Reitter's Block

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Dallas Seavey to race in Finnmark

I'm at work and can't do a big blog post, so, for now, I'll just let this facebook post do the talking.

What do you think of this latest announcement? Let me know if the comments below!

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

No Iditarod for Cindy Abbott this year

Cindy Abbott took to her social media platforms yesterday to announce that she was not signing up for Iditarod 46. Siting personal and health reasons, Abbott assured her fans that she was taking care of herself.

Abbott is a red lantern Iditarod finisher, as well as a spokesperson and hero for many fighting incurable, little-talked about diseases. Cindy was diagnosed with Wegener's Granulomatosis in August of 2007, instead of curling up in a ball in a corner, she set about taking life by the horns. She has successfully climbed Mount Everest, and then fixed her sites on the Iditarod. It took her 3 rookie tries to complete the race in 2015 (one year she scratched after breaking her pelvis and several other bones and not realizing it!) where she won her first of two red lanterns. The Red Lantern is awarded to the final team to cross the finish line.

After retiring from her job last year, Cindy and her husband moved to Alaska with the intent on her running the 2018 Iditarod and other future races. Cindy cites in her post that her husband was supportive of her plan to run this year, and the decision to not run was solely hers. Abbott runs dogs from Iditarod Veteran - and current MatSu Burrough Mayor - Vern Halter's Kennel. She will continue to train the team, but a little less intensely, building them for 2019.

Abbott stated in her post that she intends to run the 2019 Iditarod, where she will be 60 years old.

You can purchase Cindy's book Reaching Beyond The Clouds: From Undiagnosed To Climbing Mt. Everest on Amazon.com.

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Signed up to Volunteer

My grandparents began volunteering for the Iditarod in the early years of the race. I don't know the exact year. My grandmother started the obsession. She worked at the McGrath checkpoint a year or two before they decided to help take care of the Anchorage trail. That was back when the "Ceremonial Start" also meant something to the actual race. They would time the run to Eagle River. It was before Anchorage was so grown up that they were still somewhat safe to do so.

Our family has volunteered at the "Tudor Crossing" of the trail for more years than I've been alive (32). "Back then" there wasn't a footbridge for the teams to use to cross the busy street. My grandparents and their merry band of volunteers had to stop traffic, they had to move snow onto the street just to shovel it back off so that the cars could pass after the teams passed by. Our team now has it so much easier now than back in the "good ol' days".

Tudor Crossing is now "University Lake and Tudor Center". The teams run along a lake that is an off leash dog park before going through a tunnel (so as not to have to cross a side street) and then up and over a foot bridge as the busy traffic of Tudor goes by seemingly unaware of what's taking place above and around them.

As a very young child I must have been a part of the action, but I honestly do not remember. We moved to the Kenai Peninsula when I was almost 6 years old, so a lot of the "early day memories" I might have had are far gone in the recesses of my brain. We rarely went up for the Iditarod after that - it was always during important dates for school or dad's work. I didn't even know that my grandparents had a history with the race! It wasn't a topic of conversation that I paid attention to. I knew my grandparents knew several of the mushers, and had met my heros (Libby Riddles and Susan Butcher) but that was the extent of my knowledge.

I do remember a year when I got to go to the ReStart when it was still in Wasilla. It was terrifyingly crowded and I remember not enjoying it as I couldn't (or wouldn't) push through the crowd to see the action. I just remember being scared that I would get lost. I remember thinking this was a huge deal, but that I didn't see myself doing this again. I was 9 or 10 at the time (so 1994 or 95).

Then when I moved to Anchorage to attend college I managed to land a short term (read one weekend) internship with a photographer who was helping with the Iditarod. No, it wasn't Jeff Schultz (I wish!), but it was another photographer they'd tapped to take pictures for the Iditariders (fans who bid to ride in a particular musher's sled during the 11 mile Ceremonial Start). He wanted me to take photos halfway down the trail at - you guessed it - Tudor Crossing. I mentioned it to my grandfather and he showed me how and where would be the best place to set up.

