Page 13: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

The Lomb ard f ournals..,...The first part of a series of excerpts ftom the book The Training andRacing lournals of Roland and Louise Lombard.

One of the most rewarding aspects of writing a book aboutRoland Lombard was getting to k ro- him so much better.Nothing brought Lombard into clearer focus than his privateletters to his wife and son.

, Although Lombard had won most of the races the Northeast

had to offeq, he was the new kid on the block in 195g as far asAlaskan racing went. The following excerpts find Doc inawestruck wonder at the differences in the trails, the dogs, thetoughness demanded of the mushers, and, most of a[,ln thefierce competition he faced. But as much a ,,greenhorn,,

asRoland felt himself to be, he brought with him a competitiveSiberian Husky team that made Alaskans sit up ur-rd tuk"notice. Dr. Charles Belford, a champion of New England rac_ing and a close friend, had lent some of his best dogslo Doc forthe Alaskan trip, including the remarkable registered Siberian

f:rfy lead dog, Timmy. With this team and ii hts first year of

Alaskan racing, Roland Lombard went home with the i.ophyfor the top purebred racing team.

. l."r: is Doc writing from Anchorage on his first trip to race

in Alaska:Iebruary 17,1959 - I got in about 4:30 this morning after a

rather comfortable flight from Seattle. I phoned Sepfaia butdidn't have time to see him.

_ He is going to be a luage atFairbanks so we will see him there. I Jia ,""" Mr. Snodie-rvhohas the dogs with Seppala.

_ Y{:.":k was waiting when I got in and it is a very nrce one.

Earl Norris and a Mrs. Sheilds who takes pictures for thepapers were waiting. I had breakfast at the airport with Earland then put my dogs out....Mrs. Shields took me out late inthe morning to the Mclnnises where Wilbur Sampsory one olthe good drivers, was staying....I stopped at Norrises and sawNatalie. Then I took the dogs out. I took out seven and Orville(Lake) took a team to get me started. I broke the sled I madetrying to stay behind in some soft snow, hit a log with thebrake..It can be repaired. Then I went ahead and afLr findingthe right turry I left him. I hadn,t much control of the sted wittthe top brokery so on these rough trails I soon hit a small treeand flipped and lost the team. I ran after them. Thev finallvstopped in a yard with no trouble. Orville turned th"r, u.,itied his team- They had run about a mile. I caught up at thistime and took over. I went back and took the Tuttle sled andwent out again. I was all over the trail with it. I am sure goingto have to learn to ride a sled in the next few davs.

. Th. dogs are in good shape. I don,t know if they can run

fast long on these trails or not, but they like them so far. Theweak link so far is me and the sled. The trails and bumps arenot to be described, only to be seen. Earl is taking me arou.rdthe course on his sled at nine tomorrow. then t"wltt ;rir; ;small team over it. I had a wonderful dinner of moose meattonlChl-lld wished you were here. I miss you both very much.

I will let you know of my progress in iearning how to ridea sled.

A1l my love to you both, Dad

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Page 14: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

Laconia Sled Dog Derby3S Yeme'm sf &*xm8Kwrxge mxxd s*68& gw8rxffi,"'.." kpr $€eewxm3r ffimwaxxx

Laconia, New Hampshire, is the home of a sled dog race with ahistory that qualifies it as a classic, even when going head-to-headwith Alaskan races. The first "Laconia Dog Derby" was held by theNew England Sled Dog Club in 1929, and repeated in 1930. By 1,93I,a club had formed especially with the production of that one sled dograce in mind. In1936, the Laconia race added "World Championship"to its title. The race ran annualJy through 1938, then went on hiatus asthe world situation spiraled into World War II. It was not until 1957,when Laconians and area dogdrivers banded together to form theLakes Region SIed DogClub, that the Laconiarace began again. It isan historical race thatis also a true test of themettle of musher andteam.

