 ° f / ° c  |
 |
 Days  |
Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ 2008 Jr. Musher Banquet
by Jane Blaile
Last week I heard that the Academy Awards were going to be on TV Sunday, February 24. I briefly considered where I would be on that night, remembering I was to be at the Willow Community Center for a different awards ceremony - the Junior Iditarod musher's banquet.
All the stars came out at Willow, the constellations were beautiful! The carpet was rolled out - to catch the snow and ice from people's boots. The trophies were lined up - race winners and special awards. The cameras were flashing - proud parents, coaches, supporters, and friends getting snapshots of their teen who'd made it back from the trail.
A different sort of awards ceremony for sure, but probably more important in life. The 20 teens who had already finished were seated at the front tables. And family, friends, and fans were at the rest. Dr. Stu Nelson spoke first. Then this year's honorary mushers, Mike and Paula Williams were introduced and presented with a beautiful Jon Van Zyle print for this year's Iditarod. Then place presentations and gifts were given from 20th working up to 1st. These special awards were also given: Sportsmanship to Gary McKeller, Rookie of the Year to Fawn Wilson, and Humanitarian to Wade Marrs. The last musher arrived just a few minutes after the end of the banquet. She was awarded the Red Lantern award for her "stick-to-it-iveness".
These teens represent a small group who know how to work hard, persist, meet deadlines, be responsible, speak in public and the list goes on and on...
They all deserve to be congratulated and awarded the honor a job well done.
Click on images for a larger picture:
