Willow 300 Vice President: "There is no more board."

The last man standing has spoken, there's no one left on the board of directors for the Willow 300. Essentially, the race is no more as of this weekend. On the eve of registration, an announcement was made that put the final nail in the coffin. 

After a dramatic announcement over two weeks ago sent the Alaskan mushing community into a bit of a tailspin. Hyperbole, maybe, but when half of your board resigns in a single day with a reason of concern of the "morals and values" of the race - you maybe deserve a bit of hyperbole.

In response, Board President Al Eischens (who also played the part of Race Director/Marshall) wrote a statement shared by the FORMER social media page for the race where he offered to step down immediately. Eischens posted on September 16:

"To the membership of the Willow 300 Dog Sled Race.

Pursuant to and responding to the recent actions and internet posts by the former Board of Directors of said race, I Alan Eischens, after much consideration and concern for the race - which has always been uppermost on the minds of the BOD and mushers -  will gladly step down as Director of the race immediately.  In the interest and love of the sport I am sorry to see that there has been what I feel are misinterpretations and misunderstandings by some of the board members of the W300.

I will gladly step aside and let the membership of the W300 vote in a new board of directors from its current membership to continue this race.   We will gladly help with a smooth transition so as to facilitate a swift and easy transition to whomever is elected to take over.    I feel the new board needs to come from the mushing community and not board members who have previously stepped down.  I am sure a fresh BOD and approach to the race moving forward will be welcomed by all W300 members. My withdrawal from this race is effective immediately and I thank the membership for allowing me to try to make this race better.   God bless."

Essentially, with Eischens stepping down that left only a couple of members on the board according to the list on the race's website. According to that list, only two were left standing the VP and the Treasurer. With Eischens stepping down the writing was on the wall that there would most likely be no Willow 300 or 150 for the 2023-24 season. 

Then Saturday the Willow 300's official page posted yet another update on the race ahead of the October 1 opening of registration. A simple exchange between whomever runs the page and the last known standing board member Matt Smith. The question was what was to happen with registration day, Smith simply wrote back: "There is no board there is no race I resign my position".

With other races having opened registration earlier this summer, and a handful opening this weekend, fans may see an uptick in rosters for those races, but this further complicates many kennels' plans to qualify/train for Iditarod and Quests. The Willow 300 was a newer race, but one that was very popular and centrally located in an area that has hosted a race even in the worst of winters. 

Because of the latest happenings with the board, the race's website has been taken down. In response to a question of where the website went, someone with inside knowledge of the decision wrote "As a rule today October 1st was the 1st day for sign ups/payment to race. So this also prevents people from depositing money and it needing to be returned."

The only question remaining - at least by fans - has do do with Nicolas Petit's winnings. At this time, no one has responded to inquiries. 

Petit 'has a question' for the Willow 300 board, others speak

Nicolas Petit at the Iditarod Picnic.
Iditarod Headquarters. Wasilla, AK. 2023

Things are still very muddled after news broke this weekend that the Willow 300 had several board members announce they were leaving the board effective immediately due to the race "not going in the direction that aligns with our moral and values". As the comments poured in it became clear that the somewhat vague announcement was going to need more explaining. Mushers began asking questions, the board members who once were willing to let all questions flow through just one of them spoke up.

While those not in the know wanted to know more, it wasn't until Nicolas Petit asked questions publicly that they were answered publicly. Those that wrote to the resigned board members earlier in the weekend were essentially told that it had to do with "transparency". Some worried that the values and moral concerns had something to do with dog care, but when Nicolas Petit - the 2023 Willow 300 champion - entered the conversation it was made a tad more clear.

"Ok so Here’s my question…" Nic's post began. "For months now I’ve been trying to have the race reissue my check for this year’s first place prize." Petit's post noted that he had been irresponsible and misplaced the check for his winnings from this year's race. He gave a quick explanation of how he contacted race organizers asking for them to reissue. "At the time I was told “no problem but we on vacation so we’ll send it out when we get home”. I don’t want to nag people so I let time go by as I checked my mail box occasionally."

Nic does not give an exact timeline on how long he waited, however the Willow 300 runs in January, and we're now in Mid September. Petit reported that he did try contacting organizers again via facebook messenger and he was told that he would not be able to get his check until November because "they" were once again out of town. 

