Happy Trails,
Gypsy

Have you picked your musher yet?  If you have, I bet your wondering what to do next.  If you’re doing this in your class, your teacher will be planning activities for you to do.  If you are doing this on your own, here are a few suggestions to help you.

Get map of trail (  http://www.iditarod.com/learn/iditarodtrail.html ),   and mark where your musher is.   Every day, or couple of times during the day go to:  www.Iditarod.com  and see where your musher is.  You will be able to find out if they are in a checkpoint or what was the last checkpoint they were in.  It will also give you the time your musher came and and then left.  The site will give you information as to the number of dogs still traveling with the musher, if they have taken their mandatory layoffs, and how fast they have been traveling.

While at the Iditarod site, you can download a map, information about the trail and checkpoints and mileage (see above website). This will help you to calculate how many miles your musher travels each day.  Look at what checkpoint they were at yesterday and where they are today.  Subtract the mileage of yesterdays checkpoint from todays.  That should give you the approximate mileage traveled.

Make predictions- when will they take their 24 hours, where will they be tomorrow, when will they get to Nome.  Can you think of anything else.  I like to predict how long it will take for them to get from checkpoint to checkpoint.  It’s fun to see how close I get.  When you do this, you need to be aware of any weather difficulties they may encounter enroute that will slow them down.  Also if it’s a long distance between checkpoints, you need to allow for a rest/snack/food break.

Can you think of anything else to track?  I’d love to hear of your ideas about keeping up with your musher.  Please let me know if you or your class do something else.

Happy trails to you,

Gypsy

Wow, it’s almost race time.  Are you getting ready to follow the race?  Do you have a  favorite musher?  If you’re following the race in your classroom, you may be able to pick a musher to follow.  Some classes follow a couple of teams and in some classes each student picks a team to follow.  With 60+ mushers to pick from, how do you know who to pick?  Well, I’ve listed a few tips that may help you pick the right musher for you.

1. Look for similar interests- Read the musher bios on the Iditarod site.  Pick someone who has similar interests or hobbies that you do.  Find someone who’s from the same state you live in. Or maybe their non-mushing job is something you would like to do some day- teacher, be in the military, pilot, etc.  Really read the bios and find something that says “this person is for me”.
2. Look for something familiar- Pick someone with the same name as yours or who looks like a family member.
3. Take a chance on a rookie.  You never know which Rookie will be the “Rookie of the year” or a future top finisher.  Most rookies have been planning for years to run the Iditarod and have set goals for themselves.  Try to find out what their goal for the race is.
4. Pick for a musher with a website- If you are going to have to write a biography, or a report about your musher, this is a good way to make sure you have enough information to write a good report.  You will also be able to see pictures of your musher and the team.  Many times, someone will update the website during the race so you can get stories about your musher and how the race is going for them.
5. The middle and back of the pack- Some of the best stories along the trail come from the middle and the back of the pack.  Most of these mushers do not intend to win the race.  They have set finishing the race as one their goals.  If they have run the race before, their goal is probably to finish in a better position and time than before.  These are certainly mushers to look at when picking someone to follow.
6. Picking a winner-  Everyone loves a winner and loves to win.  You need to remember that just because someone has won or placed high in the race before doesn’t mean the same will happen this year.  This is a race where anything can happen and anyone can scratch- even the best.  A plus to picking a past winner or top placer, is that they probably have a website and/or there is lots of information about them that you can use for your any reports you might have to write.

I hope this helps you pick a musher that is right for you. Most important thing is to have fun.  Also, be positive about the race your musher is running.  He or she may not be winning but may be running the race to the plan or goal the made for themselves.

Once you pick a musher, write me and let me know who you picked.  I can’t wait to hear from you. Also, check back tomorrow for an article on how to track your musher.

Have fun,

Gypsy

Did you know that there is a special program for teachers called the Target® Teacher on the Trail Program™? This program offers teachers a unique opportunity for a once in a lifetime adventure. One teacher is selected every year to spend 3 ½ weeks in Alaska doing presentations, visiting schools, and flying in a small plane up and down the Iditarod trail following the teams from Anchorage to Nome. During the time these teachers are the Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ they prepare lessons and they report from the trail. I bet your teachers use some of the lessons developed by the Teacher on the Trail.™

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So, how does a teacher become a Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™? There is an application they have to fill out. I looked over the application and it’s the biggest homework assignment I’ve ever seen! Some teachers say that it takes months to put together all the information needed to complete the application. All the applications are due by Dec. 1 of each year. Once all the applications are received, the selection committee goes over each one and together they decide on 3 finalists. Those finalists then go to Alaska the week before the start of the race. They do a presentation at the Iditarod Teachers Workshop, have an interview with the selection committee, complete an assignment/project, go to the banquet and to the start and restart of the race. They get to meet many of the mushers and give lots of ear scratches and belly rubs to the canine athletes. When the race is over, the selection committee will select the next

Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ from the 3 finalists. What a wonderful experience for these 3 teachers.

