Early today mushers began showing up at Iditarod Headquarters
in Wasilla for final vet checks of their teams. Bloodwork, EKG's,
chip reading, temperature reading, and
examinations of every toe pad, joint, tooth and eye happened during
this extensive pre-race check-up. Mushers brought all dogs that
may be on their team for this appointment. Sixteen will make the
final cut for most mushers, and sometimes that is not decided until
the morning of the Restart.
Quite a crowd gathered around G.B. Jones truck as he posed for
photos and signed race programs. Joe Garnie was there as were Jason
Mackey, Ben Stamm, Sue Allen, Peter Bartlett, Cindy Gallea, Dennis
Kananowicz, Frank Silher and Ararad Khatchikian. Others came later
in the day after we had left to go to the Media Briefing in Anchorage.
The Media meeting was an informative gathering for
photographers, reporters and free lance journalists from around
the world. The major sponsors of the race such as Cabelas and Wells
Fargo spoke to the group as did the Race Manager, Jack Niggemeyer,
Race Marshall, Mark Nordman, Executive Director, Stan Hooley and
Race Director Joanne Potts. Statistics were given as to how much
effort has gone into getting the race organized to this point. 13,500
small wooden laths were place along the 1151-mile route; 10,800
feet of survey tape has been used to mark trail; 90 tons of dog
food has been shipped; $32,000 in postage has been spent and approximately
25,000 cups of coffee were consumed while making the race come together.
Officials discussed their having to be "nimble and reacting
to Mother Nature as they needed to" this year while watching
what seemed to be a perfect snow year deteriorate in the last couple
of weeks enough to force moving the restart and cutting the ceremonial
start short. This year the mushers will again take out at Campbell
Airstrip on Saturday instead of going on to the Eagle River checkpoint.
This year's race will have a record number of starters. Seventy
men and seventeen women who compete on equal terms. There are five
former champions entered : Rick Swenson (5X), Martin Buser (4X),
Doug Swingley (4X), Jeff King (3X) and Rick Mackey (1X). There looks
to be quite a competitive bunch heading up the trail to Nome. There
are new sled designs, new gangline arrangements, and other little
tricks that could make an impact on how the race is run this year.
It should be quite exciting!!
After the briefing, Bill and I attended a make-up Rotary meeting
with the Anchorage Midtown
Club at 6PM. Former Mayor of Nome, Leo Rasmussen, attended with
us. One of the members was a former Boy Scout Executive so I discussed
with him my work on a proposed BSA Dog Mushing Merit Badge. As the
meeting broke up, the reception and dinner for musher John Baker
was taking place in the ballroom next door. We stopped in to visit
with friends from previous races and wish John Baker good luck.
John does school appearances in Native villages all over the North
Slope giving kids a good role model and hero to follow in the race.
Other mushers were there such as John Barron, Bill Cotter, Dean
Osmar, Tim Osmar, and Paul Gebhardt. As we left the Millenium Hotel,
snow was falling briskly and making the roads quite slippery as
we headed back to Wasilla.
Top Headlines from the Anchorage Daily News
February
28, 2003
Start Position — Musher —
Hometown
1 — Howard and Julie Farley — honorary
2 — John Baker — Kotzebue
3 — Ted English — Willow
4 — Cali King — Denali Park
5 — Perry Solomonson — Whittier
6 — Jason Barron — Lincoln, Mont.
7 — Tyrell Seavey — Seward
8 — Jessie Royer — Fairbanks
9 — Ed Iten — Kotzebue
10 — Dexter Kancer — Nenana
11 — Blake Matray — Two Rivers
12 — Ben Stamm — Argyle, Wis.
13 — Jim Lanier — Chugiak
14 — Paul Gebhardt — Kasilof
15 — Martin Buser — Big Lake
16 — Karen Land — Sand Coulee, Mont.
17 — Cim Smyth — Big Lake
18 — Jeff King — Denali Park
19 — Vern Halter — Willow
20 — Lance Barve — Willow
21 — Frank Sihler — Wasilla
22 — Gerald Riley — Nenana
23 — Robert Sorlie — Hurdal, Norway
24 — Cindy Gallea — Seely Lake, Mont.
25 — Aaron Burmeister — Nome
26 — Lynda Plettner — Houston
27 — Charlie Boulding — Manley
28 — Ray Redington Jr. — Two Rivers
29 — Todd Capistrant — Emerald, Wis.
30 — DeeDee Jonrowe — Willow
31 — Jack Berry — Salcha
32 — Debbie Moderow — Anchorage
33 — Ramey Smyth — Big Lake
34 — Carla Kelly — Anchorage
35 — G.B. Jones — Wasilla
36 — Ken Anderson — Fairbanks
37 — Bruce Lee — Denali Park
38 — Karen Ramstead — Perryvale, Alberta
39 — Randy Chappel — Arlington, Texas
40 — Peter Bartlett — Willow
41 — Linwood Fiedler — Willow
42 — Ramy Brooks — Healy
43 — Mitch Seavey — Seward
44 — Sonny Lindner — Fairbanks
45 — Aliy Zirkle — Two Rivers
46 — Melanie Gould — Talkeetna
47 — Rick Swenson — Two Rivers
48 — Tim Osmar — Ninilchik
49 — Gerald Sousa — Talkeetna
50 — Ellen Halverson — Wasilla
51 — Mike Williams — Akiak
52 — Bill Pinkham — Glenwood Springs, Colo.
53 — Palmer Sagoonick — Shaktoolik
54 — Adam Scott Gibler — Chugiak
55 — Dean Osmar — Clam Gulch
56 — Jon Little — Kasilof
57 — Jim Gallea — Sterling
58 — Bob Hickel — Anchorage
59 — Keith Aili — Ray, Minn.
60 — Jessica Hendricks — Copper Center
61 — Russell Bybee — Willow
62 — Kelly LaMarre — Geneva, Ill.
63 — Lachlan Clarke — Colorado Springs, Colo.
64 — Robert Bundtzen — Anchorage
65 — Clint Warnke — Bonnie Lake, Wash
examinations of every toe pad, joint, tooth and eye happened during
this extensive pre-race check-up. Mushers brought all dogs that
may be on their team for this appointment. Sixteen will make the
final cut for most mushers, and sometimes that is not decided until
the morning of the Restart. 
photographers, reporters and free lance journalists from around
the world. The major sponsors of the race such as Cabelas and Wells
Fargo spoke to the group as did the Race Manager, Jack Niggemeyer,
Race Marshall, Mark Nordman, Executive Director, Stan Hooley and
Race Director Joanne Potts. Statistics were given as to how much
effort has gone into getting the race organized to this point. 13,500
small wooden laths were place along the 1151-mile route; 10,800
feet of survey tape has been used to mark trail; 90 tons of dog
food has been shipped; $32,000 in postage has been spent and approximately
25,000 cups of coffee were consumed while making the race come together.
Midtown
Club at 6PM. Former Mayor of Nome, Leo Rasmussen, attended with
us. One of the members was a former Boy Scout Executive so I discussed
with him my work on a proposed BSA Dog Mushing Merit Badge. As the
meeting broke up, the reception and dinner for musher John Baker
was taking place in the ballroom next door. We stopped in to visit
with friends from previous races and wish John Baker good luck.
John does school appearances in Native villages all over the North
Slope giving kids a good role model and hero to follow in the race.
Other mushers were there such as John Barron, Bill Cotter, Dean
Osmar, Tim Osmar, and Paul Gebhardt. As we left the Millenium Hotel,
snow was falling briskly and making the roads quite slippery as
we headed back to Wasilla.