On a lighter note, SPK posted a great video on their doglog blog showing the September litter puppies, the "Coffee Litter" enjoying their first run in harness with some of the old timers. They looked fine and totally natural. These dogs are truly born to run. "My" little Creamer (I chose her to be a 'fan' for) was naughty and trying to nibble on the lines but otherwise they all ran well and seemed to have a great time. Link: http://spkenneldoglog.blogspot.com/ Aliy and Allen are so fantastic with the dogs and seem to have real instinct --as well as so much love--for them. I am not sure if the Golden Harness (Quito's) pups will get a chance before the snow is gone or not; they are about five weeks younger and at this stage a lot changes in that time. But I am hoping at least enough for one short video! Of course the Surfivers will be training in earnest come fall and some of them may even make some races, real, serious ones. They did get in on the Two Rivers 100 in January but that was enough for less than two years old. However a few short three year olds did run the YQ and the Iditarod this year and did well. They will be moving up to star status next year.
Anyway here is the letter:
Gaye Morgan-Walton
Novelist, Poet and Adventure Writer
520-678-0259
March 28, 2016
Editor, Fairbanks
Daily News-Miner
Below is the text of a letter I have just written to all the
members of the Iditarod Trail Committee Board. I wonder if it could be printed
in your newspaper to reach more people concerned about the future of the
Iditarod Sled dog Race. I am hopeful more will want to be heard on this matter
and may be moved by my comments to make their own. Thank you very much!
Gentlemen,
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
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
Outside of Alaska Indianapolis
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Give much greater recognition
to the musher(s) who arrive at
- 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 racers 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 competitors 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
ITC Member #15349
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