That was 2005. I was only used that one year as a photographer, so I joined Grandpa's crew of trail guards the following year. I had a blast! I was hooked. In 2007 after Iditarod was over I was so hooked that I ended up applying to work for Ididaride. That's when the pride and obsession really grew. The more I learned about the behind the scenes stuff, the more I wanted to be a part of it.

After my grandmother's stroke in December of 2009, my grandfather was unsure and really unwilling to plan for another Iditarod. He took it seriously, and he was just too busy focused on her (as he should have been). I didn't want to see our family tradition die there, and my grandmother certainly didn't want to see that happen either. She LOVED Iditarod. So since she was on the road to recovery, I set about getting in touch with the coordinator of the Ceremonial Start Trail Guards asking if it would be alright if I was the "go between" for he and my grandfather with the understanding that in another year I would be fully ready to be "in charge" of our crew.

Since Iditarod 2010 I have been the "crew leader". That's 7 years, going to be 8 next March.

I know, some might find this shocking after all that's happened in the last month and a half. However, I feel very strongly about my family's tradition of being a part of The Last Great Race. I can disagree with how things are managed. I can demand certain things change. We all can. I see nothing wrong with having a disagreement with things. But the ITC is not the Iditarod (yeah, that quote was stolen from Dallas Seavey). The Iditarod is so much more than political back biting and butt protection. Iditarod is Alaska. Iditarod is dogs. Iditarod is Man and Animal coming together to do the "impossible". And I continue to want to be a part of that.

All organizations can improve. I work for a Non-Profit, and we're constantly scrutinizing what we do and how we can do it better. If you don't do that, you risk screwing up and not being able to recover. You risk losing the trust of your supporter and donors.

I don't want to see the Iditarod become the next fatality of a ridiculous campaign by the liars and hypocrites of PeTA and other "Animal Rights" groups. I will continue to support the race, while calling for transparency of ALL. Not just this latest issue.

So I will see you all at the Tudor Crossing as I have for over a decade now. It's still the most wonderful time of the year. The Race Season begins in just over a month. We've got a lot to celebrate and talk about!

Monday, November 13, 2017

My experience with Team Seavey

2007 Wildride, retired Iditarod Champions Angus and Zebra
pull Alaskan Malamute rescue Buddy out of the Arena.

Guys, I'm having a hard time remaining silent. For over a month I've watched a friend and former employer go through some pretty crappy things, and for the most part he's handled it with far more grace and dignity than I ever could. But, in the last couple of weeks, a couple of blowhards looking for - I guess - a little more limelight decided to jump on the hate train and come out with some pretty ugly allegations of their own. I won't link to their writings, because I feel that any more hits to their site is exactly what they want... and she who must not be named demanded over two years ago that I not use her name on my blog. So I won't. But if you're reading this blog post, my guess is you know who and what I'm talking about.

I met Dallas Seavey in the spring of 2007. He was starting a new attraction in Downtown Anchorage and was hiring folks to work in his gift shop. I ended up landing a "bigger" role than "just" gift shop girl. I ran the soundboard for his outdoor arena where he and his [then] fiance and a few other mushers showcased the power of the sled dog. I worked for them for four summers straight. It was probably the most fun I have EVER had with a job - and that's including my being a professional photographer. I'm not exaggerating for anyone. You can pretty much ask anyone who knows me - I talk about Wildride, still, after 10 years. I LOVED that job. I LOVED being around dogs and puppies all day. I LOVE the people I got to work with.

After I moved back to the Kenai in 2011, I figured I was done working for the team in any sort of capacity. I didn't even make it up to see the show in its final year, I was so busy trying to make ends meet. It was a very lonely time. I missed being part in some way of a sled dog team. How weird is that? I was never a dog handler. I still can't tell you the more intimate details of training, feeding, etc. But I loved being a part of the bigger picture. It wasn't long, though, before Team Seavey came calling again.

