Yummy! It's meal time!

Hello Boys and Girls!

Some of my fur friends have returned from the trail.  They are called ‘dropped’ dogs.

Dropped dogs are dogs that for one reason or another, are left in the checkpoint by the musher.

The dogs are generally in excellent health.

As you can see, my friend in this picture has a good appetite.   A yummy meal is served to the dropped dogs and the race volunteers and vets take good care of them while the wait for their family to pick them up from the Millennium Hotel Race Headquarters.

Just Spinning de ‘tails’,

Libby

Doesn’t this look yummy?  Oh but this is not something to eat!

This is a special ointment that is made special for the sled dogs!

Each year, a group of Iditarod volunteers meet at Iditarod Headquarters  for a very important job!  The volunteers mix up a special recipe that can be used on the sled dog’s paws.   Dr. Nelson, Chief Veterinarian for the race, provides the recipe and works with the volunteers.

Thanks, volunteers!  The jobs you do are so important!

Just Spinning de ‘tails’,

Libby

Hello Boys and Girls,

I hope you have had time to go to the musher listing page and see all of the mushers who have signed up for this year’s Iditarod.   If not, go to the link that you will find after my name, and you can visit that part of the website.

When you look at the musher listing, you can see that a few mushers have already withdrawn from the race.  Are you wondering what that means?  My job as reporter is to help you with the ‘little details’ that you need to know.  I will help you understand what a withdraw before the start of the race means.

When a musher withdraws before the start of the race, the musher has decided not to race this year.

Reasons for this decision can be a personal reason like the health of a musher, concerns about money or sponsorship, or not enough trained dogs to run the race.  The Iditarod website does not usually give you a reason why a musher withdraws but you can be sure that the musher made the decision for a good reason.

One thing you can do is make a list of good reasons that a musher can have to make a decision to withdraw.   Then, think about good reasons that you might have when you or your family have to stop doing something.

Just Spinning de ‘tails’,

Libby

Follow this link to the musher listing.

Leave us comments or questions about reasons for withdrawing.  Share your thoughts with us!

Did you know that each year, a group of lucky race fans get to have a very important and special ’seat’ at the start of the race?  Did you know that some race fans get to see the start of the race while on a very special journey?

That ’seat’ is in the sled of an Iditarod musher as the sled goes beneath the starting banner for the first 11 miles of the race.  Just think about how much fun it would be to not only hear the musher’s name called to the starting line, but your name mentioned, too!  Just think of the sights and sounds of the start day!  Just think of the people you’d see on that 11 mile ride!  It would be so much fun to be an Iditarider!

Who are the lucky race fans?  They are the winners of the IditaRider Auction! The winners of the auction are called: IditaRiders.

This IditaRider auction is a fundraiser that helps pay for the race.  Race fans go to the website and sign up to bid.  The race fans place bids and the highest paying bid wins!   The winners meet ‘their’ musher a couple of days before the start of the race.  How exciting!  They can even get the musher’s autograph, too!

I hope you check out the IditaRider auction section of the website.  It is fun to watch how much money the race fans bid for their ride.  The money raised helps pay for the race.  This is a very important fundraiser so let’s cheer on the bidders!

You can learn more about the Idita-Rider auction at the auction link or by reading this article which tells about other auctions, too!

Just spinning some De’tails’!

Libby

Here is an idea for you:

Write a short story about what it would be like to be an IditaRider or make up a TV commercial about the IditaRider Auction.  Send us an email sharing what you write because the K9 journalists would like to read what you write.  We’ll post some of the ideas right here for others to read, too!

Learn more about Libby and the other K9 journalists at this link.

Did you know Zuma is on Facebook?  Join us there!

Did you know that mushers have already signed up to run the 2010 Iditarod?  That is right!  As of today, 63 mushers have signed up.

While I was spending my summer days taking boat rides on the lake with my human and k9 friends, mushers were making their plans for the next racing season.

The mushers started to sign up last June.  You can see who has signed up by looking at the musher listing on the website.

Some of the mushers are veterans.  Some of the mushers are rookies.

A veteran is a musher who has completed at least one Iditarod.

A rookie is a musher who has not finished the race.  The rookie might be racing in Iditarod for the first time or the rookie could have been signed up before but for some reason, didn’t make it to Nome.

Not every rookie musher gets to Nome on the first try.

Getting to Nome and finishing the race is not easy.  Rookies and veterans train all year long and make lots of goals.  Their dogs don’t get to lounge around like me.  I am a reporter.  They are athletes.  I write.  They train.  I can’t wait to read all about them during the next several months.  On the first Saturday in March, the rookies and the veterans will have their 16 member dog team ready to leave the starting line in Anchorage, Alaska.  What an exciting race to Nome it will be!`

I hope you look at the musher listing.  Count the rookies.  Count the veterans.  Check back every month.  Keep watching the list of rookies and veterans to see how many of each will start this year’s race.

