Alaska 4-H Dog Mushing Program

Congratulation to Jonathan Biggerstaff/Myers and his Dog Team! - 1 Dec 2007
Jonathan and his dog team and three other Junior teams from around Alaska was selected to represent the United States and Alaska in the 2008 Arctic Winter Games in Yellow Knife, Canada on March 9 – 16th. He will be sprint racing teams of 4 and 5 dogs. He is the youngest member (musher) on the United States Dog Mushing team.

Junior Dog Mushers’ Camp was a success!
The Junior musher's camp was a booming success at the Birchwood Camp located in Chugiak, Alaska. Designed to help all Sprint, Mid–Distance, Distance, Skijioring, Dog owners, Bikijoring.

Click here to view more photos from the camp

Junior Dog Mushers’ Camp
September 29-30, 2007 at Birchwood Camp located in Chugiak, Alaska. For All Sprint, Mid–Distance, Distance, Skijioring, Dog owners, Bikijoring. Junior Mushers from 10-18 years old. For More information: Call Larisa Myers at (907) 376-3943 or Debbie Baines at (907) 345-3043. Register Now. Cost for Camp is $95.00, which includes Lodging, Activities, and Food ($25.00 Discount if parent assists during the camp)

Highlights:

Exciting Hands on Classes and Activities.
Speakers are:Joe Runyon, Joe May, Egil Ellis, Helen Lundberg, Danny Seavey, Eric Rogers, Dori and Daryl Hollingsworth, Kelly Griffen, CAC Plastices, and many, many more.
Sessions will include:GPS Training, Veterinary presentation, 101 Waxing, Racing Nutrition, Marketing (sponsors), Timing, Skijoring, and many more.
Representatives at the camp for: Jr. Yukon Quest, Jr. Iditarod, Jr. Cantwell Classic, Jr. Chugiak Mushers, Anchorage Jr. Mushers, Aurora Jr. Mushers, Willow Dog Mushers, International Sled Dog Association, Mushers Hall of Fame (Knik Museum) and more.

Congratulations, Heather!
Posted August 2007
Little Su 4-H club member, Heather Jewell, with her rabbit and Grand Champion ribbon at the 4-H small livestock showmanship rabbit show in July.

Club members will be showing pigs and other livestock at the Alaska State Fair. They have been caring for and raising their livestock since the spring to get ready for the Fair.

Please stop by the 4-H building and barn to see the fruit of their efforts.

SITES ON 2008 JUNIOR IDITAROD
Two members of the Little Su 4-H Club signed up for the 2008 Jr. Iditarod on Saturday. They are Meredith Mapes and Yuta Takagi.


Meredith Mapes	Yuta Takagi

CLASSIC TEAM WORK
by June Takagi
The Junior Eagle River Classic Sled Dog Race was held in Chugiak on March 10th and 11th. Jonathan Myers had been working with various combinations of dogs this season and at this race it all came together with leaders, Angel and Marlin, and wheel dog, Luke, for a first place finish in the 3 dog class. Congratulations, Jonathan!

Good job to all the students who participated. The club has been commended by observers on how well the students work together, with everyone helping each other to make everything run smoothly.

YENTNA WINTER TRIP
by June Takagi
The Little Su 4-H Club went on our long anticipated overnight trip up the Yentna River on Saturday and Sunday, March 17 and 18th. Students had prepared for this trip by taking classes in wilderness first aid and winter camping, and learning about team work and cooperation during the racing season. Parents provided snow machine support and carried camping gear and prepared lots of yummies to feed hungry people and dogs. There were 26 dogs split into teams of various sizes on the way up. Club members, Jonathan, Meredith, Karl, Anneliese, Kylie, Heather, Charlie, Yuta and Seiji took turns mushing and riding on tandem sleds behind dog teams from Deshka Landing in Willow, up river almost 30 miles to Heather and Charlie Jewell's cabin off the Yentna River, where we spent the night.

We got a big bonfire going and roasted marshmallows and had a good time. The stars were like dust when the sun went down and the dogs howled for a long time to the night sky. The next morning, we went up to Yentna Station for the members who are planning on running in the Junior Iditarod next year to see the check point. For a quicker return trip, we got the dogs into three big teams with everybody taking turns mushing them. The weather was beautiful, everyone had a good time, and the dogs enjoyed themsleves. We would like to thank the Jewells for the use of their cabin, Cruz Construction for the use of snow machines and tent, Deshka Landing for providing free overnight parking, and all the parents who helped in many ways. Special thanks go to Larisa, our leader, for making this trip possible.

4-H RONDEZVOUS - 02/23/07 by June Takagi
On Febrary 16, 17, and 18, the Little Su 4-H students participated in the Fur Rondezvous Junior World Championship Sled Dog Race. It was a competitive field with many junior mushers from around Alaska. It snowed the first day, and was quite warm all three days, which made our huskies quite hot. Rya Berrigan won third place in the one dog class, Yuta and Seiji Takagi won sportsmanship awards in their respective classes, and at the banquet, Kylie Thomas won a sled dog puppy! The students and parents all worked hard and happily together and a great time was had by all. Jonathan Myers' grandmother and 92 year old great grandmother came all the way from Oregon and watched the races all three days.