No one has named who is still in charge of the race. The website has not been updated with a revised list of Board of Directors. Of the website's list, if it is accurate, four out of the eight members are no longer members - if it's accurate as to who holds what title. 

Resigned member Juliah DeLoach responded to comments accusing those that resigned as being full of ego. "I just came on board in spring then we didn’t have meetings that I was aware of for a few months," DeLoach shared. "The bylaws were requested at the August meeting. It took until last week to get those from the directors. No one on the board knew the situation we were in when we attended the spring meeting and accepted nomination."

That new board members were not provided with bylaws, policies, and expectations at their initial join meeting is a tad odd for non-profits. Most organization give out some sort of "welcome packet" with all the necessary information and paperwork. Still, this is mushing, and in a sport where the champions misplace their winning checks, it should come as no surprise that things aren't done "normally". However, that several board members noted and commented on these issues and were essentially ignored as DeLoach's comments would suggest, is not a good sign.

Casey Randall who resigned as vice president earlier this year for similar reasons also took to the comments to explain frustrations. " There are a lot of great people, including all of the people who resigned tonight, who wanted to make this race awesome. If this is what is needed to make a better future race, then let’s work toward the future!" Randall has now turned her attention to the Willow Jr 100, which is a race separate from the 300/150 races with its own board and trail.

Randall, DeLoach, and others all brought up the fact that "transparency is key" to a successful board. At the core, that seems to be what the resignation is about - these members do not believe that those in charge are being forthcoming with the goings on of the race and its organization.

DeLoach responded to Nic saying that the board members who resigned want to see him paid and paid in a timely manner. Mushers who reached out to Karin Hendrickson in the hours after the original announcement (to which Karin posted all questions needed to come to her) reported that all they were told was that there was concern about transparency and to not plan on running a Willow 300/150 this year.

For Petit, he didn't want to see his questions used to further divide an already divided race. " I’d like to know what I’m supposed to do about this without causing any more trouble to the race. Thank you," the musher wrote, then continued "Also Thank you to all who have made this race great".

Ship Creek Lodge remained silent this weekend on the goings on with the race, but by all reports is still unwilling to be the meeting place or finish line for the 2024 race.

Juliah DeLoach added one final comment to those coming down harshly on the news. "Someone else stated that by so many resigning it makes dog mushing and racing look bad. We are trying to represent our sport by being good role models," she wrote. "We had no other course of action available."

Willow 300 board of directors implodes

The headline may be a bit of hyperbole, but the fact is that as of tonight - September 13, 2023 - there has been a massive upheaval with the board of directors of the Willow 300 sled dog race. Several members of the board and volunteer staff posted on the race's Facebook Page announcing their departure, as well as the departure of main sponsor and race host Sheep Creek Lodge. The announcement created a slurry of comments by fans and mushers, many of whom seemed to be taken completely off guard by the announcement.

"The current board of the Willow 300 Sled Dog Race 2023 is not going in the direction that aligns with our moral and values," the Facebook announcement stated. "Therefore Secretary Karin Hendrickson, Member at Large Melinda Crawford, Sponsorship and Volunteer Coordinator Catrina Mathis, membership Coordinator Marianne Schoppmeyer, and Member at Large Julia DeLoach all resign. Sheep Creek Lodge also withdraws all support as race headquarters and finish."

Karin Hendrickson, retired Iditarod musher and (now) former board secretary quickly took to her personal Facebook page to share the race's post stating that if any mushers had questions they could message her. Several mushers commented on the posts with concern and sadness as the Willow 300 in a well loved race by many in the sport.

Known for its well marked trails and strong purse. The Willow 300 came about in 2016 to fill the void left by several long time mid-distance races ending. The Willow 300 managed to run even in poor snow years that saw other races in its general area cancel or move. Sheep Creek Lodge provided logistics for the race as well as a finish line and housing for handlers. Now all of that seems to be over in less than ten years, and it's left fans and participants wondering why.

This is a developing story.

Eklund releases recap of race and statement on his WD

 Many in the mushing community, mushers and fans alike, were stunned by the Race Marshal's decision yesterday to pull Lauro Eklund from the YQA550. The race cited Rule 22, the "competitiveness rule", as their reason for ending the musher's race early. Many were confused as up to the point that a statement was made, Lauro seemed to be doing just fine. In fact, the race had posted pics and praise for the musher as he reached the checkpoint of Central (where he would later be withdrawn from).