I was very lucky to do email interviews with all 3 of this years finalists. They sound like very special teachers. Here is a little about each of the finalists:

Martha Dobson

Martha has lived in North Carolina all her life. She currently teaches 6th grade Language Arts. She says nothing has sparked her interest in the classroom like the Iditarod has. She first went to the Iditarod start in 2005. She was an idita-rider with musher Phil Morgan. She never dreamed she’d be bitten by the Iditarod “bug” but she was. She has returned to the Iditarod start every year since then. When asked about using the Iditarod in her classroom, Martha said, “It is amazing to me that teaching brought Iditarod and me together. I want to bring a new experience to my students and to students all over the country, and to make connections between learning and life experiences while they learn the skills taught in their schools. Experiencing the challenges and teamwork of the race firsthand will help me bring this valid teaching tool to the classroom”.

Martha is married and has 3 children. She also shares her home with a Siberian Husky, many cats and a horse.

Blynne Froke
Blynne lives in Northern California. She has been teaching for 22 years and is currently a High School teacher for at-risk students. She’s been teaching the Iditarod in her classroom for the past 3 years. She focuses her lessons on goal-setting, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership skills. She and her students explore all aspects of the Iditarod from race strategies, weather prediction, and musher experiences. Blynne says, “ They like me sit on the edge of their seats awaiting the next step of this amazing adventure.
Blynnes hobbies (other than the Iditarod) are knitting, reading, writing and running trails with her dog. She has completed two half marathons and is currently training for her third. Blynne is married with 2 children. She sure sounds like one busy woman.

Sally Simon
Sally is from New York. She teaches 6th grade enrichment and advanced math in Hendrick Hudson Schools about an hour north of New York City. She became interested in the

Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ program 3 years ago when Hugh Neff (musher) came to her school and told her about the program. Sally then attended the Winter Educators Conference where she learned so much and became addicted to the race. She knew she had to apply and try to this special position.
Sally says she’s always had goals in her life and “they’re what makes us grow as people”. She says her goals have changed as she grows older. When she was young her goals were school based. Then they were family based. Now she’s beginning to make goals that are based on working with a team. Her goal now is still to be the best she can but to be a team player. She also bases her Iditarod lessons on a TEAMWORK acronym she developed. Each letter is part of a process that can be used to accomplish goals and solve problems as a team. It is: T=Target a goal, E=Evaluate skills, A=assign roles, M=make a plan, W=work together, O=Observe results, R=Reevaluate, and K=Keep at it.
Sally is married and has 2 sons, and 3 dogs. She participates in an unusual sport called fencing (epee). Do you know what fencing is? She also loves to travel and learn new things on her computer.

I think it would be so much fun to be in one of their classrooms? Do you know of a special teacher that would make a good Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™?  If so, please encourage him/her to apply. Maybe next year, I’ll be writing about your teacher.

See you out on the trail,
Gypsy

Hi Boys and Girls,

I sure have been busy this weekend. It started on Friday when my humans said I needed a bath. They said I smelled like a dog. Well DUH! I don’t understand why humans want us to smell like them and not like we should. Anyway, my human told me that I was going to a special event on Saturday and that little humans would be hugging me and giving me belly rubs so I needed to smell good (meaning not like a dog). Well I’ll do just about anything for a belly rub so I went and took a bath. I have to admit I looked better as my fur was really soft and fluffy.

What a great time we had on Saturday. The event was a fund raiser for a group called Shared Gifts. Shared gifts is an organization that helps individuals (children and adults) with special needs, learn how to love, care and ride retired, elderly, or once abused horses. Marcia Evans has run the 4H Easy Riders Program for the past 40 years and The Merrimack Valley Equestrian Special Olympics program for the past 20 years. The money raised on Saturday goes to support these 2 very worthy causes. The main fund raiser for this year was a raffle. You will never guess what the grand prize was– A 6 day trip to Alaska for the Iditarod. Can you believe that??? Iditarod musher Judy Currier donated her frequent flyer airline mileage for the plane tickets. That was really nice of her. The winner will stay in Alaska at a Bed and Breakfast and will attend the Mushers Banquet the Start and Restart. Now that’s a prize! The raffle drawing was the last thing that took place. Before that there were a couple of other organizations there raising money, there were a few demonstrations and/or talks, and there was an I-kid-a-rod.

The New Hampshire Special Olympics had a table. They were representing the High School Penguin Plunge to be held February

6th. A Penguin Plunge is where humans jump in a lake, the ocean or another body of water when it’s freezing cold. The humans usually form teams and family and friends give them money to do this. The money collected goes to the organization- in this case- NH Special Olympics. I think it’s a pretty unique way to raise money. Good luck to everyone participating on Feb. 6th.

