Hello Boys and Girls,

Gypsy sent me this letter telling about her interview with Iditarod Champion Lance Mackey. She was so lucky to get to meet him. I know you’ll enjoy reading this!

Lots of Tail Wags,

Zuma

Hi Boys and Girls,

What a treat I had a few weekends back! My humans took me to the New Hampshire Sled Dog Trade Show. A trade show is where mushers, sled makers, harness and bootie makers, and special guests go to learn more about mushing, tell good stories, and listen to the guest speakers talk about Sledding.

I had a great time. First, I saw my daddy Skor who lives here in New Hampshire. He is so handsome and such a big, strong dog. He was howling Iditarod stories to a group of younger dogs. I loved hearing about his tales on the trail. Then I went shopping with my human. I didn’t have enough allowance saved to buy too much. There was so much to look at and buy. There were people who made sleds there. There was also a person who made the prettiest harnesses. I really wanted one but my human said I already had a nice harness and since I was still growing, I would have to wait for a new one. Maybe next year I can get the pretty blue one with designs on it.

Next came the highlight of my day. Lance Mackey was the guest speaker. That didn’t mean a lot to me at first. My human explained that Lance has won both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest this past year. Now that is impressive. It was such an honor to have him as my first interview. I was so nervous but he was such a nice human and so easy to talk to. My goal is to learn what it takes to be a lead dog. Lance’s lead dog Larry was not able to make the long trip to NH so I was unable to interview him but I was able to ask Lance what he looks for in a lead dog.

First a little about Lance. He grew up in a sled dog family. His dad ran in the first Iditarod and won the 6^th Iditarod he was in. Lance’s brother Rick, also has run the Iditarod and also won the 6^th Iditarod he was in. Guess what, last year was Lance’s 6^th Iditarod and he won it. All 3 Mackeys were wearing bib #13 when they won the race. Now that’s some family tradition. Last year, Lance also won the Yukon Quest sled dog race for the 3^rd time. This is really special because the Yukon Quest is also a 1000 mile race that ends approximately 3 weeks before the Iditarod begins. That sure is a lot of racing. Lance describes himself as very laid back, easy going but very serious when he’s on the runners. He feels that the sport of dog sledding is perfect for him. His ultimate goal is to have fun, to do the best he can with what he has, and to finish with the best team in front of him. He said he is always looking for ways to improve both his team and himself.

Lance then told me about his dogs. There are 52 dogs in the training pool this year. 28 of these dogs are veterans of at least one 1000 mile race. Many of the dogs are able to run lead but there are a few very accomplished leaders: Larry, Hobby, and Lippy and the handsome Rev. The things that Lance looks for in a good sled dog are a dog that is steady and consistent in speed and has a good appetite and good attitude. Most of Lance’s dogs are bigger dogs. They train in the hills and the dogs need to have a steady speed when going up and down the hills. He feels a bigger dog allows for that. I could tell that Lance really cares for his dogs. He had a big smile on his face the whole time he was talking about his kennel.

I asked Lance what his advice to students would be. He said to pick a goal, make sure it’s something you enjoy and do it the best you can. So, I want all of you to think of something you enjoy doing. It could be your school work, a sport, dance, etc. Make a goal and work very hard to accomplish that goal. I’ve made a goal and that’s to be a leader on a dog team. I’ll let you know how well I’m doing accomplishing my goal. Let me know what your goals are and what you are doing to accomplish your goal.

Next time- My cousin Irving is going to tell us what he is doing to become a great sled dog. He’s a rookie trying for a position on Karen Ramstead’s team. We’re going to follow his training this year and see if he accomplishes his goal of making Karen’s Iditarod team.

Until our trails meet again,

Gypsy