Leaders of the Pack - the Rookies

There is little doubt that the most critical members of team are the leaders. A team can and should have many leaders among the 16 dogs who start the Iditarod. The Black & Blue team will likely have about eight leaders in the mix but could have as many as ten.




Athena and Phoenix, both four year olds, have been leading my team to very good finishes last season and this. They are a noisy twosome who love to sound the alarm when approaching another team from behind. Athena will is always the first to voice the warning, putting the team ahead on notice that she would be passing by soon. Phoenix generally follows up with a firm bark reminder. Good feet, great appetites they are really ideal Iditarod athletes.



Teva and Pistol represent my second leader duo. Pistol is known to many as my Mini-dog weighing in at a wholesome 32 pounds. She runs a steady lead but excels at swing. Teva was a star leader last season, leading us consistently. Her forte is passing - she locks on like a guided missile, focusing on teams ahead. This year I will save her for the appropriate runs when she can provide a boost to the team when needed. Both are four year olds as well, rookies to the Iditarod but still with a lot of race experience.



Maya, sister to Athena, and Pebbles, a three year old are newer leaders who are rapidly maturing. Maya missed all of last season raising a two Solstice pups, Holly and Oak. When she returned from the Glacier this fall, I could see she was ready to make up of for the missed season. But she really surprised me by running up front, an added bonus. Pebbles is also a bonus leader in that her career was nearly ended permanently in the spring of 2007 when she broke a metacarpal in right front foot and a wrist bone in her left. Not a good situation. We were fortunate both healed well with little noticeable impact on her performance so far. We are careful about her wrists but this year have yet to have any problems. While Maya is more free wheeling and happy go lucky, Pebbles is very serious and concerned about her job and extremely dedicated to her musher.

Abbi and Adams, introduced previously, are the last of the young leaders. Both demonstrate great focus and good speed up front. Time and miles will prove whether they have the head to lead the pack to Nome.