I worked for Mitch Seavey for another three years. Again, not in any dog handling position, but the daily office work that comes with running a touring business as well as social media for an active racing kennel. Again, I had a blast and learned so much and I'll always be grateful. But this was where I became increasingly aware of the ugliness of mushing. Don't think this is going to be a blog post supporting the allegations being lobbied at both Dallas and Mitch, far from it. I'm talking the ugly, untrue, and disgusting thing said by the likes of PeTA and other "Animal Rights" organizations against the Iditarod and the sport itself. One group used to have a "head hunter" list of mushers who needed to be "dealt with". Their photos from the Iditarod Website were placed on wanted posters. It was crazy. But the real kicker was when "fellow mushers" (term used loosely) decided to go after the team that was on top.

My first encounter with Mitch was my first week of work with Dallas back in 2007. That was the year that the Ramy Brooks "incident" happened during Iditarod. The decision had just come down from the Iditarod that Brooks would be banned from the race for 2 years, and following that would have a 3 year probation. As a fan of the sport, I felt the sentence was too light (still do), and for some reason when I met Mitch it was a burning question in my head that I had to ask. What did he think? I woke the bear with that question. Mitch has a way with words. Many find him standoffish with not a lot to say, but I think he just likes to choose his words carefully. One of the many things I admire about Mitch is how he presents himself, and how he speaks. I could listen to him talk shop for hours (which I've been chastised by his wife at different functions where the last thing she wants to hear is more dog talk).

Mitch let it be known than hitting/spanking/beating a dog was the most asinine way to try to get a dog to run. Key word is "try". You cannot beat a dog to run. That was a point he stated repeatedly in his - what felt like eternal - rant. Nothing good comes from losing your temper and taking it out on your team. The dogs' first instinct is to curl up and protect itself by shutting down and hoping it stops. They do not understand what they are doing "wrong". Sled dogs are out there to have fun. Period. If it isn't fun, they stop. It is a delicate balance of how much you can push and for how long before they pull a Forrest Gump, stop, turn around and say, "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now" in the middle of no where. It's a mantra that Mitch has held on to I'm sure his entire racing career.

It's why his kids and fans sometimes get frustrated with him because he typically plays it a little "too safe" and holds his dogs back and makes the push too late. You don't want the race to ever become a chore for the dogs. When it does, it's not pretty. Most mushers eventually take it in stride and hang their head low knowing they - not the dogs - did something wrong. They forgot for a second about the dogs need to have fun, and they focused on the placement. Or they were just having so much fun themselves going at a nice clip that they didn't see the subtle warning signs.

Please note: this is what I took away from Mitch's statements over the years, I in no way speak for him.

You can see how my first year working for Dallas & Mitch shaped my outlook on the sport. The Seaveys have been a part of the Iditarod since the beginning. Since before the beginning. Dan Seavey (possibly one of the greatest human beings to ever breathe air) was one of the friends helping Joe Redington get his crazy idea of a race started. He's raced it. He's defended it. He's watched a son and a grandson both win it. Iditarod's a big deal in their family. Their involvement is due to Dan following a childhood dream to Alaska and staying here to see it through.

Hit and Run collision injures dog from Wade Marrs' kennel

Wade Marrs reported today that
one of his dogs was injured during
last night's training run.

"Last night around 8pm, we received the nightmare phone call…" Wade Marrs' post on facebook today begins. Only, this isn't a classic Peanuts comic strip where Snoopy is sitting on his dog house typing "it was a dark and stormy night." No, this is every musher and every dog lover's nightmare. On a training run around 8pm last night, Andrew Nolan - an Iditarod Rookie next year who is running dogs from Wade's kennel - called to report that the team had been hit by a car. The car's driver, reportedly, sped off after tagging the team's lead dogs.

Thankfully, Nolan and most of the team were unhurt, but lead dog Sockeye wasn't so lucky. Marrs reports the dog has a serious break in her leg which will require expensive surgery. "Xrays determined an oblique displaced fracture, which is good news because it’s a great candidate for successful surgical repair with a plate and pin... It will put her out for the rest of the season, but pending a successful healing she will return to run next year."