"It is the prestigethat goes wiih it," EdStreeper says whenasked wh.at drawscompetitive racers likethe Streepers to comeso far from home tocompete at Laconia.Ed has com.e toLaconia twice, andtwice he has takenhome the title"Laconia WorldChampion". His nephew Buddy has raced and won at Laconla, also.When asked to explain what sets Laconia apart in his mind, Edplunges into a list of things that he thinks are individual to this NewHampshire race and what attracts ou.tsiders to compete. "There is agreat deal of prestige connected to Laconia because of those who haveraced here before-Lombard, Belford, Moulton, Bryar-all the greatracers of the East Coast. We respect Laconia as being the oldest race.The trail is always a challenge. But the all-time highlight {or me wasin 1988. I got to meet and shake hands'lt'ith George Bush (then VicePresident and in New Hampshire for the Presidential Primary)."

Streeper's experience is a unique part of the Laconi.a WorldChampionship Sled Dog Race history. For decades, every four yearslike clock-work, presidential hopefuls, their families and accompany-ing celebrities met at the race staging area for photo opportunities andold-fashioned political campaigning. The candidates for President ofthe United States gave out trophies, greeted racers, inspecteddogteams, and rode in sleds while cameras clicked and the publicwatched.

Laconia was garnering press coverage long before the politicianscame on the scene. Many of the kennels that sprang up in the regionproduced some of the most blue blooded of registered SiberianHuskies and Alaskan Malamutes. In many cases, the kenuel ownersdrove their own teams, and the entry list of the race carried many ofthe names familiar to the Boston Society pages. Leonard Seppalacame in from the Seppala-Ricker kennel with his crack Siberian racingteam. The hometown folks ran their own teams of huskies, mala-mutes, Chinook Dogs and assorted mongrels. The locai funeral parloroperator competed with a team of crossed German Shepherds andDobermans. The Lymans tan a team of Red Irish Setters. The Clark{amily from came down from Northern New Hampshire with teams o{Eskimo Sled Dogs. Filling out the colorful entourage of canines werethe Quebec Hounds. Among the racers were some very strong com-petitors like Seppala of Alaska, and Emile St. Godard and Shorty

Russick who each ran for Canadian paper companies. The interest ofthe press was heightened even more by the fact that women raced sideby side against men. Dogs of all kinds, international competitiory soci-ety names, and attracti.ve women mushers made a scene that drewnewspaper reporters and newsreel cameramen like flies. When ayoung eighteen-year-old Iad won the top prize in 1930 wiih a team ofa mongrel, two Siberian Huskies on loan from Seppala, his aunt's petGerman Shepherd a1l led by a cocker spaniel, the news flew across thenation. Roland Lombard's Laconia win as a teenager spawned a

"Kid-and-his-dog-. - in-+ho-hi o-raop"

trend in juveniieadventure ficiion thatcontinued for years.

The Laconia racestarted out as part of awinter carn.ival, andthe carnivai atmos-phere has prevailed. Itis a spectator-{riendlyrace, where the crowdcan mlx with the rac-ers, get close to theteams, and yet stillhave warming areasand hot food nearby.Past years have seenvendors of all sorts ofequipment, cold

weather clothes, furs, and dogfood. The sales of shirts, hats, buttons,programs and more by the race staff heips the race coffers and sendsvisitors home with special mementos of the day. The enthusiasm,heavy-duty promotional work and the loca1 support have seen therace through some lean times. That support includes a phenomenallytalented trail crew that has had to contend, year after yeaq with anencyclopedia of various unfavorable conditions, interspersed withyears of such perfect snow conditions that dealing with all the whitestuff itself became a trail problem.

"I have never raced Laconia under'normal' conditions," EdStreeper reflects, continuing to talk about his experiences there. "Thefirst time I ran it, there was abigblizzard. Then the second time, it wasa 2-day race (due to warm temperatures) when we ran through waterup to my knees on the second day. So both times I ran under whackedout conditions. The weather just did not cooperate."

