My friend Shannon Miller did a writeup about the race on her blog. There's some great shots of her dogs, a shot of me in the starting chute, and the both of us hanging out.
Also, I put together this "highlight reel" of the race - the footage is from my trusty helmet camera. I hope it conveys the fun and excitement of this sport, from the center of the action!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Punderson Sleddog Classic Recap
This past weekend, my little team and I competed in our very first race, the Punderson Sleddog Classic! We entered the 3-dog Sportsman class - a more casual class for amateurs with small teams.
I've never been more nervous in my life, than I was standing on the runners in the starting chute of the sprint course. The cacophony of barking dogs all around me - the trail laid out bare before me, fast and slick and freshly-groomed. The adrenaline coursing, the fear of the unknown - not knowing how my dogs would perform with other teams on the trail. Being rescues, two of the dogs on my team are reactive to strange dogs; they bark and make a fuss, and lose all concentration when other dogs appear. I knew it was going to affect the way I approached the run, and I had planned for that, but the fear bubbled up in my chest as I stared at the trail stretching endlessly ahead.
It turns out that I had nothing to worry about. When I heard another team coming up behind me, I simply pulled off the side of the trail and hooked down, and let them safely pass while I held my leaders. There were no mishaps and we were able to really enjoy the experience, smiling the whole way.
Even though we came in last in our class, I'm thrilled - I never expected to place, and we accomplished what we set out to do: complete a challenging course with other dogs and drivers on the trail. As an added bonus, I'm a much more confident driver after the race - the trail was quite tricky. Not to mention all the little tricks and tips I picked up from other mushers!
On to the photographs.
My guys were picketed next to another team. They were a little noisy at first, but soon they calmed down and made themselves at home.
Me coming up behind another team. My guys were flying, and I had to ride the brake to keep them from passing. I wanted so badly to pass this team, but I didn't trust my dogs' passing skills.
Just after the finish line - my poor helmet camera is practically hanging off my head! Can you see the thrilled smile on my face?
I've never been more nervous in my life, than I was standing on the runners in the starting chute of the sprint course. The cacophony of barking dogs all around me - the trail laid out bare before me, fast and slick and freshly-groomed. The adrenaline coursing, the fear of the unknown - not knowing how my dogs would perform with other teams on the trail. Being rescues, two of the dogs on my team are reactive to strange dogs; they bark and make a fuss, and lose all concentration when other dogs appear. I knew it was going to affect the way I approached the run, and I had planned for that, but the fear bubbled up in my chest as I stared at the trail stretching endlessly ahead.
It turns out that I had nothing to worry about. When I heard another team coming up behind me, I simply pulled off the side of the trail and hooked down, and let them safely pass while I held my leaders. There were no mishaps and we were able to really enjoy the experience, smiling the whole way.
Even though we came in last in our class, I'm thrilled - I never expected to place, and we accomplished what we set out to do: complete a challenging course with other dogs and drivers on the trail. As an added bonus, I'm a much more confident driver after the race - the trail was quite tricky. Not to mention all the little tricks and tips I picked up from other mushers!
On to the photographs.
Me coming up behind another team. My guys were flying, and I had to ride the brake to keep them from passing. I wanted so badly to pass this team, but I didn't trust my dogs' passing skills.
Just after the finish line - my poor helmet camera is practically hanging off my head! Can you see the thrilled smile on my face?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Hookup disaster
Have I ever mentioned that Willow is a saint?
The photo is a still from my helmet camera. Byron and I loaded up the dogs and drove them out to Punderson State Park, for a training day with a group of other local mushers. It was their first time training around so many other teams, so they were a little... distracted.
The tangle was sorted out super fast, but this frame made me chuckle. As you can tell, this newbie team still has a lot of kinks to work out!
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