This is an increasingly common danger of training teams. With population growth, teams are forced more and more to encounter busy roadways. Last year, Quest Champion and Iditarod Veteran Sebastian Schnuelle's team was hit crossing at a designated sled dog crossing. Two five-year-old dogs were killed, others injured, and Schnuelle's return to the Iditarod ended as he did not have enough conditioned dogs to race. Three years ago, Karin Hendrickson and her team were hit when a car slid off of the Parks Highway and landed on her team. Hendrickson's back was broken, and some of her team were injured, but no loss of life happened though seemingly by miracle. Hendrickson could not run the Iditarod that year, but had a friend and fellow musher Bryan Bears run her team for her (he would end up scratching during the race).

In both cases, the drivers stayed at the scene, and were understandably shaken and remorseful. Last night's accident, however, appears to be a hit-and-run. Nolan reported to Wade Marrs that the car kept going after hitting the lead dogs. The dogs were illuminated by the lights from the atv, which Nolan reportedly flashed multiple times to warn the driver of the dogs in the road. There is no excuse to EVER leave the scene of ANY accident, especially when a life is involved (2-legged or 4-legged).

Stump Jumpin' Kennel - Wade Marrs' Kennel Name - has set up several ways to help with surgical expenses for lead dog Sockeye.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Jen Seavey Statement/Update

I'm at work, so I cannot blog my thoughts at the moment, but I wanted to share this here, now, while it's still "hot".

I have known the Seavey family for over ten years. I know them to be honest, dedicated, caring people - all of them. I know I can sometimes say some things tongue in cheek about Dallas, but that's just because I had some of the best times working for him and for Jen, and that grew into a friendship. That they're having to defend themselves from PETA and other ridiculous "animal rights" groups (read homegrown terrorists) but now from wild and unfounded accusations by two humans I barely feel should be classified as people... it just makes me want to scream. They don't deserve this.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

How it all started

So the other day I came across a ten-year-old tape in my closet, put it in the player and it turns out it was a copy of the very first show we did at the Wildride Sled Dog Show back in May of 2007. I was brand new to Team Seavey, I'd worked maybe a couple of weeks at that point. I'd never been *this close* to an Iditarod champion before (Mitch Seavey still scares me... and he's not really a scary guy lol). A lot of memories (mostly good) were brought up watching this very raw/unrefined version of what would become one of the top tourist attractions in Anchorage, Alaska. Dallas and the rest of the team worked tirelessly to make the show great. We recorded every show and Dallas would study it for hours trying to decide what needed work, what just flat didn't work, and what needed fixing ASAP.

I learned a lot, not just about mushing, but about work and pride and yeah... I gush. But if you wonder why I stand with Dallas, why I'm a fan, and why I call foul when certain other mushers who shall remain nameless only because their name does not deserve to be mentioned pull crap... this is why.

I put the video on my youtube channel. I didn't ask permission, but I assume since the show is no more, and that this is a 10+ year old video, that I am not breaking any secret rule. You don't see me in the video (I don't think) but any time you hear music, that's me playing DJ... I ran sound for 4 summers, and I loved it.

Small roster so far for the Tustumena 200

Lance Mackey attended the
Iditarod BBQ in June 2016.

Ten names are on the list after the Tustumena 200 opened registration on Friday. Most names are unfamiliar, but 2017's second place team of Nicolas Petit and third place team of Dave Turner will be back, and four-time Iditarod Champion Lance Mackey looks to return to the T200. Mackey withdrew from the 2017 Iditarod due to health and family concerns, and has no plans to run the Iditarod this year.

Lance posted on facebook earlier this year that his kennel was downsizing - partially due to family needs, but also because he could not find reliable handlers - but was not leaving the sport. Throughout the summer Mackey raced cars, which has becoming his #1 passion of late, and shared glimpses into his home life (Mackey became a father to son Atigun in 2016) via social media.

Lance Mackey has run the Tustumena 200 multiple times, but has only taken the title once - in 2008. Mackey started his kennel on the Kenai Peninsula before moving further north and creating the Comeback Kennel (after battling and beating cancer). It's been nearly a decade since Mackey has raced on the Peninsula behind a dog sled.

