Musher Meeting at the Millenium and Musher Banquet at the Sullivan.
All mushers, veteran and rookie alike, are required to attend the musher meeting
at the Millenium Hotel. As they break for lunch, many fans begin
to gather autographs, sneak snapshots and generally hang around
to see and be seen. The
traditional champagne toast is the major photo op of the morning.
Sparkling cider is available to those who prefer. Idita-Riders meet
their mushers and have a pizza lunch and get to know them during
the break. The musher meeting resumes after lunch and usually lasts
until about 3PM. All received their handler arm bands and goodies
from sponsors during this time. There was lots to discuss as trail
changes were explained and logistical concerns answered. The mushers
will be allowed to leave 4th Avenue with as few as six dogs but
no more than ten this year. That is a change from last year where
12 dogs left the chute during the ceremonial start. Tag sled riders
are optional and many are deciding just how to handle this. Judy
Merritt who has withdrawn from this year's race will still take
her Idita-Rider out and Bill will ride tag sled for her as her husband
declined, having no sled miles of his own during training at all
this year.
As
the afternoon progressed, many interesting facts unfolded and little
splinter groups were hashing out their thoughts on this new adventure.
Many that I talked to seemed excited that they would be doing something
different, something historic, as the trail goes on such a different
route than ever before. This will be the first time the route follows
the northern and southern trail in the same year. Jack Niggemeyer
calls it "Idita-Detour." T-shirts with the older version
of the new route were sold out early as they might be collectors
items of a sort. Mayor Leo Rasmussen introduced us to Urtha Lenharr
who is a first grade teacher in Nome. Urtha was at the finish line
for the 1973 Iditarod and in 1978 ran the trail with the Race Director
and some mechanics to become the first group to travel the trail
via snowmachine. He ran the race in 1991. He sat with us awhile
as did Richard Burmeister also of Nome, who designed the belt buckle
that all the mushers receive the first time they complete the race.
There are 541buckles now and Bill was #540 last year.
Mayor Leo had the trail mail all packaged but needed
some help putting out promotional materials prior to the banquet.
We would've been there right on time had Jordan not locked the keys
in our truck. A local taxi driver was able to get us unlocked for
$10. The info included the list of Idita-week activities in the
City of Nome, info on the trail mail that each musher carries and
brochures about joining the Iditarod National Historic Trail. Bill
and Thomasjohn solicited members all during the evening. http://www.iditarodhistorictrail.org/
is the web site but it is not fully functional yet.
The huge staff of Sullivan Arena and volunteers set
the tables, making sure each place setting was perfect," salads
with tomatoes at 6 o'clock," and local girlscouts had made
mini-tripods as centerpieces. The crowd began to pour in about 6PM
quickly turning the Sullivan into a mass of fans and friends of
Iditarod, plus dignitaries. Colonel Norman Vaughn,
95+ year-old Adventurer and last remaining member of the Byrd Antarctic
Expedition 1928-30, was present. He completed the Iditarod in 1990
at the age of 83. What a neat fella to talk to!! Hobo Jim played,
the National and Alaska anthems were sung and dinner was served.
Dinner, however, is not the point to the Musher Banquet as everyone
had posters, programs, photos and even ticket stubs autographed
by mushers. The drawing for starting positions began later in the
evening and had I been on my toes by then, I could've told you who
had which Bib Number. I can say that Clint Warnke drew #65, John
Baker drew #2 and will leave first. Bib #1 went to honorary mushers
Howard and Julie Farley who were instrumental in getting the first
race off the ground in cahoots with Joe Redington Sr. Cali King
will leave before Jeff King and Martin Buser also drew a low number.
The crowd was pretty thin by the time the banquet wound down about
11:30PM. The grand prize drawing for a lucky couple from Dothan
Alabama was a $2500 trip to Maui. They were happy they stuck around
til the end!!
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
The
traditional champagne toast is the major photo op of the morning.
Sparkling cider is available to those who prefer. Idita-Riders meet
their mushers and have a pizza lunch and get to know them during
the break. The musher meeting resumes after lunch and usually lasts
until about 3PM. All received their handler arm bands and goodies
from sponsors during this time. There was lots to discuss as trail
changes were explained and logistical concerns answered. The mushers
will be allowed to leave 4th Avenue with as few as six dogs but
no more than ten this year. That is a change from last year where
12 dogs left the chute during the ceremonial start. Tag sled riders
are optional and many are deciding just how to handle this. Judy
Merritt who has withdrawn from this year's race will still take
her Idita-Rider out and Bill will ride tag sled for her as her husband
declined, having no sled miles of his own during training at all
this year. 
As
the afternoon progressed, many interesting facts unfolded and little
splinter groups were hashing out their thoughts on this new adventure.
Many that I talked to seemed excited that they would be doing something
different, something historic, as the trail goes on such a different
route than ever before. This will be the first time the route follows
the northern and southern trail in the same year. Jack Niggemeyer
calls it "Idita-Detour." T-shirts with the older version
of the new route were sold out early as they might be collectors
items of a sort. Mayor Leo Rasmussen introduced us to Urtha Lenharr
who is a first grade teacher in Nome. Urtha was at the finish line
for the 1973 Iditarod and in 1978 ran the trail with the Race Director
and some mechanics to become the first group to travel the trail
via snowmachine. He ran the race in 1991. He sat with us awhile
as did Richard Burmeister also of Nome, who designed the belt buckle
that all the mushers receive the first time they complete the race.
There are 541buckles now and Bill was #540 last year. 
Vaughn,
95+ year-old Adventurer and last remaining member of the Byrd Antarctic
Expedition 1928-30, was present. He completed the Iditarod in 1990
at the age of 83. What a neat fella to talk to!! Hobo Jim played,
the National and Alaska anthems were sung and dinner was served.
Dinner, however, is not the point to the Musher Banquet as everyone
had posters, programs, photos and even ticket stubs autographed
by mushers. The drawing for starting positions began later in the
evening and had I been on my toes by then, I could've told you who
had which Bib Number. I can say that Clint Warnke drew #65, John
Baker drew #2 and will leave first. Bib #1 went to honorary mushers
Howard and Julie Farley who were instrumental in getting the first
race off the ground in cahoots with Joe Redington Sr. Cali King
will leave before Jeff King and Martin Buser also drew a low number.
The crowd was pretty thin by the time the banquet wound down about
11:30PM. The grand prize drawing for a lucky couple from Dothan
Alabama was a $2500 trip to Maui. They were happy they stuck around
til the end!!