For local racers, familiar with the hype of "The Greatest Show onSnow", a special pull to enter is the opportunity to run in a world-c1asssprint event agai.nst the world class competitors that have come to raceLaconia. The race has, from the beginning, always attracted largenumbers of Canadians. It is, as well, for many of the New Englandmushers, a family tradition to enter this race. "I have been running atLaconia since the age of three, with one dog. My dad ran herg too.And this year I expect my three-year-o1d daughtet Nova, will beentered in the one-dog race," says Ed Clifford. "The competition thatcomes in for Laconia is a big draw, as every year or so we get a Neal

Johnson or a Buddy Streeper who has won them all. It is the one raceI get up for! Me, Keith (Bryar) and Doug (Butler)...we really gear upbecause the best in the area, and especially from Quebec, will be there.Laconia pu1ls all the best together."

Coming out of Paul Smiths, New York, John Samburgh has racedLaconia enough to feel very at home on the course. In 1995 and1997,he won the race. But as familiar as he may feel there, he never letshimself get comfortable at Laconia. "It is the toughest race in the

Page 15: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

iaG#tu@

Northeast," he says. There are many elements to cause disaster to amusher and he counts them ofl ,,The streets, the lake, the road cross_ings.....If at the end of the weekend, you have gotten through it....,,]ohn stops and says emphatically, ,,Iiat thc eniof the three"days ofthe race you have gotten through if even if you are not winning, youstill have accomplishecl something.,,

. F:* mushers can lay claim to a stronger connection with Laconia

than Keith Bryar, Jr. His father won the rice three times. His menio{,Dick Moulton, won this race a record number of five times. ,,K8,,became ihe only second-generation wimrer when he claimed theLaconia World Charnpionship in 2002. Bryar stands in awe of the rep_utation of the race. "It is tradition-it is ljke the Kentucky Derbvl,, Butit is not sentiment, he knows too weil, that wins this race. "It is toueh.Mentally arrd physicalty tough. A three-day killer-the hardest spJntrace i'the Lower 48." After a pause, Keith explains why he {eels thisway. "There is so much to deal with-crowds, downtowry road cross_ings, dogs on the trai1. A lot of great dogdrivers, some that have wonal.l over, cannot meet the demands of the Laconia trail. We were scaredto death at Laconia last year. At the last minute my leader got sick, soI had two so{t-headed females on lead. It was a

"igllt*u.; trying to

get off Main Street. You need to be more prepared for Laconia thanyou do for other races."

When questioned about other Laconia champions from years pasfKB gives a laugh, "Why don,t you talk to my mother?! (Famous cham-pion raceq, Jean Bryar) In all the seventy_five vears of this race, she hasbeen involved with guiding and shaping NINE Laconia champ!onship-winning teamsl That is quite u i".oid, don,t you think?l,,

- Jean Bryar is the six-time winner of the women's North American

Championship at Fairbanks, Alaska. When asked why she remainedcontenI lo raise, t ra in. support and plan strategy i r r thc backgr.ound forrne raclng teams oi flre three men in her life to win Laconia champi_onships, she says simply, "I was comfortable doing that.,, Jean m'ayhave taken a backseat to her men as far as Laconia competition went,but. she y"? fu1 many years an important figure in ,,doing,, anythingthat needed to be done to put on the race. She provided yu"rr; of rt"flar race sports announcing from the Laconia press booth,"coordinatedfund raising efforts, and was a guiding frand behind the annualMusher Queen. competition, itserf a main fund-raiser {or the event.

"Every yea1, when the sled dog teams started training for Laconi4 thesame people got into "har'ess,, to meet the demands of all that had iobe coordinated" Jean credifs this strong nucleus of talent, energy anddetermination not only with presenting the Laconia race, but rn"teep-ing sled dog racing alive and well in the Lower 4g. .If it weren,t forthis local support, the only sled dog racing in the United States wouldhave been in Alaska. Every yea4 these pelple said ,Never again,, butby ,F time it came to prepare for Laconii, they were back hard atwork." Over decades,

"1-:: like Brya1, Molberg, Lyman, and many

others became associated with overcoming al1 thi oLstacres standiniin the way of a success{ul Laconia each veir.

Jim Lyman is another Lakes Region native who knows what theLaconia race needs to continue. "I have been at this since I was a rittlekid. The race was started by fotks like my grandfather. My fatherworked hard to keep it going. It *u, u ,*uligroup putting on a bigworld event. When they came to obstacles, they aia ,-,oi give uplTheir attitude was 'What do you mean we cu,-,,i ,lo this?