On Presidents' Day, the 4-H Club gave a group of high school foreign exchange students some mushing experience. The students were from Thailand, Italy, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Japan, and all of them got the chance to take a two dog team around the 2 mile trail at Chugiak. Thank you to 4-H students, Meredith, Heather, Charlie, Yuta and Seiji for helping.

4-H students with lead dogs, sled, and trophies

ADMA Junior Championship - 02/11/07
Students participated in the Aurora Dog Mushers Association Junior Championships held in Big Lake on Febraury 10th and 11th. The weather was beautiful and parents, students and dogs all worked hard and had a lot of fun. Now they are looking forward to the Junior World Championships in Anchorage this coming weekend!

Willow Winter
Carnival Events
On Saturday, January 27th, the Little Su 4-H Club sprinted at Willow Winter Carnival and Sunday January 28th, the club raced at the Junior ASDRA points race in Anchorage. What a good weekend.

For race results &
photos Click here

Map lessons

Wilderness Back Country Snow Camping Course
Learning to Read a Map
Jan 2007
The students in this Class learned to make snow shelters and even shelters out of there dog sleds, how to melt snow, cook on different outside stoves, keep warm and dry. They learned some basics on a GPS, map reading and understanding of the different maps. Avalanche training was also on the agenda. They spent the night in the shelters that they made. Everything that you need to know to snow camp in the bush (the kids could not have a fire). The Instructors were very good. One instructor was a guide on Denali (Mount McKinley) and a host of other outdoor training credentials. The back country class was on the human side of snow & winter camping. The night was cold!!!! It was about -10ƒ to -15ƒ Below. On Friday Morning it was cold. Just about -15ƒ or so, but it did warm up to around -5ƒ to Zero. Very early in the morning the temperature dropped very low. The kids were very good. They did get cold, but they were very good.. and still very interested in learning. They were very ready to go, when it was over!! Click here to view photos

Students participate in the Junior Cantwell Classic
First Annual Sled Dog Race
January 2007
Little Su 4-H Club students, Meredith Mapes and Yuta Takagi, both 13 years old, entered the Jr. Cantwell Classic Race in Cantwell on January 13th. They trained and prepared for this 8-dog, 60 mile race, and both of them finished the race happy and tired. Out of a field of 12 junior mushers, Yuta finished in 7th place with a time of 10 hours and Meredith finished right after him with a time of 10 hours and 5 minutes. Congratulations to both of them! Their competitors included Junior Iditarod veterans, Ellen King, Amanda Olson, and Charlie Allison.

Yuta & Meredith meet legendary musher George Attla

Meredith and Yuta would like to thank Larisa Myers, 4-H leader, for teaching and preparing them well for the race, and for the opportunity to run her well trained and cared for dogs. They also appreciate the support from their parents, Cantwell School, which provided accommodations, and the many donors to the 4-H club. Their heartfelt thanks also go to the younger students of the club, who gave up their opportunity to participate in some of the junior sprint races and training runs, while they trained for and participated in the Cantwell race. And most of all, they want to thank their dogs that brought them to the finish line safe and sound.

FIRST RACE OF THE SEASON
We had 10 first time racers and they all had a blast. Nicholas Sims won the one dog class. The two dog class had a 3 mushers, Jasmine Gilpin - 3 place, Douglas Mawson - 6 place, Meredith mapes - 8 place. The parents ran in the Senior cheechako race yesterday, Monica Gilpin (Jasmine's mom) - won the Senior 3 dog class, and Simon Mawson (Douglas's Dad) - 7 place. It is wonderful to see so much support from the parents. Full race results coming soon!

	4-H FUN AT THE ALASKA STATE FAIR

WILDERNESS FIRST AID CLASS
Ten of the Members (Students) took the Wilderness First Aid Class on Friday and Saturday November 24 and 25. Two very full days. The instructor was outstanding!!! All the students even the 10 years old students keeped up and learn everthing.

The Class was on hypothermia, dehydration, cold weather injuries and illnesses including frostnip, frostbite, Human Anatomy and Physiology, how to take vital signs, the adults dressed up has patients, class had alot of hands on!, patient assessments, how to split and so much more...

The members (students) can't wait for the next class.
We are hoping to have the Wilderness Backcountry Class in January over Christmas break. We need to still confirm the date at this time.

THE LITTLE SU 4-H CLUB RECEIVES AWARDS:
For the year 2005:
Mat-Su Copper River District
Special Achievement Award

For the year 2006:

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Meaning of award: In recognition and appreciation of outstanding accomplishments, district 4-H program participation, support and promotion.

2006 CLUB OF EXCELLENCE
Meaning of award: For achieving an outstanding level of excellence in 4-H education, activities, participation, club organization, projects, records, and enrollment.

