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Words of Wisdom from Martin Buser

A Report from the Winter Teacher Conference

by Laure Nakauchi Hawn

03/05/2008

Words of Wisdom from Martin Buser

By Laurie Nakauchi Hawn Finalist for Iditarod Target Teacher on the Trail 2009

During the 2008 Winter Iditarod Educators Conference I had the exciting opportunity to visit the Martin Buser's Happy Trail Kennels and hear the famous musher field questions from his fans. Below is an article about that experience.

With an easy smile, Martin Buser greets a bus full of admiring fans. With the Iditarod just two days away, his preparation checklist must be long, but Buser's attention is 100% focused on his guests. He poses for pictures, passes around puppies for guests to cuddle, shares Iditarod stories and makes every visitor feel at ease. He epitomizes what the Iditarod is about.

Although Buser's life and passion revolves around dogs, his family and the race, it is apparent he has a larger sense of the world. Talking about becoming a U.S. citizen, his newest sponsor (the WWF - The World Wildlife Fund as Martin points out, not the World Wrestling Federation) and what message he would pass on to children who follow the race, Buser conveys the idea that being happy comes from having a sense of peace within yourself, a willingness to work hard and finding a way to pass that sense of well-being on to others. He certainly does that in large and small ways.

He does it by speaking to school children and encouraging them to dream big. He does it by promoting the WWF and the idea that we are all stewards of the earth with a job of protecting our home. He does it by showing people that even as a four-time winner of the Iditarod (with the current speed record of 8 days, 22 hours, 26 minutes and 2 seconds (but as Martin jokes, "Who's counting?")), your worth is still measured by the hard work you do and the kindness you demonstrate to others.

So what was on Buser's mind three days before the race?

Iditarod Technology - Through a partnership with Iridium Satellite LLC, the Iditarod is providing fans the chance to watch the race with instant downloads from the mushers every 15 minutes. Martin will have a temperature sensor, tracking system and two 24-hour webcams mounted on his sled.  With an impish grin, Buser joked about making the temperature gauge on his sensor look like he'd left Alaska and traveled to Hawaii but he also added a more serious note to his discussion. While he supports any changes that will attract fans and "ultimately benefit his dogs" he said the technology could also reveal some vital strategic information about the leaders.

Having his son Rohn in the Race - While Buser kidded about this being the first and last time Rohn would race, there was a sense of fatherly pride. The Buser's strategy is to stick together during the early miles of the race, giving both teams a less stressful start and for Martin, a chance to try a new strategy of starting slow and picking up speed as he goes. When asked if having Rohn on the trail would affect Martin's focus, he quickly responded "Yes, Rohn is responsible for all my gray hairs," but emphasized that he has the utmost confidence in Rohn and his abilities.

Leaving the Busers' Kennel, I felt uplifted by Martin Buser's wisdom. As a role model for the Iditarod race fans, he has all the right stuff. He's living his dream and changing the world in his own way.

 For more information about Martin Buser visit:

http://www.buserdog.com/