"It is for

LACONIA!' a*d they would go ahead a'd overcome the difficulties.,,Now,,Jim notes, things have changed a lot. The regiory like all vaca_tion / tourist meccas of the Northeast, has mushroJmed with popula,tion growih. Today, most of the Laconia trail is through de.,eltpeaareas of resort homcs. golf course and roads. But the iz to 1g

-'i1",(due to development the race flexes a bit in length from year to year)is over a successful course through developed ireas thaigiv" u in.g"amount of visibility to the spectators that turn out in force to line tiietrai1. C.learly, the drive ancl determination to keep the Laconia WorldChampionship a viable and competitive sled dog race is as alive todayas during past generations.

Jim _is alreacly at work on plans for February, 2005,s Laconia. ,,Weare looking for Neal, possibly Eddy Streepel, ind a big turnout withme Lanadlan crew. We are working on developing a Double Crownwith the St. Sauveur race in euebei. This would award points andextra monies for the teams competing in both races.,,

The Laconia World Championship is a race for the tough....toughcompetitors and tough supporters. But the outlook Io, a successf-"ulrace next season has seldom been brighter. Some things don,t change,and the tradition of the Laconia World Championship is one of thei,

Clgcfwiye fy.m top teft: Terry Streeper 20championship with a siberian Husky team. Fantastic cammand leader Timny on lead, Magic andYlg o! l?ilt' JFK, presidential candidate in 1960, in John conneily,s sled .-Real Turmetwinner inlaO !

ZlOl^2nown here in the 2003 race , John Samburgh winner in 1995 & 199T crossing paradeRoad in the 2003 race. Photos 2affi by Rainer Wischinskl Beford and JFK photos courtesy of NancyCowan Collection. I0 see video footage of paft of the Laconia trail from a dog sled, visit www.sted-dogsportsmag.com and flltow the Iink for videos.

' : '

Page 16: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Page 17: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

NESDG sprint Race schedule 2oosEden, VT

fslond Pond, VTTqmworth, NH

Molone, NYHif f Vi l loge, NH

Loconio, NHMeredith, NH

All races will feature unrimited open crass, g-dog, 6-dog, 4-dog, 2 dog skijor - pro crasses,4 &-6 dog sportsman classes, anO t a O Oog;unior clisses.

Dual Starts possible at all races..NESDC time qualifieation rule in effect for pro classes.First day's heat time must be within 1.5 x top 5 teams avg to be etigibte to race Sunday.

Ail Junior erass mushers must wear a hetmet! - NESDC ruteISDRA Sanctioning & IFSS accredited pro classes. ISDRA race rules will apply.

Mandatorv driver's meeting.g:30. a.m. eac-h race day.I :00 -am race day sig,i' in.. Jtri;i iy lnt6rJel- -"' '

See www.nesdc.org for online registration forms and race details.Race Managers: Peter Colbath 603-455-3872, Anita Wischinski 603-gg7-g7gg for entries.

Race entries close 5pm Thursday before each race, late fees will apply after that.

t /8 & 1/91/15 & 1/16t/22 & 1/23t/29 & U3A2/5 & 2/62/11, z/tZ & 2/13 (LRsDc run roce)?/19 & 2/20

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Page 18: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Page 19: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004
Page 20: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Page 22: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

ffiwww ffiwffiwwwffiffiw dmwewffiffiW ffiffiffiffi

111,112Spnnf: Orville Lake Memorial, Tudor Track, Anchorage . Annamaet Challenge series #3, (Sunday), Fairbanks, AK. Kalkaska, Ml (GLSDA)Distance'.Skijor: Annamaet Challeng series #3, Fairbanks, AK (sun only)

118,119Sprint: Alaska Mill & Feed at the Tudor Track, Anchorage (Sunday) ' Clear Lake State Park, Ml ' Bemidji, MN'

Copelands Forest, Ontario . 100 mile house, Brit ish Columbia . Eden Mt., VT' Salamanca, NY' Newberry, Ml ' Frog

