Libby here!

Did you know that even the ‘rookie’ mushers have to go to school?

‘Rookie’ mushers are the mushers who have not finished an Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome.

Not every ‘rookie’ is brand new to the race.  Sometimes, a rookie starts the race and scratches.  When the musher signs up to run the race again, that musher is still a ‘rookie’ because that musher hasn’t finished the entire race.

To help rookie mushers be successful in their race, every rookie has to go to ‘rookie school’ or attend a two day meeting the first weekend in December.  This year, the first day of the meeting was held in Anchorage.   Rookies listened to special speakers who gave them lots of information so they would be able to have a successful race.  The second day, the rookies went out to Martin Buser’s Kennel.  They learned all about taking care of dogs and packing for the race from Iditarod Champion, Martin Buser.

To be successful at anything you do, you have to learn as much as you can.

Some ways to learn are listening, watching, reading, and experiencing.  Rookie mushers are using all of those ways to have a successful race.

Can you list examples of listening, watching, reading, and experiencing to learn – for mushers and for you?

What ways do you learn best?

Just Spinning de ‘tails’,

Libby