One of the favorite groups at this event was Peace and Paws. Peace and Paws is a non profit organization dedicated to finding loving homes for abandoned and homeless pets. It is run by Melissa and Bo who started the organization after adopting a dog for their family. Each dog is placed in foster care first. After an application and introduction process the dogs are placed in their forever home. Peace and Paws brought several of their adoptable dogs with them. They were such nice dogs. I wanted my humans to take all of them home with us. My humans seem to think the 10 dogs we have are enough! You can get more information about Peace and Paws by going to: www.peaceandpaws.org I sure hope the new fur friends I made found good forever homes due to this event.

There were several outside events going on also. It was such a beautiful sunny day that the outside events were a

big success. One group had a display on Chinook dogs. A Chinook is the New Hampshire state dog. The Chinook is one of the few breeds that was bred in America-(in New Hampshire) in the early 1900’s. It was bred for it’s intelligence and for being a good sled dog. For more information about this breed you can go to: www.chinook.org. I was able to meet two Chinooks at the event. They were having a great time greeting the participants and getting big hugs from the children.

The Hopkinton High School Interact Club put on an I-Kid-a-Rod. They used sleds that were made out of heavy corrugated cardboard. The cardboard sleds were attached to a regular wooden childrens sled. Then stuffed dogs were placed in the sleds along with equipment for the race. The children were to pull the sleds (just like us dogs do) to a variety of checkpoints. At each checkpoint the children had to do something- check for equipment, check booties, have the vets check them etc. It was so much fun. Has your class or school ever had an I-Kid-a-Rod?

My humans, my grandma Lyra and I, set up a sled with all the lines, had our dog truck open for viewing, and gave a small presentation. For me that was the best part of the day. I love teaching humans about dog sledding. The little humans were my size and they gave me lots of kisses, hugs, and BELLY RUBS!!!!! I made some new doggie friends also. Then I got some special treats! I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Congratulations to Mary who put on this event. She has worked very hard the past few weeks to make sure this event was a success. Congratulations also to the winner of the raffle. I know you will have a great time up in Alaska.

That’s it for now. I hope this has given some of you ideas about what you could do for the Community Challenge Zuma has told you about.

Happy Trails,
Gypsy

Now that the race is over- what’s next??? Many of you are busy writing the musher you followed in the race. I know you are really excited about that and many of you are hoping for a return letter and maybe even some goodies. Since the request for musher addresses has increased during the past week, I thought this would be a good time to go over some rules for writing.

First, if you ask for musher addresses, you will be emailed a form to fill out. This is fairly new. It will ask your name, school name (if your affiliated with a school), and email address. Please request the addresses by going to: djohnson@iditarod.com
You will not receive the addresses until you return the form.  You can read more and see the form by clicking here.

There is not an address for every musher. Not all mushers are able to receive mail and/or are able to respond to mail. Please respect this.

Here are a few tips when writing your letters.

• Make sure your letters are friendly and supportive.
• Don’t ask too many questions. First read the mushers bio on the Iditarod website and if the musher has a website, go there to see if you can find the answers to your questions. If you can’t, pick only one or two questions to ask.
• If you hope for a response you MUST send a self addressed stamped envelope with your letter. If your musher lives in another country (ie Canada, Norway etc), you must have the correct postage for that country.
• Don’t ask for booties, autographs, pictures or anything else. All these things cost the musher money to buy and send. It is unreasonable to expect the musher to send out these items. Some of them do, but don’t expect it.

Please remember that mushers receive hundreds of letters every year. It takes time for them to go through them and answer. Please be patient and realize the response may come during the summer.

I hope that helps everyone. Have fun writing to your favorite musher.

Gypsy

Hi Boys and Girls,

Do you remember by first community Challenge post?  It was about Mrs. Andrews class in Pelham NH.  This 3^rd grade class was making money for the Animal Rescue Network of New England (ARNNE)  by baking and selling yummy dog biscuits.  Well they had another sale the end of March.  This time they raised $185 for a total of $315 to be donated to ARNNE.  Isn’t that amazing.  GREAT JOB Mrs. Andrews class!!!!!

To see more about this project you can go to:

http://www.pelhamweb.org/pes/mrsandrews/bow_wow_biscuits.htm

The students in Mrs. Andrews asked if the could interview me.  I had never been interviewed before.  I’m always the one that does the interviewing!  You can see the interview at:

http://www.pelhamweb.org/pes/mrsandrews/new_page_5.htm

If you have a community project that you would like us to feature on the blog, just email us the information.  We’d love to feature your class.

Keep up the good work,

Gypsy