Lake, OR . Shaver Lake, CA' S-Chanf, Engadin, SwitzerlandDistance:, Salamanca, NY. 100 mile hous-e, British Columbia . Newberry, Ml ' Deer River, MN ' Logan, UT' Frog Lake,

OR . Shaver Lake, CA. S-Chanf, Engadin, Switzerland (fri-sat) ' Le Grand Odysee, ll}-1119, Alps, France

Attaboy 300 1FSS Mid Distance World Championships 6 dog 117-1t8,12 dog 119-1114, stage format Bend, 0R

Skijor:100 mile house, British Columbia . Eden Mt., VT. Newberry, Ml ' Clear Lake State Park, Ml ' Bemidji, MN ' Deer

River, MN . Frog Lake, 0R' Shaver Lake, CA

1115,1116Sprint: St.Lazar, euebec . Floribelle, Quebec .Eagle River Classic, Chugiak, AK'Annamaet Challenge f4, Fairbanks, AK

(Sunday) . lsland pond, VT. pine River, MN . DoubleJJ, Rothbury, Ml . Kalkaska Winterfest, Kalkaska' Ml 'Shawano, Wl

. Wycolo, CO ' Spluegen, Graubuenden, SwitzerlandDistance: Blanchard, ME, (Sunday) 'Eagle Lake, ME'Solon Springs, Wl 'Wycolo, CO

Skijor: Annamaet Challenge #4, Fairbanks,AK (Sunday) . lsland Pond, VT' DoubleJJ, Rothbury, Ml ' Shawano, Wl '

Spluegen, Graubuenden, Switzerland

1122,1123Spnnf; Kortright ctr, Ontario (purebred Sibe only) . St. Eugene, Quebec ' Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan ' Tozier Track

Anchorage, RK (Sunday) . Eist Corinth, ME . Clarendon, PA. Fanrvell, Ml ' Pine River Run, Merril, Wl ' Joseph, OR '

German Sprint Championships, Frauenwald, GermanyDistance: Hamburger Run, Two Rivers, AK . Craftsbury, VT'Joseph, OR' Seeley Lake, MT (fri, sat, sun) stage race

also. Glenwood Springs, CO'Conconully, WASkijor: Meadow Lake,-Sask, CA. Craftsbury, VT . East Corinth, ME ' Clarendon, PA' Farwell, Ml ' Pine River Run,

Merri l, Wl . Joseph, OR

1129,1130Spriiint: Haliburton Highlands, Ontario . Taylor Lake, British Columbia ' Earl Nonis Open, Willow, AK'Annamaet

Challenge Series #5 [sunday), Fairbanks, AK . Norman Rasmussen Memorial, Tozier Track, Anchorage, AK'Third

Crossing Rendezvous,trazee,MN (fri-sat) . Canon Falls, MN. Flambeau Int'1, Park Falls, Wl 'Battle Creek, Ml 'Lake

Davis, CA' Redstone, CODistance: Red Lake, Ontario . Tustemena 200, Kasilof, AK . Stratford, NH (sat only) ' Flambeau Int'|, Park Falls, Wl

.lnternational Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race, Wyoming - Utah (1128-215) 'Lake Davis, CA

Skijor: Haliburton HlgfrlanOi, Ontario. Tayloi Lake, British Columbia'Third Crossing Rendezvous,Frazee, MN (fri-sat) '

Canon Falls, MN . Flambeau Int'|, Park Falls, Wl . Battle Creek, Ml ' Lake Davis, CA' Redstone, CO

Compited with permission from www,sleddogcentral,com,p/ease refer to their web site for race details.

Page 23: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Senior SojournsAlaska/ld itarod Travel Vacationwww. SeniorSojourns.com

Extraordinary travel experiences are ourbusiness and Alaskan cruises and toursare our specialty. We can introduce youto an lditarod Champion and his gloriouscanine companions. We can introduceyou to a blind Alaskan sled dog and hisfamous human/author. We can arrangeunioue visits to the studio of the officiallditarod artist and to the end of the roadin Denali where a glimpse of The GreatOne is an unforgettable experience. Ridea riverboat; pan for gold; search forwildlife and glaciers on a cruise fromSeward; or f ish, hike and simply enjoy thepeace at any number of wonderful wilder-ness lodges. Experience the majesty ofour 49th state. Join us on our "Dogs ofthe lditarod" tour advertised elsewhere inthis issue and experience the real Alaska.Pat Schue, President.