The YQA's facebook post on the news of the withdrawal quickly blew up with many mushers - even those who had just completed the 300 and 80 mile YQA races - calling for a better explanation. Comments were lobbied that the YQA lost the spirit of the race, other mushers said this had them rethinking entering the race in the future. An entire discussion on how dog sled races cannot just cater to the teams that have the money and means to run a full time operation and to heck with those with jobs outside of training dogs.

The race has stayed mum on the decision past what was released in the original statement. Lauro's friends and family have not. Now the musher has chimed in saying that the race was perfect for 300 miles and that, ultimately, he does not understand the Race Marshal's decision and feels that he and his team were robbed of a finish.

Instead of summarizing, it's best to let the musher tell it all himself. You can read his post in full on his facebook page:

Time will tell if things change within the YQA. There have been some serious allegations against Race Marshal Mike McCowan - though not many have been made publicly. Whatever the outcome, hopefully more will come to light on the reasons the decision was made, and that Lauro continues towards his goals.

Neff speaks to fans about Iditarod decision

Never one to let things go, Hugh Neff hasn't stayed quiet after he announced yesterday the Iditarod Review Board denied his application for the 2023 race. The former Yukon Quest Champion posted more details to his Facebook account citing how he and Jim Lanier knew that Iditarod would not let him run months ago. Neff planned to run dogs from Lanier's kennel again this year, and used their win in the Kobuk 440 as proof that his "forced scratch" from Iditarod 2022 was a farce. 

To hear Hugh's side of things is to hear one conspiracy after the other for the last decade or so. The Quest was out to get him. The Iditarod was out to get him (and in one race he suggested that Iditarod wanted to kill him when they wouldn't send a rescue team out in the middle of a storm out onto the Norton Sound to find the wayward musher). Different mushing clubs/associations who chose to deny him membership due to the Quest's decision to bar him from the 2019 race because of his dog's death in 2018 was found to be caused by musher negligence. So then the vet teams of races were out to get him. Mark Nordman, the musher's hinted, dislikes him and is jealous of him. And don't get him started on all of those fake mushers with tv deals (Seavey? Redington? Holmes?) he's following in the traditions of Alaska and real mushers whereas they're just about money. 

Neff's statement last night cited mushers by description and not name siding with him, stating they won't speak publicly for fear of retribution. In an odd sort of twist it seems Neff is trying to take a few pages out of Dallas Seavey's book after Seavey had to deal with the fall out of the Musher X scandal, with a big difference being mushers spoke out publicly for the musher. Even rivals who had not great things to say about the youngest Iditarod Champion wrote letters of support for Dallas. So far, if Hugh does have supporters in the community, they aren't coming forward.

In his statement on facebook the musher promised he is not going anywhere and plans to continue mushing in "Alaska's Greatland". A quick scan of mid distance race rosters does not show Hugh with any future races lined up.

Neff denied Iditarod entry

Hugh Neff navigates a turn in
Anchorage during the ceremonial 
start of Iditarod 50. March 6, 2022.

In a series of Facebook posts Friday night, Yukon Quest Champion Hugh Neff reported that his Iditarod Registration was rejected by the Race Board. The musher did not mince words and hinted at conspiracy against him as well as the kennel he plans to runs dogs out of - Jim Lanier's Northern Whites Kennel.

All entries for the Iditarod are reviewed by a committee which determines if a team meets the requirements - regardless of past experience on the trail. These decisions are not typically made public by the race other than approvals being posted to the roster. The committee takes in consideration kennel conditions, current races, as well as past Iditarods (when applicable).

Neff has had a string of concerns in the last few years stemming from the Yukon Quest barring him from racing the thousand mile race until he could requalify after they found him negligent in the death of his dog Boppy in the 2018 race. Other races, including Iditarod, followed suit in denying Hugh's entries in the 2019 season. 

Neff ran in the 2022 Iditarod but had to scratch in Ruby due to concern for his dogs. Controversy surrounded his scratch as the musher and the race differ on what happened with Neff accusing Mark Nordman of having a vendetta against him. 

This is a developing story.