Nicolas Petit barely lost to 2017's champion Cim Smyth, and no doubt has his sights set on taking the title this season. The bib numbers were drawn Saturday for those that registered Friday, and Petit will be first out of the chute. In a 200 miler, this can be an advantage (unlike the Quest and Iditarod where you don't want to be first but you also do not want to be last either). Petit will no doubt come out will all guns blasting.

Interestingly not on the list is Mitch Seavey. Seavey won the race in 2013 and had high praise for the race. In 2017 he came in fourth after having issues with his team out on the trail (someone *might* have forgotten the first rule of mushing: don't let go). The Tustumena 200 is a good training run for the top teams because of its hilly trail (it runs through the Caribou Hills). There's still a lot of time (and a lot of room on the roster) to sign up, so we may see Mitch Seavey on there soon.

Also off of the roster, but a little less surprising, is Paul Gebhardt. Rumors swirled early this fall when Gebhardt began selling and leasing out his kennel to other mushers - some of them top name mushers. Many believed he was retiring/getting out of mushing, but all of that talk was quashed with Gebhardt's announcement this week that he is battling cancer. His daughter started a gofundme page to help offset costs as Paul and his daughter will travel to Seattle for a stem cell bone marrow transplant in late February. Gebhardt has multiple myeloma, but is reportedly responding incredibly well to treatment. Paul is a fan favorite, and a familiar face on the T200, and will be missed, but it won't be surprising if he doesn't show up to show his fellow mushers support in January.

While the T200's roster is a tad anemic, the Tustumena 100 is already half full with five names on the roster. It could be that with the lackluster start of the Alaskan winter on the peninsula (they finally saw snow stick today) that mushers are waiting to see if there is any real chance of a race before planning to travel to the Kenai. Time will tell.

Who do you still hope to see on the roster? Who are you excited to see already listed? Comment below and let me know!

Monday, October 30, 2017

Tustumena 200 registration to begin Friday

Nicolas Petit's team placed second at
the 2017 Tustumena 200. January 29, 2017

After an exciting and fast paced finish this past January, the Tustumena 200 is looking ahead to what is hopefully another star studded event full of excitement. One of the last races to open registration, the race will begin taking musher applications on Friday. The T200 will be held the last weekend in January 2018 barring any unforeseen circumstances like bad weather. The 2014, 2015, and 2016 races were all cancelled due to lack of snow and unfrozen rivers making trails impassable.

While "only" a 200 mile race, the Tustumena 200 is known as one of the hardest mid-distance races in Alaska. Run mostly in the caribou hills, mushers often mention how thankful they are that it's only 200 miles. Top teams often sign up for the race to get in some mountain trail training in before the Yukon Quest and Iditarod races. Others are less experienced, but are working on qualifying for the 1,000 mile races.

Most mid-distance races cap their roster at 40 teams, and the T200 follows that guideline. Wait-lists can be long, however one of the advantages of holding registration so late is teams who couldn't get into other races - like the Northern Lights 300 which takes place the same weekend - are more likely to sign up. The T200 is also the only major race run on the Kenai Peninsula, and so a lot of the "Peninsula Mushers" plan on running on their "home turf" each year. Teams like Osmar, Zappa, and Seavey are almost always on the roster.

Returning this year is the shorter Tustumena 100 which traditionally starts before the 200 mile race and finishes the same day, in 2018 it will start after the T200. Teams run to Freddie's Roadhouse and back, with a mandatory layover in the one check point on the race. In more recent runnings, the roster has been light, and last year they did not run the shorter race. Bringing it back this year seems to be a trial run to see if it's worth the planning and preparation. The roster will be capped at 10 names. Junior mushers will be allowed to run at the request of the musher and approval by the board.

A glance at the incomplete list of the Northern Lights 300 does not show any top names in the sport as participating - however the list is unofficial and does not appear on the race's website. We'll know more about participation in the Tusumena 100 and 200 on Friday. Registration fills up within hours.

Registration opens at 8:00am AKST Friday, November 4, 2017. The race begins Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 11:00am AKST in Kasilof, Alaska.

Who do you hope to see on the race's roster? Tell me in the comments below!

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