wiggy'sJoe Redington Muklukswww.wrggys.com

Joe Redington is the "Father of thelditarod." In 1992, he asked me if I wouldproduce his style of mukluk. I said yes, of

course. The end result is the warmest, over-boot in theworld. Using the JR

mukluk over anyinsulated boot wi l l

)p your feet warmfor hours, if

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dressed, at atpmnoretrrr t r nf -50

degrees F and colder. The exterior fabricis waterproofed. The insulation is L-l2,the same as we use in our parka. Thesole consists of a 3/8" close cell foambetween two layers of the Cordura, with arubber gripper sole. Jerry Wigutow.

Our f i rst snow race of the year isquickly approaching. TheJackman race is sponsored bythe Jackman Sled Dog Club andgenerous local merchants andindividuals. This is a non-ourserace and is ISDRA sanct ioned.We wi l l of fer a buffet dinner onSaturday night at 6 pm. We wi l lalso have an auction that is ooento the oublic and it stafts at 7:30pm" Auct ion i tems are beingacceoted and are tax deductible.Contact Norm or Kathv Therriaultat 207-668-2145 ordogsled @ gwi.net

Down EastSled Dog CIub

, , , , r,r, , : i ,r .r, i ,Race,SChedule 2004-2005All sprint races ISDFA sanctioned, select races may be IFSS accredited

Jackman Spr int race #1 -December 11th & 121h,2OO4

Blanchard Fun Run - January 151h,2005

Corinth Spr int Race - January 22nd & 23rd, 2005

Newport Spr int Race - January 29th & 30th, 2005

Mushers Bowl - Fryeburg - February 5th & 6th, 2005

Farmington Spr int Races - February 12th & 131h,2005

Maine Highlands Sled Dog Chal lenge(Maine State Championships) - February 26th & 27th, 2005

Jackman Spr int Race #2 - - March 4th,5th & 6th,2005

For more informat ion see www.desdc.org

Page 24: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

In the first articie, we discussed how to

cul t ivate an eye for ear ly lameness detec-

tion by taking the time to observe each

dog for minor changes that can be red flags

foiunderlying probiems. In this issue we

wi l l s tart io review the performance of a

deviation of the joints when compared to

the toes of the opposite l imb. Fractures of

the toes are also seen in working sled dogs'

Follow up with a visit to your veterinarian

for a radiograph (xray) to rule out frac-

tures.

Now examine the metacarPals,

which are like the bones on the back of

your hand and palm. Palpate the four long

tot-r"r. This is a common site for stress

fractures, which wi l l produce swel l ing and

pairy and bony crepitus if the fracture is

ie.rere enough. Radiographs are in order

for these injuries. The front of the

metacarpals is the location for the extensor

tendons of the foot, and the back is where

the flexor tendons 1ie. These tendons are

held down by little "strap" tendons located

near the joints called retinacula, and these

are another injury prone site (for sprains)'

Next PalPate the wrist joint'

Swelling of the joint can be seen when

moderate to severe, and mild swelling can

be detected by flexing the joint and palpat-

ing the fuont "gap." (see photo above cen--

tei) Take the joint through its full range of

motion by completely ftexing, extending

and gently twisting the wrist' Palpate the

u.""*ory carpal bone (the bone that sticks

out of the back or the wrist with the pad

under it). This is a point of leverage for

several tendons. It can actually impact the

ground. at high speeds, or if the dog slips or

drags. Many of the front limb injuries I see

ur" Iro* the wrist down, so be careful and

thorough in Your examination'Now examine the radius and ulna

(long bones of the leg) and the surround-

ing soft tissue. The extensor and flexor ten-

do-.-r,s .un down the far end the limb, while

the soft muscle bellies for many of these

structures sit just below the eibow' As

always, look for heat, swell ing, pain, and

crepitus. As a general rule the extensors

Ww& &kwekDawn Brown DVM

for the foot and wrist lie towards the front

and outside of the leg, while the flexors lie

on the back and inside the leg'

