Today started off with a very unique opportunity; it kind of brought things full circle for me in a way. I was able to connect with 3rd grade students from the school I attended when I was in 3rd grade. The “icing on the cake” is that my 3rd grade teacher is still there. It was so great to connect with her again, and current third grade students at Bancroft in Massachusetts. They asked some incredible questions and really showed their knowledge of both the Iditarod and Junior Iditarod. It was so great to connect with them and see their excitement about the the races, dogs, mushers and everything that makes this sport so incredible. Go Bulldogs!

This afternoon I had the privilege of presenting in person a couple times at Sherrod Elementary school in Palmer. After the amazing teachers there made a quick adjustment to their schedules, I was able to talk to the entire 4th grade. The students were very eager to ask questions and were curious about everything related to the race. I want to thank the 4th grade teachers again for their flexibility today and allowing me to present to your amazing group of kids. You have a wonderful little 4th grade community there at Sherrod.

After doing all of these presentations over the past few days, it is clear that this sport really has a draw to kids in particular. After my presentations today, I heard a couple students say they would like to start mushing, and one even wanted to be an Iditarod veterinarian. With the obvious interest from the kids out there, I would encourage all of them to check out the upcoming Junior Iditarod this Saturday. This way, they can see other young people, close to their age, doing exactly what they may want to do some day. 

I actually leave Friday morning to head up to Cantwell, the location of this years Junior race. I would hope that all students out there read over some of the bios of the junior mushers, and see just how similar they are, and how many things they might have in common. This is an amazing group of young mushers looking to chase their dream down the Denali Highway this weekend. I wish them all the best of luck! Here is a link to their write-ups on the website: https://jriditarod.com/race/2022/mushers/

Teachers: Have your students check out the Junior Iditarod website this weekend to have them follow some current school aged students running in this race. There will also be a (free) GPS tracker available to follow the race at home, both Saturday and Sunday. It will give your students an opportunity to explore the GPS tracking system, and will be good practice for the Iditarod the following weekend (if you are registered for that service through an Insider subscription). I hope they have fun following the juniors!