Hi boys and girls,
Wishing everyone a great New Year!
It’s been pretty exciting around here. Training has started. I’m still too young but I watch my friends here at the kennel get ready and go for runs. They come home with the best stories about what they have seen and done. I sure can’t wait until it’s my turn to go. My human says it will be very soon that my brother Slate and I can go for a short run.
While I’ve been waiting to join the team, I have been talking with my cousin Irving. Irving lives with Karen Ramstead in Alberta, Canada. He is 2 years old and is trying for a position on Karen’s Iditarod team.
Irving told me that Karen has participated in 7 Iditarods. In 2001, she was the red lantern winner. If you don’t knowwhat that is, be sure to look it up at the Iditarod website. She is currently preparing to run in the 2008 Iditarod. Approximately 70 dogs live with Karen and her husband Mark. Karen races, breeds and shows Siberian Huskies. I asked Irving if Karen had a personal goal, and he said her goal is to break the record time for an all Siberian team to finish. That record is right at 12 days. Karen’s fastest time in 2004 was 12 days, 8 hours. That time was the third fastest time for an all Siberian team to complete the Iditarod.
Karen selected 39 dogs to train for her Iditarod team. 20-24 dogs will go to Alaska with Karen and 16 will make her team. 13 of the 39 of those dogs are rookies. You’re called a rookie when you are doing something for the first time. Irving is a rookie. There have already been a few cuts to the team but Irving is still there and trying his best. I asked Irving about his training. He has already run over 600 miles. Wow! That seems like a long way.
Irving said there is so much to learn. He gets a little nervous sometimes and has trouble remember everything he needs to know. He’s not sure he’ll make the team this year, but he sure is trying hard. The hardest thing he’s had to learn is to “Gee over”. Gee over is a command used when the team needs to run on the right side of the trail. This is a very
Irving says the most exciting thing he’s done is to go camping with Karen and the team. He said the first time he couldn’t understand why they had stopped for so long so he just leaped and barked, telling everyone who would listen that he was ready to go. He said he learned quickly that after a long run, he needs to rest because another long run is going to happen soon.
Irving says he loves training. He says if he doesn’t make the team this year, he’ll try again next year. He is going to continue to work hard and learn all he can. I wish him the best and I’ll let you know if he goes to Alaska with Karen and the team.
So how are you doing with your goals? My human tried a harness on me and said I will be going on a run soon. I can’t wait because that’s the start of my goals. I’m going to work as hard as Irving has so I can make the team at my house. I’m hoping by the time I write again, I will have pictures of my first run to show you.
I hope you are studying hard and are working on your goals.
Until our trails meet again,
Gypsy
11 Comments
That was a very interesting entry! It does take a lot of work to achieve a goal! I hope Karen will achieve hers! I think her Siberians are very beautiful dogs!
Musher Bob and I are no longer able to take our beautiful Siberians on long runs. You are so lucky to have a human who is able to teach you and train you and allow you to take long runs and train for the Greatest Race!! It takes a little bit to learn “Gee-O” as we used to say it, but you are a very smart Siberian and you will learn and never forget!
This is our first year to learn about the Iditarod and sled dogs. We are very excited about this and to read and learn more. We are like Irving , trying hard in our studies so we can make it to the fourth grade team. And just like him we get to excited and can’t hear the commands and instructions, but we sure keep trying. We wish him a lot of luck and we will be reading and watching.
Mrs. Stone’s Third Graders
Walker Elementary
Cypress, Texas
Dear Gypsy,
We loved hearing about your goals and we decided to write our own. Here they are…
To obey school rules - Ray
To read 2 hours a day - Jenna
To obey all the school rules - Jake
To take care of my pets, read to my brother every night, listen to my mom and dad, work hard in school - Nikki
To follow the school rules, take care of my pets, and be nice to everyone - Avery
To be nice to my brother and my classmates, to eat healthy, to take good care of myself, my pets, and people in my family - Libby
To land a 360 on my skateboard - John
To listen to my parents, turn in my homework on time, and be nice to others - Nia
To try not to get into trouble and eat healthier - Evan
To not shout out in school and respect the teacher - Luke
To not get in trouble at home and try to break my record for swimming - James
To listen in class - Madeleine
To play ball with my dog more in 2008 - Savannah
To care of my pets better and be nice to my brother - Tate
To be nice - Jacob
To get better at skateboarding - Brenden
To read 30 minutes a day, to feed my dog his food everyday - Sophie
To To be good for 2008 - Katherine
To collect dolls - Kimmy
To always keep calm - Tejav
To eat healthier and feed my pets more often - Julia
To listen to my elders and get better in school - Iden
These are all great goals and I’m sure we will be very successful!
Our class moto for 2008 is “You never know what you can do until you TRY!” Irving and Gypsy are great examples for this moto!
Mrs. Resh’s 2nd grade class
San Juan Capistrano, CA
Hi,
Thanks for the great comments. I am very proud of Mrs. Resh’s 2nd grade class. Your goals look great and I love your class motto. Good luck in meeting those goals. Keep me posted on how you do.
To Mrs. Stone’s class- You are going to have so much fun learning about and following the Iditarod this year. I know what you mean about being so excited that it’s hard to listen. My human says that’s a problem I have too. There’s just so much to learn and remember.
Thanks again, I loved hearing from all of you.
Gypsy
Thank you for the report on cousin Irving. We have followed his adventures since he was a baby. In fact, my husband (who is also named Irving) has baby Irving’s photograph (and one of the grown-up Irving) on his wall. We have just learned that Irving did not learn enough to go to Alaska this year, but that he may make the team next year. Sometimes it just takes a bit longer to reach your goals. But if you work hard enough, and learn, you have a much better chance!
Hi Mary,
Cousin Irving is lucky to have a supporter like you and human Irving. I haven’t had a chance to talk much with Irving since it was decided that he would not go to Alaska with the Iditarod team. He’s a little sad right now especially since his sister Bingo is going. I will be doing an update next week after I get a chance to talk to cousin Irving. Thanks to you and everyone who is reading and commenting to my posts. I love hearing from all of you.
Gypsy
Hi, Gypsy–I hope that I get to meet you when I come to Alaska for the race. I am happy that Irving’s sister is getting to come to Alaska, and am looking forward to getting someone to photograph us together! Now, if Irving is your cousin, does that mean that Bingo is too?–Mary
Yes Mary, Bingo is also my cousin. If you go to the top of this page and go to the purple box on the left, go under Zuma’s pages and click on Meet the Reporters. You can see who I am and where I came from. Thanks for writing.
Gypsy
Gypsy,
Thank you for sharing your goals with the group. They are very insightful, and I hope you will be running on the team soon. Beth
Hi Beth,
Thanks for reading. Check back soon. I have some very exciting news to share with everyone.
Gypsy