The elbow joint can be taken

through its range of motion by flexion (see

ohoto below) and extension. In a normal

limb it should be impossible to extend the

elbow without simultaneously extending

the wrist. The elbow is a tight hinge joint

and is rather unforgiving of joint injury;

swelling or damage here will produce sig-

nificanipain and chronic lameness' The

elbow also serves as an attachment point

for many muscles from above and below,

and thankfuily many of the injuries that

produce pain in th is area are f rom the soft

tissue structures around, not in, the elbow'

The shoulder ioint should be

flexed and extended; it should be impossi-

ble to extend the shoulder without simul-

taneously extending both the elbow and

the wrist. Palpating the biceps tendon is

important because this is a common si te of

injury. The groove in which this tendon

lies is identified (it is best to have your vet-

er inar ian do this) wi th the f ingert ips,of

one hand and Pressed as You flex the

shoulder joint' Inflammation here will

usual ly produce a dramat ic react ion f rom

the dog (whine, yeip, withdrawal, or even

,nuppiLg). Paipate the iong bones.of the

hume.us (upper arm) and scapula (shoul-

der blade).Don't get so hung uP on the

bones that you forget those all important

muscles. Feel the pectoral muscles, which

lie in front of and under the chest' Palpate

al l the large muscle bel l ies along the upper

arm and shoulder. Just behind the tops of

the shoulders l ie the rhomboideus and

trapezius muscles, which are susceptible to

str i in and iust p la in muscle soreness'

In the next lameness articie we

will examine the hind limb.

detailed lameness exam' The first step in

the exam is to steP awaY from the dog

(about six feet) and observe from a dis-

tance the front, both sides, the rear, and

over the top. Let symmetry be the guide

for your eyes as you look for swelling or

atrophy of the joints and major muscle

groups. This will be readily apparent on

thinly coated dogs; you must get your

harrds on a heavily coated husky to identi-

fy the same things. If the dog is too active

in the kermel for you to get a thorough

look, try observing while he is on the truck

or still hooked to the towline after a run'

Bearing in mind anY abnormali-

ties noted on the exam at a distance, move

in and begin a systematic, detailed exam '

Begin at the tip of the toenails and work

yoi. *uy up each limb, then examine the

muscles- of the neck, chest, spine and

oelvis. Try to be consistent in your

upp.ou.h to miss as few things as possible'

As you go, You are looking for Pain,swelling, redness, heat and crepitus

(abnormal gr inding or c l ick ing) '

Start an exam of the forelimb bY

thoroughly checking each nail for cracks or

deviations. Closely examine the skin

around the nails beds for swelling or cuts;

this is a common area of iniury' Flip the

paw up (flexing the carpus, or wrist) and

chect lhe pads, interdigital webbing, and

the areas where the pad meets the haired

skin and nail. Next extend the wrist and

observe each toe. Extend each toe and then

flex each toe. (See photo above left)' The

toes are prone to l igamentous in iury

(sprains) that will produce swelling or

Page 25: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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After many years of sled testing designs and prototypes, this s/ed r,vas raced by Lou sgrre - wortd cup champion and multiple IsDRA medatist

Staying with our traditional look. Features of this sted: Frame construction is aluminum. tf needed up to 4b% racking.canbered ski - we tested 31 shapeg See through windshield - resl resu/fs: keeps wind off hands and deflects s now and ice pellets. can see through if downbehind sled' comes with J-Peg hand grips for stability when pedaling or you can steer with them. Quick flip bag -loaded 70 tb. dog fast with litile efforl. No zippers orvelcro to get in your way Bag design fron similar design used 17 yeirs igo. very important - sled still handles white carrying a dog. chatmac,s quick flip brakeand dragmat combination design used with great results on our Cheetah and Commander steds for ovir s years now.Comes with runner sleeves and extra bag to put sled bag and windshield in for protection while travetting.

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Page 26: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

Dogs of the lditarod TourSummer 2005

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From: $2,200.00 Per Person double

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Page 27: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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Page 28: Sled Dog Sports Magazine - November 2004

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