Georgia Mushing In The News!

Georgia Mushing In The News!
Jan 27th 2008
wolfmoonsleddog
Southeast
Location: Northwest GA
Time - 6:56pm
Temperature: 44 degrees F
Conditions: Partly cloudy, warmer
Forecast: Clear tonight, partly cloudy tomorrow. Lows in the 20s.

Well, I’ve spent the past couple of days talking to news people. Last week I sent an email to The Rome News-Tribune just mentioning my participation in the Blue Ridge Dryland Challenge. Last Friday I got a call from one of the paper’s writers asking to interview me. We did the interview by phone and talked for quite a while. Then, yesterday, the paper sent of photographer out to get some pictures. We met at Berry College and he got some GREAT photos.

Anyway, the article made the front page of today’s Rome News-Tribune! I’ve included the article below. There are some errors (Calypso is NOT a mix - she is a purebred Siberian Husky) but it’s great publicity for dryland mushing.

From: http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news871991.html

A passion for a wild ride

‘There’s just nothing quite like being out on a trail in the woods with a dog team’01/27/08
By Jeff Gable, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer
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… …A lot of people in the South share hobbies and interests. Softball. Grilling out. Fishing. Golf. However, not a lot of people share Alice White’s hobby.The 19-year-old from Armuchee loves mushing, the common term for sled-dog driving.

While most people think of the Iditarod — a 1,000-mile trek through Alaskan ice and snow — sled-dog racing is becoming more and more common in the lower 48 states.

And snow is not a requirement: many sled-dog races are over dry land during different seasons of the year.

It may seem like an unusual activity for a Georgian, but it’s a natural fit for White.

“It’s just something that gradually came about,” said White. “I love huskies, I love the outdoors, and I love cold weather. I got my first huskie when I was 11 years old, and I’ve just really enjoyed it ever since.”

Click here for more information from the www.dogsled.com home page.


Click here to learn about sled-dog scooters, contraptions and other information and equipment.

Click here for more information about the USA sled dog kennels.

While most picture mushers on a big sled with a 16-dog team, dog sled racing encompasses many divisions, from one-dog to four-dog to six-dog teams, involving scooters and wheeled carts of all sizes.

“When I first got into it, I would hook my dog up to a bike and have him pull that,” White said. “I then got online and ordered him a sled harness. Now I use a scooter. It looks kind of like a skateboard-mountain bike hybrid.”

White said a dog can be trained to pull sleds or scooters, but it’s a gradual process.

“Dogs like huskies love to run, but you have to work on the running instinct,” she said. “They learn fast what they need to do, but they definitely need guidance.

“I started out putting a harness on him and running alongside him. That way I can teach commands, teach them to keep moving forward and how to run to keep the line tight.”

Once the dog is comfortable running in harness, a scooter can be hooked up, and race training can begin.

“We started out with a half-mile run, and worked up from there,” White said. “I think the longest run we’ve done is six miles.”

Her current dog, Calypso, is a 2½-year-old huskie mix.

“She’s a lot stronger than you might give her credit for, and she’s very fast,” White said. “She loves to be outside, so she loves running. She’s a good dog, but like any of them, you can’t always control their ‘chase instinct’ if they see something on the trail, so you have to wear safety equipment and be sure to have brakes.”

White said she uses a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads, all of which come in handy.

“You have to wear some type of cushioning, and I have the scrapes on the pads to prove why,” she said.

White has had success in her sport. Last week, at the Blue Ridge Dryland Challenge in Virginia — the only sled dog race in the Southeast — she placed fourth overall in the one-dog scooter class, a 2½-mile race.

In February, White goes to Wyoming for the Casper Mountain Sled Dog Races, which use traditional sleds.

“It’s different driving a sled, especially when you add more dogs,” she said. “You’ve got to keep an eye on several at the same time and make sure they work together.”

White, who plans to participate in two or three more races this year, is sponsored by the Continental Kennel Club, which promotes sled dog sports.

White is taking a year off before going to college (she hopes to attend the University of Alaska in Anchorage) and said she has big plans. “Eventually, I want to run in the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. In March, I’m going to Alaska to work at a small kennel, and eventually I’d love to run my own sled-dog kennel.

“It’s really become a passion. There’s just nothing quite like being out on a trail in the woods with a dog team.”



Comments can be posted on the bottom of the page linked to.

What’s more, the Associated Press picked up the article and put it in The Macon Telegraph! Below is their version. You can also post comments on that link.

From: http://www.macon.com/220/story/249828.html

Georgia woman trains for sled dog races
The Associated Press
ROME, Ga. –
When Alice White takes her dog out for a run, she makes sure she wears a helmet, elbow and knee pads.

The protective gear comes in handy because Calypso, a 2-1/2-year-old husky mix, pulls White on a type of hybrid skateboard and mountain bike called a scooter.

“You have to wear some type of cushioning, and I have the scrapes on the pads to prove why,” the 19-year-old said. “She’s a good dog, but like any of them, you can’t always control their ‘chase instinct’ if they see something on the trail, so you have to wear safety equipment and be sure to have brakes.”

The Armuchee teenager loves mushing, the common term for sled dog driving.

Although many people think of the Iditarod - the famous 1,100 mile sled dog trek through Alaskan ice and snow - when they think of sled dog racing, the sport is becoming more and more common in the lower 48 states.

Snow is not even a requirement - many races are over dry land during different seasons of the year.

For White, the sport is a natural fit. She got her first husky when she was 11. At first, she hooked up her dog to a bike and had him pull it. Then she ordered a sled harness and now uses a scooter.

“I love huskies, I love the outdoors, and I love cold weather,” she said. “We started out with a half-mile run, and worked up from there. I think the longest run we’ve done is six miles.”

Dog sled racing has many different divisions, from one-dog to six-dog teams, involving scooters and wheeled cards of all sizes. Recently, White placed fourth overall in the one-dog scooter class in a 2-1/2 mile race at the Blue Ridge Dryland Challenge in Virginia, the Southeast’s only sled dog race.

“Dogs like huskies love to run, but you have to work on the running instinct,” she said. “They learn fast what they need to do, but they definitely need guidance.”

Next month, White will go to Wyoming for the Casper Mountain Sled Dog Races, which use traditional sleds.

“It’s different driving a sled, especially when you add more dogs,” she said. “You’ve got to keep an eye on several at the same time and make sure they work together.

White, who is taking a year off before going to college, said she eventually wants to participate in the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, which is considered to be the most difficult sled dog race in the world. She said she wants to work at a small kennel in Alaska and would eventually like to run her own sled-dog kennel.

“It’s really become a passion. There’s just nothing quite like being out on a trail in the woods with a dog team,” she said.

Information from: Rome News-Tribune, http://www.romenews-tribune.com
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