Be sure to check back at Zuma’s Paw Prints, too.  Zuma, Gypsy, Sanka, and I will be putting lots of stories on the website to help you learn more about the rookies, the veterans, and lots of other Iditarod information.

Just Spinning D’Tails!

Libby

PS.  In the picture, my fur friend, Wicket and I are shown enjoying a boat ride on a bright and sunny summer day.  I love summer boat rides!  They are almost as much fun as riding in a dogsled!

OH, and if you want to learn more about why some mushers don’t finish Iditarod,  read this article by Gypsy.  I know you’ll enjoy it.

Hello.

This is Miss Evans class and we are writing to find out more about you and the Iditarod. We are in first grade. We are at Agnes Irwin School which is an all-girls private school. We are learning about the Iditarod.

Are you good reporting the Iditarod? How many of the lead dogs are females? Do you think any more people will scratch? How did Nancy Yoshida scratch?  Have you ever been at the start or finish line or have you been on the trail? How many dogs do you need to finish the race?

We hope you get your career started soon!

Please answer soon.

Love,

Miss Evans

Thank you so much for writing to me.  I am a VERY good reporter, haven’t you noticed?  Lead dogs can be males or females, but I think females make the best leaders.  I think so because I am a female and I know I am a great leader.  Besides, females are just sweet looking, don’t you agree?

It is always sad to see a musher scratch, but mushers make that decision for good reasons.  Nancy made that decision because Nigel ran off and he did not come back.  A musher can’t continue if they are missing a dog.  Silly Nigel!  (Did you see that cute coat he sometimes wears?  I think he is SO cute!  Howl!!!)

I have been to the start, to the restart, and a few places on the trail.  Traveling helps me learn and be able to write stories.  Thanks for your questions.  You’ve helped me… 

Spin some ‘de tales’.  Libby

Dear Libby,

We are sorry you did not make it as a show dog but we are sure you are going to be a great reporter.  Keep us updated on special things that are happening.  Your friends at Chapin Schoo.

Thanks students!  Even though I didn’t make it as a show dog, I am happy with my very important job.  Thanks for cheering me on!

Just spinning some ‘de-tales’,

Libby

Boys and Girls, I think you should create your own Iditarod license plates.  Think about what you can put on the license plate to help others learn about the race.  Then make a license plate about your own state or an event held in your event.

Have fun!

Just Spinning Some ‘De-Tales’

Libby

Every year, tucked deep inside a musher’s sled bag is a special packet of promotional materials.  Included in the packet are letters from students around the world.

This year, a record 631 letters arrived in Nome.  These letters/projects were brought to Anchorage.  They were placed into envelopes and placed with the other promotional materials that are required to be carried in a musher’s sled bag during the race.  (See FOR MUSHERS for details about required items in the sled.)

After the race, the letters/projects will be sent back to the schools and home school families that participated in the project.

*Please note, Leo did attempt to contact all of the participants in this project.  Some of the email address that were sent to him bounced.  If you did not hear from him, your project may still have been in a musher’s sled.  So, please be patient with Leo.  He does most of this project by himself.  A list of participants IS NOT available to me nor is it placed on the website.  Leo has the only list and he will be in touch.  You can also try contacting Leo in Nome using contact information you got when you began this project.  Be sure to send Leo a big thank you for his time, effort, and energy!

It will take some time for the projects to reach the participants after the race.  Remember to be patient!

You can learn more about this project by clicking the following link.  Start thinking now about getting on board a musher’s sled for the 2010 Iditarod.

Just ‘Spinning some D’tails”

Libby

Watch this slide show to see more pictures of the project.

I know some of you are following the race using the map on the front page of the site, the GPS Tracker map.  If you haven’t seen it, go to www.iditarod.com and click on the box that invites you to view the Free Preview for 6 Mushers!  It is really neat to see the mushers moving along the trail.  When you click at a checkpoint, you can also read all about the checkpoint.  It is so much fun!

On the Restart day, this trailer was pulled around from dog team to dog team before the teams went to the starting line.  Every musher got a tracker this year. The GPS Tracking devices were put on each sled.  Some mushers had the device put on the front of the sled and others had the device stored inside their sled bag.   It was a big job to put these trackers on every sled.

These trackers make following the race a lot of fun!

Classrooms and schools wanting to follow all of the mushers using GPS can subscribe to the GPS Tracker.  Learn more by clicking here!

Just Spinning D’ tails,

Libby

Oh, can you believe it?  The race is only a few short hours from starting!  Gypsy, Sanka, Zuma, and I have been thinking of great ideas to write stories about! I hope you check Zuma’s Paw Prints every day and read, read, read.

The race start is tomorrow. The race start is a time of celebration.  Musher’s will carry Idita-Riders in their sleds.  Idita-Riders have won bids to ride an 11 mile run.  People will line the streets of Anchorage and cheer on the mushers, Idita-Riders,  and sled dogs.

The restart is on Sunday.  The clock starts on Sunday when the mushers leave from Willow and head to Nome!

Just spinning some ‘Details’!

Libby