Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Post Race Comments--Letter to ITC Board in draft form

As I may have at least hinted.that some things occurred in this year's Iditarod--and I am not talking about the snow machine attack here--which disturbed me. I did some research and have drafted a letter to the Board of the ITC. As a member of the 'committee' which is almost a misnomer because it is just a card carrying kind of membership, I still feel a right to make my voice and opinions heard. This may not be quite the final form that will be sent out to a number of people, but FWIW, here is my opinion, as well-stated as I am able to do.

Gentlefolk,
I must begin by admitting I am not an Alaskan, not a musher and no sort of expert. I am merely a dedicated and fairly well-educated fan who has followed the Iditarod casually since the late 1980s and intensively since about 2008. During the last several years I have observed trends that peaked this year, trends which disturb and distress me. I see them moving this event in a very negative and unproductive direction. 
As the staff of KTVA wrote: “Let’s be honest, the dogs are the real stars of the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Seventy-nine of the 86 teams that started this year’s race in Willow began with 16 dogs. A total of 1,460 dogs ran through the starting line of Iditarod 44.” Yes, this race is and always should be about the dogs. They are what the bulk of the fans around the world are excited about and what makes this event so unique.
Joe Redington’s vision, when he started groundwork for this race, was to save the Alaskan Sled Dog and to preserve and honor traditions dating back to prehistory—when the first family arrived with their dogs (i.e. Fairbanks’ beautiful statue). In short, it has always been about the dogs. Canines have drawn a geometrically increasing fandom and millions in support from around the world. While specific mushers may gain a kind of cult following for a season, this ebbs and flows. It is still really about the dogs, exactly as it should be.
Outside of Alaska, few to none pay much attention to the “Iron Dog” events, at least until Sarah Palin’s other half dumps one and almost kills himself. In the lower forty-eight, if we want to watch machines compete we can patronize NASCAR, the Indianapolis 500 or local drag races or motocross.  We do not need or want to watch snow machines.
Yet the trends I am seeing can soon relegate the dogs to a kind of bionic snow machine chasing the goal of ever faster speeds and fewer animals necessary. I visualize in a few years ‘mushers’ could be racing with some kind of techno-mechanical device and maybe carrying one dog along for a mascot in memory of what used to be. It is becoming merely a way to make at least some mushers a kind of “rock star” for whom the sled and a minimal team is a mere vehicle to fame and fortune, almost inconvenient. If this continues as new mushers emulate what seems to succeed, I would be willing to bet fans will begin to drop away in droves and with them the major source of donations, sponsorship and support that has built this event into the colossus it has become.
While races by definition are about winning, there are many key aspects to this one besides efforts to trim a few seconds off the duration and shrink the team. If only five dogs are necessary why start with sixteen? Let’s just cut that back to twelve, ten, even eight; keeping only a small cushion for injuries and sickness. We apparently don’t need them so half are extraneous, right? It’s all about speed, cutting every possible corner, and making a SuperMusher. Or is it?
     From exchanges with many fans as I work on a book in progress about women mushers, I am sure that is not what the bulk of them want to see!  It is still about the dogs. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for the Board to consider which could steer this race back toward the direction the founders intended and the public has supported for forty four years. I agree, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but it is damn near busted right now.

  1. Raise the minimum team size to complete the race to eight.  (50% drop allowed).This would only have eliminated five finishers from the 2016 race. Of the top ten, the smallest team, aside from the winner’s, was nine. The average number of dogs per team completing the 2016 race was 10.436. Since we cannot have a partial dog, I’ll round down to an even 10—noting that is twice the current minimum.
  2. Totally ban the new practice of carrying perfectly healthy and sound dogs to
      rotate them on and off the team. This is completely counter to the intent and traditional
practice of the event! Other than transport of sick or injured animals to the nearest
check point for drop, every team member must have paws on the ground for the
entire duration of the race. If this is not made a disqualifying offense, I suggest a penalty of one hour per each dog that continues to race after being carried for any part of the trail. This sum would be added to either the mandatory twenty-four hour or the White Mountain eight hour rest.
  1. Give much greater recognition to the musher(s) who arrive at Nome with the most dogs still in harness and judged to be fit by the veterinary staff.  Also add a meaningful monetary prize to the Leonhard Seppala award or create additional awards recognizing superb dog care. Remember, it is really about the dogs.
  2. Continue and expand reward/recognition for good sportsmanship, camaraderie and assistance given to other mushers or even spectators on the trail. Again, this is maintaining a tradition nearly sacred to the event. Most mushers, though competitive, still aid and support each other. This sends a strong positive message, especially to student followers, as well as everyone else.

I believe these changes can start a return to the traditional and founding intent and vision of the race. They will keep the focus properly on the dogs which is what really holds public attention and devotion to the event. This must always be a team effort of human and canines working in partnership. It is not a man or woman running solo across 1000 miles of wilderness! As some mushers have said, the human ‘dog’ is actually the weakest member of the team in many ways. Eventually mushers who do not respect and treat their dogs as equal and essential parts of the endeavor will have this attitude turn and bite them in the butt. The weather was very gentle this year but that is not always the case. Many mushers have had their team pull them through blizzards and near-disaster.  You might ask the long-term mushers if they would want just five dogs on their team in a blizzard like 2014 or the one Libby Riddles braved to win in 1985. Teamwork is really what this event is about. Don’t let it fade away.

Sincerely,


Gaye Morgan-Walton
Member #15349

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