/ 2007 Archived Material / Trail Tidbits 4

Target Iditarod Teacher on the Trail^™ Trail Tidbits 4

by Kim Slade

It Was All About the Mushers Today:

It was a busy day for mushers.  They met at the Millennium for the mandatory musher meeting where sponsors gave gifts, pictures were taken, and rules were reviewed.  At lunch, they met with their Idita-riders and talked about their run on Saturday (In the Idita-rider program, fans bid to ride at the Celebratory Start with their favorite musher). 

The day didn’t stop!  Mushers met fans at the Sullivan Sports Arena tonight for the annual Musher Drawing Banquet.  Here mushers picked their starting positions, signed autographs, and enjoyed the evening.  Fans, volunteers, sponsors, and race officials mingled with mushers and got to know one another. 

 As I listened to the mushers being introduced, I was excited to hear how many are involved in various aspects of education.  Many mushers work closely with schools across the country, or are actually educators themselves.  Matt Rossi, the musher I will be riding with on Saturday as an Idta-rider, is very involved in education and has a partnership with Bark River Racing and the University of Minnesota Duluth.  Find more information about this educational opportunity at http://www.barkriverracing.com/.

 Some highlights of the night included Jim Lanier singing the National Anthem, Lance Mackey did indeed choose #13 as his starting position, and Susan Butcher’s husband, David Monson, gave a heart felt speech in Susan’s honor.  In memory of Susan, she has been named the Honorary Musher.

 Where is Jack?

Did you figure out what Jack was riding?   He was riding on a stagecoach.

 I was lucky enough to meet the life-size Jack tonight at the banquet.  He accompanied the Wells Fargo crew and danced to the song “Who Let the Dogs Out!”

 Special Treat:

I had a special treat today when John White, from Vero Beach, showed up at race headquarters.  John is an avid sled dog lover and has owned Siberian huskies throughout his life.  On many occasions he has visited my school to talk with students about huskies and his experiences raising them.  John will be riding with Karen Ramstead on Saturday as an Idita-rider – Karen runs an entire team of Siberian huskies.  Welcome to the Iditarod John!