CAC PLASTICS FIELD TRIP: The whole club had a field trip to CAC Plastics on September 23. It was a wonderful Field trip. The students are still talking about it. The owners had great information for the students and were wonderful with the students. They learned about: What plastic is better in the cold weather. What plastic is made from. Different quality of plastics why one is better then the other and different ways they have built things with it. The Different colors of plastic runners. Also, shared information on fiber glass and a few ways it can be used for.

NEW YEAR AT 4-H: On October 1st, is a new year for 4-H.
On October 14th we had our last meeting. We was signed everyone up for the new year. There was no educational class.

INTERNATIONAL SLED DOG SYMPOSIUM:
On October 27th thru 29th, 12 members attended the 2006 International Sled Dog Symposium in Fairbanks. The members really enjoyed the Symposium.

The members attended : Jeff King's training Strategies - how he is using elevation, and swimming for training - very interesting class. Mushing: A Family Affair, Veterinary Presentation: Keeping your dogs healthy and a Vet. Presentations on Current Hot Topics. We have been asked to help with next year's International Sled Dog Symposium. We are going to help with the junior classes.

WE WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO HEAR FROM JUNIOR MUSHER'S. WHAT CLASSES, COURSES, SPEAKERS WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE? OR EVEN HANDS ON CLASSES. We are trying to setup a scholarship, for junior musher's, that would like to attend the Symposium that do not live in the area. We hope we can raise the funds by next year's Symposium!!!

WILDERNESS CLASS PLANNED: The club is setting up classes on Wilderness First Aid and Rescue, Winter Back-Country Skills Workshop, Avalanche training, and Human CPR and First Aid. The dates will be announced very soon.

PRE SCHOOL RIDES PLANNED: The 4-H members will be giving rides to preschoolers on November 11th from 11-1pm in Anchorage and on February 19, they will be teaching and helping foreign Exchange students to mush there own dog teams.

The first dog races of the season start November 25th with the Junior Cheechako races. The points races begin December 2.

LITTLE SU 4-H GROWS: The Little Su 4-H Club has grown from 9 members to 27 members. Three of the members are International, from BC Canada. The Little Su will have member ranging from one dog to five dogs in the sprint Racing. Four of the members will be running and racing the 25 and 50 mile Junior races this season, along with sprint racing.

Meredith Mapes at the
Alaska State Fair auctioning her pig.

2006 ALASKA STATE FAIR - PALMER, ALASKA
VERY Big Congratulations to our 4-H students: Skipper, Skeeter, Ruthan Stitt, Jonathan Biggerstaff/Myers, and Meredith Mapes, They have done a great Job!!!!!!!! and lot of hard work!!! Photos coming soon!!!

FIELD TRIP PLANNED
We are going to have a field trip at the end of September to Elmendorf AFB Fish Hatchery to watch how them "milk" the fish for the eggs and semen. The students have been feeding the fish they received from the Hatchery to their dog teams for the last month.

CART TRAINING:
Sept 9, the class trained with carts & 4-wheelers. Below is a check list of things that we learned to do before dog training starts:

Preparing to train: check teeth, give a good examination and how, cutting toe nails, and why it needs to be done before training.
Worming schedule-Parasite Control: moving team if you can after worming.
Vaccinations - making sure all shots are current for this race season, including Bordetella and why it is so important. We went over health conditions that could come up in fall training; like Heat Stroke - the signs, prevention, what it could do to your dogs. Feet problems, muscle problems, and joint problems that you might see during training on the hard and rocky surfaces
Checking equipment - Check 4-wheeler for any problems and have them fixed before training, Dog lines, Harnesses, Collars, Clips, dog booties.
VERY Big One!! NUTRITION: Fats, Dog treats, Liver, MEAT, PROTEIN, Carbohydrates, WATER!!!, and Baited Water.
Training - CONDITIONING, what builds muscles in the dogs, how to build muscles. Knowing how to be prevent injuries to your dogs. What are some of the common causes of joint injuries.
How to start training & conditioning the team: Start very slow, pulling weight, no speed until better conditioned, and low miles.

This is what this last class went over and completing 4-H record books.

The next meeting will be on October 14. It will be a new year starting. So much of the time will be signing everyone up and going over the new things that will be happening in this new year.
One of the new things this year will be the students will have to Lease there dogs. If they own there dogs they will have to keep records on all there expenses. UAF would like the members to see how much everything is and they have to be more invalid with there teams, not just show up for the classes and races. They will have to pay $19.75 per month for each dog that they run. That will be just for the food that the dog eats. They will also have to sign a Lease form, and understand how that works. They will also have to come out to the dog yards (Kennel) and help fix, mend harness, clean yards, check all chains, collars, etc. They have to be more invalid with the teams. Just like the kids who own there teams, they will have to keep all records on the team they use.. They went the members to be more educated on how everything works.

Will be setting up a Party for the end of the year. For all the hard work the members have done this passed year!!

The Class will be on more training and conditioning. Going over sprint, Mid-distance and long distance training.We will be working with the students who can't pay.